The Future of IT Infrastructure: Trends to Watch in 2025
The backbone of most innovations in the world of information technology (IT) is infrastructure. That’s also where much of the IT spending goes. And the year 2025 is set to break records. Gartner expects IT spending to increase by 9.3% in 2025 and reach $5.74 trillion globally.
The previous year was big on Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly generative or Gen AI. This year, AI will dominate the tech industry in general. That, in turn, will impact infrastructure development and adoption. But that’s not the only trend.
This article explores all the trends in IT infrastructure that will dictate how enterprises spend their resources in 2025.
Data Center Expansion for AI and Cloud
Thanks to massive strides in AI and virtually every notable tech company incorporating it into their products and services, the demand for data center space is higher than ever before. And that’s only aided by the continuous adoption of cloud computing.
While big tech has its own proprietary data centers to support its AI projects, most enterprises have to rely on data centers for computing resources. Similarly, enterprises with a cloud or hybrid model will also need data center spaces to run their operations. To meet these demands, companies are planning major expansions.
For instance, Microsoft is set to begin construction on its sixth data center in Des Moines, Iowa. Crusoe Energy Systems has designed an AI data center in Abilene, Texas, that will soon be operational. Tract, a data center land acquisition and development company, will begin work on its 1.8GW data center park in Phoenix, Arizona.
However, all these expansions and additions of data centers will also result in a huge power draw. The talk about AI’s impact on sustainability efforts is getting louder, bringing us to the other big trend.
Energy-Efficient Computing for a Sustainable Future
AI workloads are power-intensive, contributing to the increased power draw from IT infrastructure. For context, data center energy consumption is set to double by 2026, according to the International Energy Agency, mainly due to increasing computing power and cooling demands.
Climate experts are ringing alarms on the environmental impact of increasing energy consumption by IT infrastructure, especially by large facilities like data centers. Consumers and investors, too, are growing conscious of this effect. As a result, tech vendors are focusing on making computing more energy-efficient.
The good news is that the companies behind these innovations realize the need for sustainability (for both environmental and economic reasons). Many new data centers will be run entirely on clean energy. Market leaders like Cisco, HPE, Dell, and Juniper Networks, have made sustainability a cornerstone of their product offerings.
From energy-efficient servers for AI to software-defined networking for optimized routing, vendors are considering the environmental impact of their technologies. We’ll hear a lot about sustainability in product marketing and quarterly earnings calls.
More Sophisticated Edge Computing
The case for edge computing is getting stronger each year. Moving computing closer to the source of the data simply makes sense—in terms of performance, reliability, and, to some extent, sustainability, too. And with applications like AI, the need for such architecture will become even more pertinent.
In 2025 and beyond, edge computing is poised to become even better. AI will be embedded directly into edge devices. That’s precisely why we’re saying new hardware featuring built-in AI features. Imagine edge devices doing some or most of the computing work that normally advanced servers do in centralized data centers in far-flung locations.
Moreover, edge computing, and particularly edge AI, will prove transformative for manufacturing, healthcare, and agriculture. It’s important to mention the role of faster networks like 5G and WiFi 7 here, as these technologies will essentially enable the adoption of edge computing in non-tech industries.
While all these advancements are significant, security will remain a grave concern. Edge data centers and devices handling large volumes of data will need tough security protocols and zero-trust architecture to mitigate the risks of breaches.
Hybrid Environments to Achieve Peak Business Efficiency
Although cloud adoption remains high, businesses are wavering toward hybrid computing models. Hybrid environments essentially offer the best of different architectures, taking a best-of-breed approach according to their business operations. Hybrid environments may be a combination of multiple clouds or cloud and on-premise, whatever helps optimize performance and keep costs down.
Hybrid environments have their fair share of benefits. They’re transformative in that they can offer unparalleled speeds and reliability. They may also be great for security, combining the best of each architecture to protect assets from emerging threats. For instance, on-premise infrastructure for mission-critical and sensitive data is more secure.
The hybrid approach also has hurdles. Using different technologies, vendors, and environments raises issues like increased complexity and the need for specialized skills. Plus, the initial cost of embracing a hybrid environment can be significant, which may discourage enterprises even when they can truly benefit from it.
Spatial Computing to Deliver Immersive Experiences
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), which rely on specialized wearables, are having their moment once again. Much of the focus of these technologies has been on consumer electronics like headsets and glasses. However, with AI in the picture, business-level use cases may also emerge.
These technologies create a synergy between humans and the digital world, which shouldn’t be limited to entertainment. For instance, thanks to AI, there has been tremendous progress in robotic and remote surgeries. VR can be used to train these doctors on new AI-based tools. The healthcare AR/VR market has grown exponentially since 2018 in every region.
Advancements in spatial computing will continue to dominate headlines this year, contributing investments in new infrastructure across industries.
Quantum Computing to Accelerate Research and Development
The quantum computing space may have the most revolutionary infrastructure developments in 2025. It’s already making waves, with Google announcing the most powerful quantum chip ever created, Willow. It’s incredibly fast at performing computations. For context, it can solve a computation in under five minutes that would take supercomputers of today 10 septillion years.
Quantum computing promises to solve complex problems currently beyond the reach of even the most powerful supercomputers. By harnessing the unique properties of quantum bits (qubits), quantum computers can process information in fundamentally different ways from classical computers.
While Google’s announcement is promising, quantum computing isn’t yet there. Also, quantum chips have the potential to decrypt current encryption technologies, which will basically unravel the entire digital security apparatus. There’s already work happening in post-quantum cryptography (PQC). According to Gartner, current asymmetric cryptography will be unsafe by 2029 and fully penetrable by 2034.
As big tech often competes in technology, Google’s announcement will push other big players to initiate and accelerate their work on quantum computing. It’s safe to say we’ll hear much more of it in the coming years.
Brace for a Continued Revolution
Much great work is currently happening in the tech industry, and infrastructure is at the heart of it. Developments in architecture and devices will essentially lead to revolutions like AI and quantum computing.
For any enterprise reliant on technology, it’s essential to keep investing in infrastructure improvements and embrace the new trends. Keeping up with these advancements can be challenging and expensive, but it’s the right of passage if the business is to grow and stay competitive.
When it comes to IT infrastructure, PivIT is the expert. From procuring the latest hardware to maintaining the existing, PivIT’s services aim to make your infrastructure resilient. Learn more!