Lenovo & Opinium: What is the Data Center of the Future?

The design of data centers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) must evolve dramatically to meet the rapidly shifting demands of technology, sustainability and regulatory compliance, a new study commissioned by Lenovo reveals. 

As AI accelerates data volume and complexity, traditional infrastructure struggles to keep pace, with nearly half of IT leaders acknowledging that their current data centers do not support energy or carbon reduction goals.

The sustainability readiness gap

Lenovo’s Data Center of the Future study, carried out with research partner Opinium in August 2025, highlights a critical gap in sustainability readiness. 

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

“In EMEA, data sovereignty stands out as a particularly urgent priority, shaped by complex regional regulations and heightened scrutiny from CIOs and C-suites alike. Businesses must act now to align their infrastructure with these rising expectations, because preparing for the future starts with the choices they make today.”

Although 92% of IT decision-makers now prioritise technology partners that actively reduce energy consumption and carbon footprints, only 46% feel their data center designs truly align with those sustainability goals. 

This disconnect reflects longstanding challenges: conventional air cooling methods and legacy systems are increasingly inefficient and inadequate to balance the rising compute demands driven by AI, automation and exponential data growth.

The environmental pressures are mounting as AI workloads push data centers to consume more power, raising the stakes for operators to innovate beyond incremental improvements. 

Lenovo’s advanced liquid cooling technology – such as their Neptune system – stands out as a solution to address these challenges by removing up to 98% of system heat at its source and achieving significant energy savings compared with traditional air cooling systems.

The rising importance of data sovereignty

A nearly unanimous 99% of surveyed IT and C-level executives in the EMEA region emphasise the imperative of data sovereignty – the control over where and how data is collected, stored and processed. 

This priority is driven by increasingly complex regional regulations and heightened scrutiny on compliance and security. 

Furthermore, 94% of decision-makers stress the importance of low latency, particularly as edge computing and real-time applications become more widespread. 

These factors collectively dictate how future data centers must be designed, favoring decentralised, modular approaches close to key operating hubs to mitigate compliance risks and optimise responsiveness.

AI as a defining factor

AI is transforming how organisations use data, with 90% expecting significant increases in data consumption over the next decade. 62% of IT leaders foresee AI and automation as the greatest influence shaping their IT strategy. 

However, Lenovo’s research reveals a readiness challenge – 41% admit their organisations are not adequately equipped to efficiently integrate AI technologies at scale. 

This disconnect between digital ambition and infrastructure capacity signals an urgent need for smarter, more sustainable data center designs.

"As architects and engineers, we have a responsibility to make data centers better, not just bigger. The Data Center 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”, said James Cheung, Partner at Mamou-Mani.

“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 centers, this playbook provides a glimpse of concepts that could move from ideas to pilots, faster and with less risk."

Innovative concepts for 2055

Looking ahead, Lenovo collaborated with engineering firm AKT II and architectural practice Mamou-Mani to envision how data centers might evolve by 2055. 

These futuristic designs rethink the traditional rack server model with a focus on sustainability and leveraging natural resources and unconventional locations:

• The Floating Cloud: A data center suspended in the atmosphere at altitudes of 20-30 km, powered by solar energy and cooled through pressurised closed-loop liquid systems to prevent air pollution. Smaller modular units make airborne infrastructure feasible.
• The Data Village: Situated near natural water sources like rivers, this concept uses modular pods with enhanced liquid cooling. It also recycles waste heat to power or warm community amenities such as schools and homes, reducing energy waste and latency by proximity to urban centers.
• The Data Center Bunker: Using disused underground spaces such as tunnels and bunkers, this design minimises land use and capitalises on naturally efficient heat management and heightened security.
• All these concepts are unified by the integration of liquid cooling technology to replace outdated air cooling, which is less efficient and environmentally sustainable.

Lenovo Neptune

Lenovo’s Neptune liquid cooling technology exemplifies the shift required to meet tomorrow’s demands today. 

With more than 12 years of expertise and hundreds of patents, Neptune offers direct-to-source heat removal, resulting in up to 40% energy savings and significantly improved performance. It has earned multiple awards for its sustainability, including HPCwire’s Best HPC Server Product 2023 and the SEAL Sustainable Product Award 2024.

“Lenovo is committed to enabling smarter, more sustainable infrastructure at scale,” Simone added.

“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 centers require a shift in mindset, one where sustainability is not retrofitted, but engineered into the system from the very beginning.”