AI Storage Demand Surges, but Most Firms Unprepared for Long-Term Needs — Seagate Technology Holdings plc

Event summary

Seagate's 2026 Data Infrastructure Readiness Report reveals 99% of IT leaders expect AI to increase storage needs, but only 38% feel fully prepared.
86% of organizations report moderate or significant ROI from AI investments, with 33% seeing significant measurable returns.
Data quality (53%) and storage infrastructure (43%) are top challenges for AI deployment, surpassing compute availability (27%) and energy constraints (24%).
76% of organizations rank data center investment among their top three infrastructure priorities.
97% of organizations agree extending infrastructure lifecycles significantly improves sustainability.

The big picture

Seagate's findings highlight a critical shift in enterprise AI strategy, where data infrastructure is becoming as vital as compute power. As AI adoption broadens, the ability to store, manage, and derive value from exponentially growing datasets will separate leaders from laggards. The report underscores the emerging tension between scalability, efficiency, and sustainability in data infrastructure planning.

What we're watching

Infrastructure Gap: How the 62% of organizations underprepared for AI's long-term data demands will impact their competitive positioning.
Sustainability Trade-offs: Whether firms can balance AI-driven storage growth with sustainability goals, as 77% have delayed or restructured expansion plans due to environmental concerns.
Data as Asset: The pace at which organizations transition from treating data as an input to managing it as a long-term strategic asset.