A global rush to build next-generation data centres is exposing cracks in the construction supply chain as artificial intelligence (AI) workloads transform the technological and infrastructure demands of the digital economy.
According to the newly released 2025–2026 Data Centre Construction Cost Index by global professional services firm Turner & Townsend, 2025 marks an inflexion point for the industry as it shifts from traditional cloud-based, air-cooled facilities to high-density, liquid-cooled data centres built to handle the computational intensity of AI applications.