TIA: New Data Center Quality Standard Arriving in 2026
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) intends to launch a new global initiative to develop a Data Center Quality Standard, aiming to strengthen operational reliability, sustainability and lifecycle management across the rapidly growing digital infrastructure sector.
The announcement comes as global data centre demand continues to soar, driven by AI, cloud computing and hyperscale expansion.
According to McKinsey & Company, worldwide capacity requirements are expected to triple by 2030, with the US alone seeing growth of 20-25% annually.
To meet this need, the report estimates that US$6.7 trillion in investment will be required by the end of the decade, including US$5.2tn dedicated to AI-ready facilities.
Addressing a gap in global standards
Despite this acceleration, the industry currently lacks unified quality standards for physical infrastructure, resulting in inconsistencies in uptime, sustainability and lifecycle management.
TIA’s new standard aims to address this by creating a trusted, globally recognised quality framework for data centre operations and suppliers.
Administered through TIA’s QuEST Forum, the initiative will initially focus on physical infrastructure and supply chain quality, building upon existing TIA standards. It aims to:
• Establish a common, certifiable framework that operators, customers and regulators can trust.
• Streamline supplier qualification and reduce redundant processes.
• Define shared practices to deliver consistency across construction, operations and maintenance.
• Address sustainability, reliability and lifecycle management as key pillars of performance.
Industry collaboration to define excellence
The new initiative has already attracted the support of major industry players, including Google, which recently joined TIA’s QuEST Forum.
Gino Tozzi, Global Head of Data Center Infrastructure Quality at Google, says collaboration is critical to ensure the industry can meet growing global demand.
“Beyond sheer demand, the physical complexity of data centres adds another layer of urgency. Facilities must integrate servers, networking equipment, storage systems, generators and cooling towers—each with its own quality, reliability and maintenance requirements,” Gino says. “Establishing a unified quality framework will help ensure these systems perform together seamlessly to support the industry's rapid growth.”
Dave Stehlin, CEO of TIA, emphasises that the initiative reflects the association’s long-standing mission to drive collaboration across the information and communications technology ecosystem.
“TIA's mission is to bring the ICT industry together to create standards that solve real-world challenges,” Dave explains. “This initiative is both timely and essential and we believe this collaborative process will create a practical framework for global adoption of this Data Center Quality Standard.”
Quality and sustainability at the core
As data centres consume increasing amounts of power and resources, sustainability has become a major factor in infrastructure design and investment. The forthcoming standard will integrate sustainability metrics into its quality framework, promoting environmental responsibility alongside reliability and performance.
Chad Kymal, CTO of Omnex, says the company’s expertise in quality management will help ensure the new standard delivers measurable outcomes for operators and partners.
“For over 30 years, Omnex has been at the forefront of helping industries define and implement quality management systems that enhance business performance,” Chad says. “As an accredited training partner with TIA, we're proud to contribute our deep expertise to the development of global standards – particularly by taking a leadership position in this Data Center Quality initiative. We recognise the strategic role data centres play as the backbone of the digital economy and we're committed to supporting their continued growth and reliability.”
A framework built on proven principles
TIA’s QuEST Forum, which has over two decades of experience developing certifiable, process-based quality management systems, will lead the drafting of the new standard. The forum has delivered measurable improvements in product and service quality across the telecommunications industry and now seeks to extend that same discipline to the data centre sector.
Mike Regan, Vice President of Business Performance at TIA, says: “We will draw from our more than 20 years of real-world experience in providing quality management standards that have delivered substantial and measurable improvements in product and service quality, customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.”
What are the next steps?
Work on the Data Center Quality Standard begins immediately, with a draft expected to be released for public review in 2026.
Once complete, it is expected to provide operators, developers and technology partners with a shared foundation for evaluating quality and performance across the data centre lifecycle – from design and build to operation and maintenance.
By establishing a common language for quality and sustainability, TIA aims to support a more resilient, efficient and trusted global data centre ecosystem capable of meeting the demands of the AI-driven digital economy.
