Infrastructure is now the gatekeeper

The 2025 data makes it clear: Now that AI has moved into the mainstream, infrastructure constraints are becoming the real bottleneck.

• Respondents identify IT infrastructure limitations—such as power, space, latency, and provisioning cycles—as the main obstacle to scaling AI, with 44 percent citing it as their biggest challenge.
• Timing is another. Although many plan ahead, only 17 percent are looking 3–5 years into future infrastructure needs, while 62 percent plan 1–3 years ahead.
• Network constraints are worsening: 59 percent report bandwidth shortages (up from 43 percent in 2024), and 53 percent struggle with latency (compared to 32 percent the previous year).
• Skills gaps are escalating, too: 61 percent of organizations report staffing shortages in managing specialized computing infrastructure (up from 53 percent in 2024).
• In governance, 33 percent admit their AI frameworks lack security measures, while 48 percent recognize gaps in bias detection policies.

These statistics tell a story: Infrastructure is no longer just passive support. It is the gatekeeper to AI scaling. Organizations that have not modernized their data centers, networking, cooling, or provisioning systems will find themselves falling behind.