‘One in four DC operators fails to track energy usage’
Author: Joe Peck
A late‑2025 451 Research study, commissioned by Janitza, a German manufacturer of energy measurement and power quality monitoring equipment, reveals that nearly one in four data centre operators does not monitor the power consumption of their primary sites, even as AI workloads drive unprecedented pressure on electrical and cooling infrastructure.
Without precise, real‑time energy data, Janitza argues, operators cannot safely scale AI‑ready capacity or protect their investments.
Energy consumption without control
451 Research, the technology market intelligence unit of S&P Global, surveyed 208 data centre professionals to assess how efficiently business‑critical facilities operate today, using power usage effectiveness (PUE) as a key metric.
Just over half of respondents reported a PUE between 1.5 and 2.0, while 23% admitted they are not tracking this fundamental performance indicator at all.
The study highlights a structural business risk: power has become the limiting factor in building, scaling, and monetising AI‑capable infrastructure.
Highly dynamic AI workloads drive power fluctuations of up to 40–70% within milliseconds, creating new challenges for power quality and increasing the risk of outages and equipment damage.
The report notes, “In an environment where milliseconds matter, flexibility and data expertise are the critical differentiators.”
The findings suggest that reliable, high‑resolution energy data now underpins predictive maintenance, capacity planning, and revenue optimisation in modern data centres.
Janitza says operators who capture and analyse detailed power and power‑quality data can detect emerging faults earlier, extend the lifetime of critical components, and avoid unplanned downtime.
As rack power densities rise towards 40–120 kW and AI models continue to grow, the study finds that comprehensive monitoring across the entire power chain, from grid connection to individual racks, is becoming a decisive competitive factor.
For more from Janitza, cick here.
