2021 Uptime Institute Survey: Data Center Sustainability & Reliability Trends

Establishing Sustainability

82% of respondents track IT or data‑center power consumption. Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is the second most‑tracked metric, with 70% monitoring compute efficiency, but only 40% track server utilization. Emissions tracking (33%) and equipment disposal (25%) remain immature, and just 51% monitor water usage.

Outage Statements

Outage frequency appears to be decreasing, yet consequences remain severe. 31% of respondents reported no severe outages (up from 22% in 2020). Human error is cited by 79% as a cause, and 76% believe better management, processes, or configuration could prevent downtime.

What Causes Downtime?

Since 2020, onsite power failures have risen from 37% to 43% of incidents, followed by network issues, cooling failures, and software/IT errors (each ~14%). SaaS hosting, cybersecurity, and third‑party cloud provider outages increased from 7% to 11%.

Outage Consequences Remain Serious

While the share of severe cases (8%) has not changed since 2019, 56% of incidents were managed with minimal pain, leaving the remaining half in serious or critical categories.

Financial impact has shifted: incidents under $100 K dropped from 60% to 39%, while those between $100 K and $1 M rose to 47%, indicating fewer low‑cost outages but more high‑cost events.

AI Influence on Data Centers

One‑fifth of respondents lack qualified staff; 47% struggle to find suitable candidates and 32% have retention issues. Most believe AI will take years to mature, yet over half think well‑trained AI can make operational decisions.

Supply‑Chain Disruption

Global chip shortages and the rise of cloud/internet providers are reshaping expectations. More than half anticipate large data‑center operators will influence design and supply‑chain decisions in the next 3‑5 years, potentially limiting competition among vendors.

Rack Density Continues to Rise

Average annual PUE is 1.57 and trending downward. Most rack power remains below 10 kW, but high‑density racks (>10 kW) require liquid cooling or enhanced airflow. Low‑density racks still exhibit higher PUE, especially in older facilities.

What Is Uptime Institute?

Uptime Institute is an independent consulting and research organization known for its Tier standards and certifications, having issued over 2,500 Tier certifications in more than 110 countries since 1993.

What Is the Global Data Center Survey?

The 2021 survey is the 11th edition, gathering responses from over 800 data‑center owners and operators across all regions. It focuses on sustainability, outages, AI impact, supply‑chain issues, and rack density. A second report targeting vendors, designers, and consultants will be released later in the year.