Digital Realty has released its 2024 Global Data Insights Survey. This comprehensive study, which involved over 2,000 IT executives worldwide, shows that the share of AI in large companies has increased significantly. 95% of those surveyed implement AI strategies and 45% use the technology for monetary gain. However, the study also criticizes that investments in the monetization of AI are still not sufficient to achieve fundamental business success.
(Bild: Digital Realty)
Only 27% of companies worldwide consider their current use of AI to be transformative. This highlights the need for greater investment in digital infrastructure to unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence.
Light and shadow in Germany
In Germany, only 32% of the companies surveyed monetize AI or actively use trained AI models, while globally this is already almost half of all respondents. The situation is different with new AI investments: While only 18% of the companies surveyed worldwide will make significant new AI investments, in Germany the figure is at least 32%.
However, almost half (43%) of all German respondents are inhibited in gaining knowledge from data. A frequently cited reason for this is that data exists in silos (e.g. in specific departments) and is not collected centrally. Many companies also lack the digital infrastructure necessary for data and AI to be successful.
Data storage challenge
One of the biggest problems in this context is data storage. 69% of German companies report that their resources are insufficient to store the data necessary for their AI strategy. The phenomenon of data gravity, where data accumulates in specific areas of infrastructure, exacerbates these challenges and makes it difficult to move data due to network bandwidth limitations, application dependencies and performance limitations.
Volker Ludwig, SVP and Managing Director DACH at Digital Realty, sums up: “We are currently observing an exciting change in companies’ use of AI. As the results of this study show, leveraging AI requires a strong digital infrastructure capable of storing and managing large amounts of data, managing heavy workloads, and delivering information in real time. A good data strategy is essential to adequately support companies with AI applications and achieve concrete business results. This strategy includes colocation as its foundation. Almost half of all companies surveyed in Germany have not yet established such a strategy.”
