AI automation moves from pilots to early production

AI is increasingly discussed as a transformative force in data center operations. Yet much of this discussion remains speculative, conflating experimental concepts with practical deployment. In reality, AI adoption inside data centers has been slow, cautious and highly constrained by operational risk, governance requirements and data quality.

This is beginning to change. A small but growing number of operators are incorporating AI-enabled features into operational technology (OT) and IT management systems. These deployments remain limited in scope and carefully governed, but they represent a transition from experimentation to early production use. Rather than pursuing full autonomy, operators are applying AI to solve well-defined operational problems where benefits are measurable and risks are bounded.