Lenovo's study with Opinium finds EMEA data centres behind

As AI reshapes the digital landscape, data centres across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) face rising pressure to transform. Lenovo, working with research partner Opinium, conducts its Data Centre of the Future study in August 2025. The results point to a major gap between IT leaders’ sustainability ambitions and what their current infrastructure can deliver.

While businesses look for faster, smarter infrastructure to support AI, automation and real-time applications, many data centres still rely on outdated air-cooling and centralised models.

Simone Larsson, Head of Enterprise AI, EMEA at Lenovo, says: “The data centre of the future will be defined by how effectively it can scale for AI, deliver on sustainability targets, and operate with maximum energy efficiency.”

Larsson adds: “As demand for compute accelerates, customers will increasingly look to infrastructure partners who can deliver performance without compromise, and who take responsibility for reducing environmental impact.”

Data centre design must meet sustainability goals

Lenovo's study finds a clear mismatch between climate targets and physical infrastructure. While 92% of IT decision-makers now prioritise technology partners who reduce energy use and carbon emissions, only 46% believe their current data centre design supports those goals.

This gap stems from long-standing issues. Traditional air cooling methods are less effective under the demands of AI and high-density workloads. Outdated systems not only fall short on performance but also consume more energy, making them unsuited for today's environmental expectations.

As AI increases both data volume and complexity, the need for smarter cooling becomes critical. Lenovo points to its Neptune liquid cooling technology as a way forward. Unlike air cooling, Neptune removes up to 98% of system heat at its source, lowering energy consumption and improving efficiency.

The urgency is clear. With data centres consuming more power than ever, operators need solutions that go beyond marginal upgrades. Liquid cooling offers a practical and immediate step towards energy reduction, without compromising performance.

James Cheung, Partner at architectural practice Mamou-Mani, says: “As architects and engineers, we have a responsibility to make data centres better, not just bigger. The Data Centre of the Future project combines the evolving needs of businesses with practical pathways, from reusing mines and bunkers to high-altitude cloud modules, urban data villages, and data spas that pair server heat with public amenities.”

He continues: “Based on Lenovo's liquid cooling technology, we show how natural resources and existing locations can reduce overheads and return energy to communities. While we don't have a crystal ball to show exactly what the future holds for data centres, this playbook provides a glimpse of concepts that could move from ideas to pilots, faster and with less risk.”

Regional rules and latency shape infrastructure needs

Data sovereignty, the legal control over where and how data is collected, stored and processed, now dominates boardroom agendas. In EMEA, 99% of IT and C-level executives in the survey list data sovereignty as a top concern.

This is partly because of complex regional laws and compliance pressures. Infrastructure must now align with both security expectations and local regulation, shaping everything from server placement to energy use.

Low latency is another emerging focus. A total of 94% of decision-makers say it’s vital, especially as edge computing grows. Applications that demand immediate responsiveness, from industrial systems to smart cities, can’t wait for distant data centres to process requests.

These dual pressures, regulation and speed, push the sector towards decentralised, modular data centre models. Built closer to urban hubs and users, these designs reduce latency and compliance risks alike.

The Data Centre of the Future study explores how this plays out in physical form. Working with engineers from AKT II and designers at Mamou-Mani, Lenovo sets out a series of concepts for 2055 that integrate advanced cooling, low environmental impact and innovative use of location.

Each of these concepts removes the reliance on air cooling and moves to a sustainable liquid cooling model as standard.

AI creates demand, but infrastructure must catch up

AI remains a defining issue for infrastructure planning. According to the study, 90% of organisations expect data usage to increase over the next decade, with 62% of IT leaders identifying AI and automation as their key strategic priorities.

However, 41% say they are not ready to scale AI efficiently. There is a clear gap between ambition and reality. This shortfall underscores the need for purpose-built data centres that integrate performance, compliance and energy efficiency from the ground up.

Lenovo's Neptune platform aims to address this. With more than 12 years of development and hundreds of patents, Neptune directly removes heat from its source. The company claims up to 40% energy savings and improved computing performance. It has earned awards such as HPCwire’s Best HPC Server Product 2023 and the SEAL Sustainable Product Award 2024.

Larsson concludes: “Lenovo is committed to enabling smarter, more sustainable infrastructure at scale. With Neptune liquid cooling technology, we’re already helping customers address the rising energy demands of AI by integrating liquid cooling solutions that are both highly efficient and immediately deployable.

“Future-ready data centres require a shift in mindset, one where sustainability is not retrofitted, but engineered into the system from the very beginning.”