Lifecycle Management and the Race to Cover the Data Centre

The data centre has become one of the most capital-intensive assets in the modern economy. 

Driven by the accelerating deployment of cloud computing, AI workloads and the broader digitalisation of global business, new facilities are being developed at a pace and scale that has outrun the risk frameworks traditionally applied to them. 

Construction timelines stretch across years, commissioning introduces its own exposure and steady-state operations bring a distinct set of operational, cyber and financial risks – each of which demands a different form of cover, yet all of which must be managed in relation to one another.

For insurers and brokers, the challenge has been to build products that reflect this reality: integrated, multi-line solutions that follow an asset from breaking ground to long-term operation without creating the coverage gaps that have historically emerged at transition points. 

Three of the market's most established players – Aon, Willis and AIG – have each moved to address this in 2026, launching or significantly expanding end-to-end lifecycle programmes designed to give data centre owners, developers and investors greater certainty across the full arc of an asset's life.

Aon raises the bar on lifecycle coverage

Aon's contribution to this shift is its Data Center Lifecycle Insurance Program (DCLP), first launched in June 2025 and most recently expanded in April 2026 to take total capacity to US$3.5bn. The latest enhancement adds US$1bn to the programme and, crucially, extends coverage to data centres already in operation – filling a gap that previously left assets exposed once they moved beyond their first year of service.

"Data centres have become foundational to innovation, connectivity and economic growth,” says Joe Peiser, CEO of Risk Capital at Aon. “As these assets grow in size, complexity and importance, resilience must be built from the start. By expanding our Data Center Lifecycle Insurance Program and extending coverage to operating data centres, Aon is helping clients anticipate risk, protect critical assets and invest in digital infrastructure with greater confidence."

The programme is a multi-line solution drawing together coverage for construction all risks, delay in start-up, operational property damage and business interruption – up to US$3.5bn in aggregate. Cyber and technology errors and omissions coverage extends to US$400m, including non-damage cyber delay in start-up and ransomware protection, while third-party liability reaches US$200m globally. Project cargo and transport insurance adds a further US$500m in capacity. 

The full programme is supported by a global panel of A-rated or higher insurers spanning Lloyd's of London and Company markets, with risk engineering and cyber impact modelling available through Aon's Global Risk Consulting team.

The expansion to cover operating assets marks a meaningful shift in how lifecycle management is being understood. Data centres that have passed through construction and commissioning now retain coordinated support as they enter steady-state operation – a transition that has historically created discontinuity of coverage and elevated risk exposure for owners and investors.

Willis brings integrated broking to the sector

Also in April 2026, Willis, a WTW business, launched Digital Infrastructure Protector, a product it positions as an end-to-end lifecycle solution designed to serve data centre owners, operators, contractors and hyperscalers from initial funding through to long-term operations. 

The product was developed in close collaboration with Zurich, a leading data centre insurance provider, and brings more than US$3bn in insurance capacity under a single, integrated policy.

“The pace at which the AI boom is accelerating data centre construction is creating unprecedented complexity, and traditional insurance solutions are no longer sufficient,” says Alastair Swift, Head of CRB Global Lines of Business & CEO of Willis Limited, a WTW business. “As a client‑led, data‑driven organisation, Willis has developed this solution to respond directly to those challenges."

The programme consolidates building, operational property, marine and cargo exposures into one policy, with bespoke wording developed jointly by Willis and Zurich to reflect the particular demands of digital infrastructure clients. 

“Digital Infrastructure Protector provides clients with the right limit, the right terms and conditions and the most efficient price for each individual project, giving them the power to not only minimise risk but also secure the most from their investment,” explains Tom Grandmaison, Chief Client Officer for Willis Construction.

Evidence-based broking sits at the heart of the Willis approach. Rather than defaulting to broad coverage assumptions, Willis and Zurich apply analytics and data validation to assess coverage gaps and help clients calibrate the appropriate level of protection – reducing the risk of overinsurance and improving cost efficiency. 

The offering also incorporates Willis's eight-point digital infrastructure risk framework, which provides clients with an ongoing, holistic view of the full spectrum of data centre risk, including systemic and emerging threats as projects evolve.

A newly formed Global Digital Infrastructure Group, also led by Alastair, provides clients with access to cross-functional expertise spanning construction, energy, climate, technology, cyber, real estate, supply chain, data analytics and risk engineering. 

AIG reinforces its lifecycle proposition

AIG has taken a different route to the same destination. Rather than launching a new product, the insurer used RIMS RISKWORLD 2026 in Philadelphia to articulate and reinforce an existing end-to-end data centre capability – one that draws together specialist underwriting, risk engineering, global programme delivery and claims into a single, cohesive proposition.

Gordon Browne, Head of Global Specialty at AIG, contextualises the offering in relation to the particular vulnerabilities that emerge as assets move through their lifecycle.

“As critical digital infrastructure, data centres demand coherent thinking,” Gordon says. “Our focus is helping clients manage uncertainty with confidence, reduce downtime risk and protect long-term asset value."

AIG's proposition is built around the recognition that risk profiles shift most acutely at transition points – from development to construction, from commissioning to live operations, from initial deployment to expansion. 

These are the moments where coverage gaps can emerge if an insurer's approach is fragmented rather than integrated. AIG's multi-line model is designed to maintain continuity across all of those stages, underpinned by what the company describes as coordinated claims support and technical expertise deployed across different geographies.

The insurer points to an established track record in the sector as the foundation on which the strengthened proposition is built, with meaningful capacity and technical resource already in play before the RIMS showcase. 

The data centre sector's rapid expansion has elevated demand for this kind of specialist coverage, and AIG's move at RIMS signals a clear intention to compete for that business at scale.

An industry in step with the digital infrastructure boom

The near-simultaneous announcements from Aon, Willis and AIG reflect the degree to which the insurance market is now actively restructuring around the needs of digital infrastructure. 

The common thread across all three is a recognition that piecemeal, phase-specific cover is no longer adequate for assets of this scale and complexity.

What has changed is not simply the size of the numbers – though US$3.5bn in single-programme capacity from Aon, and more than US$3bn from Willis, illustrate the magnitude of risk now being absorbed – but the architecture of the products themselves. 

Each of the three programmes prioritises continuity, coordination and the removal of coverage gaps at the points in an asset's lifecycle where vulnerability is highest.