More than 1,800 data center and energy leaders explore how emerging resources, grid investment, supply-chain scale and community engagement can support surging power demand

DALLAS: #datacenterworld--Data Center World Power 2026 brought together more than 1,800 industry professionals, 130 exhibitors and 80+ expert speakers for three days of discussion, collaboration and innovation focused on one of the data center industry’s most defining challenges: securing the power required to meet the next wave of digital infrastructure growth.

Across more than 50 conference sessions, industry leaders indicated there will be no single solution to the data center power challenge. The power ecosystem requires diversification, community alignment, supply-chain scale, and grid investment.

“Data center growth and energy infrastructure can no longer be viewed as separate conversations,” said Tara Gibb, Portfolio Director, Data Center World & AFCOM. “The discussions at Data Center World Power made clear that meeting the demand of the future will require an all-of-the-above approach to energy, stronger supply chains and smarter grid investment. The opportunity is significant, but we realize it will require the entire ecosystem to move forward collectively.”

Four Key Takeaways From Data Center World Power 2026

1. There is no single solution to the power challenge – an “all of the above” energy strategy is required

The scale and speed of data center development will require a diversified approach to power. Industry leaders emphasized the importance of combining conventional generation and expanded grid transmission with emerging energy resources and new approaches to power delivery.

The conference program reflected this broader energy conversation, with sessions examining everything from on-site power and renewable generation to storage and the future of the grid.

2. Community engagement is critical and must begin early in the development stage

As data center projects expand into new markets, industry leaders underscored the importance of transparent communication with communities from the earliest stages of development.

Building public understanding and support requires clear explanations of how projects will affect local infrastructure, what data center operators and utilities are doing to manage demand, and how those efforts can help prevent rising electricity rates. Early engagement can help establish greater transparency around the infrastructure investments required to support new development.

3. Supply chain is rushing to scale; innovation must pivot to production

The data center power buildout is creating demand for innovation across the equipment and technology supply chain. Providers of power and compute are looking to suppliers for new technologies that can improve efficiency, reliability, flexibility and speed to deployment.

But innovation alone is not enough. Industry leaders highlighted the need to move promising technologies from development into large-scale manufacturing so they can be deployed at the pace required by today's data center expansion.

From generation and switchgear to storage, power management and other critical infrastructure, the depth and reliability of the supply chain will remain central to the industry's ability to deliver capacity at scale. The event’s exhibition floor showcased solutions spanning energy generation and storage, grid infrastructure and other technologies designed to address these challenges.

4. Data center demand could become a catalyst for grid investment and expansion

The rapid expansion of data centers is placing new demands on an electric grid that already requires significant investment and modernization. Rather than viewing that pressure solely as a constraint, speakers highlighted the opportunity for data center development to help drive investment in transmission, generation, and other critical infrastructure.

The industry's growth can provide both the motivation and resources needed to expand grid capacity and modernize infrastructure for a more resilient energy future.

Connecting the Power and Data Center Ecosystem

Data Center World Power 2026 established a dedicated forum for the industries responsible for powering digital infrastructure, connecting data center operators, energy providers, utilities, infrastructure leaders, technology companies and other stakeholders around the challenges shaping the next phase of growth.

In 2027, Data Center World Power will take place October 25-27 at the Gaylord Texan. To stay connected, visit www.dcwpower.com.

About Data Center World Power
Data Center World Power is the definitive event for decision makers and innovators working across the AI infrastructure ecosystem charged with tackling the challenge – and opportunity – of powering data centers. It offers access to insightful keynotes, solution-driven panels, and elite executive-to-executive networking opportunities. Data Center World Power 2027 will be held at the Gaylord Texan, October 25 - October 27. Data Center World Power is produced by Data Center World and is a part of Informa PLC. www.dcwpower.com

About Data Center World
Data Center World is the global conference for data center facilities and IT infrastructure professionals, offering premier education, abundant networking opportunities and the broadest access to best-in-class vendors. Designed to help professionals navigate today’s most challenging infrastructure issues, Data Center World delivers top-quality knowledge without bias towards a specific vendor, product or service. CIO Dive named Data Center World one of the top technology conferences to attend in 2024 for the second consecutive year. Additionally, for the fourth consecutive year, Data Center World has been recognized by Trade Show Executive as one of the fastest-growing trade shows. Data Center World 2027 will be held May 24-27 in Nashville. Data Center World is produced by Informa PLC. www.datacenterworld.com

About AFCOM
AFCOM advances data center and IT professionals by delivering comprehensive and vendor-neutral education and peer-to-peer networking to its members around the world. Through forward-looking research, AFCOM supports thousands of IT, operations, facilities, builders/designers and vendors working in the data center and IT infrastructure industry. In serving the data center industry for more than 40 years, AFCOM has earned recognition as the market leader in educating, connecting and guiding the data center community.

Fonte: Business Wire