Among its collection of 2026 predictions in the data centre space, GlobalData is anticipating that rack densities will continue to grow as AI workloads move into the enterprise space. Outside the enterprise, super dense systems mainly targeted at hyperscale customers and neoclouds will hit the market in 2026.
AMD’s 72-GPU Helios rack, running on the Instinct MI400 architecture, and Nvidia’s NVL72 rack systems based on the Blackwell Ultra chips, will disrupt the landscape, introducing significant performance improvements.
2026 will witness strong growth in inference-optimised chips, alongside traditional, more expensive, GPUs for foundation models. Although GPUs will continue to claim the largest share of the overall market, the growing focus on efficiency will also drive demand for ASIC-based accelerators. Unlike general-purpose processors, ASIC [application-specific integrated circuits] chips are custom-built to efficiently execute a particular use case.
Hyperscalers will deploy more custom accelerators to optimise workload-specific performance. Small players such as Cerebras, d-Matrix, Axelera AI, and Groq will have to share the space with other new entrants into the fray. Microprocessor supply chains will continue to have a strong geopolitical slant, with export controls and complex alliances.
GlobalData estimates there is currently a global pipeline of large-scale data centre projects with a total value of $2.4tn. 32% of those projects are in the pre-execution and execution stages, and 68% in the early stages of pre-planning and planning. This means that most projects are yet to be developed. The industry will continue to build ahead of projected demand to secure capacity, raising concerns about overbuilding.
The market is changing dramatically. Today’s AI-optimised systems mean power and cooling requirements change drastically from one generation of GPUs to the next. This leads to continuous upgrades in existing brownfield sites and the necessity to build out new greenfield sites that are custom-made to house the latest systems that meet AI requirements.
In 2026, AI-driven demand and super-dense systems will shape new designs whose success will depend on securing increasingly scarce power. By the end of 2026, at least one of several mega projects currently in the development stage will have crossed the 1 GW (Gigawatt) capacity threshold.
