tech
March 10, 2026
Schneider Electric Races to Meet AI Data Centre Demands
Cloud and Service Provider Segment President Marc Garner on how power constraints and workforce shortages are forcing the industry to rethink construction
TL;DR
- AI is forcing data centre operators to build at an unprecedented pace, with racks demanding significantly more power than before.
- Construction timelines are compressing from months to weeks, driven by the accelerating demand for AI infrastructure.
- Workforce shortages are being addressed through prefabrication and standardization of components and processes.
- Power availability is becoming a critical bottleneck, with grid congestion in several global locations.
- Schneider Electric, in partnership with NVIDIA, is developing reference designs for high-density racks capable of supporting up to 1MW per rack.
- The acquisition of Motivair strengthens Schneider Electric's cooling portfolio to handle the thermal challenges of AI hardware.
- Liquid cooling is essential for processors, while air cooling remains necessary for the broader data centre environment.
- The industry requires approximately 300,000 new professionals to meet current demands.
- Condition-based monitoring systems are being deployed to optimize maintenance and reduce downtime, helping to bridge the skills gap.
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