Demand for datacenter and cloud infrastructure is accelerating—driven by AI adoption, high-density workloads, and the need for always-on access to business-critical applications. Global data center demand is projected to grow 13% annually through 2030, largely due to AI-driven compute requirements (McKinsey, 2024). As organizations expand their digital footprint, they need environments that provide scalability, security, and predictable performance.
AI is also reshaping datacenter design. According to CBRE’s 2025 Global Data Center Trends report, AI workloads require up to five times or more power density than traditional compute—driving the shift toward liquid cooling and modular designs. Meanwhile, edge computing, quantum readiness, and NaaS are influencing how hybrid architectures are planned and interconnected.
Why businesses are rebalancing their workloads:
- Evolving Needs: Adoption of new compute-intensive technologies by many organizations, including AI, edge compute, and more.
- Cost pressures: Unpredictable bills and egress fees are driving a rethink of what belongs where, often yielding 30-60% savings after repatriation (IDC, 2024).
- Performance & latency: Bandwidth-heavy or transactional workloads perform better when closer to users.
- Compliance & sovereignty: Regulated industries need tighter data control to meet mandates like GDPR and HIPAA.
- Flexibility: Reducing vendor lock-in keeps infrastructure agile as business needs evolve.
As Partners help customers navigate these shifts, it’s important to understand how leading Providers are adapting—and how those investments translate into real-world solutions. Csquare (formerly Centersquare) is a strong example. Their approach mirrors how the industry is evolving to support AI-era requirements, giving Partners a practical option when customers need performance, flexibility, and scale.
Csquare operates 80 data centers across North America, including 70+ in 26 markets—providing the reach needed for hybrid and edge deployments. Their recent $1 billion expansion, adding 10 new facilities, highlights how Providers are scaling to support GPU-intensive workloads and next-generation compute.
Engineered for high-density performance, Csquare’s facilities deliver 50–125 kW per rack with advanced cooling and redundant power. A 100% uptime SLA and enterprise-grade compliance (SOC 1 & 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS) give Partners a dependable option for hybrid, regulated, and data-heavy workloads. Their Partner-first model—with co-selling support and marketing resources—helps translate these capabilities directly into customer outcomes.
This level of performance and reliability matters as organizations rethink workload placement. The rise of Cloud repatriation—moving select workloads from hyperscalers into private or colocation environments—is about optimization, not abandonment. Csquare’s infrastructure supports this trend by giving customers the predictability, control, and cost efficiency they often can’t achieve with hyperscalers alone.
The result is a shift toward hybrid-by-design architectures-keeping elastic workloads in the public Cloud while moving stable, data-intensive systems to private or colocation environments. Gartner predicts that by 2027, over 70% of enterprises will deploy a hybrid Cloud strategy, up from 40% in 2022, to improve performance and manage costs more effectively. This model delivers predictable costs, consistent performance, and better alignment with sustainability goals. For AI and high-performance compute, private environments often provide the stability and economics to sustain large GPU workloads efficiently.
For Partners, this evolution creates new opportunities to help customers design the right balance between flexibility and control. Businesses need guidance on evaluating workloads, optimizing spend, and strengthening security and compliance-and Sandler Partners’ network of Cloud, Colocation, and Managed Service Providers, including Csquare, offers everything needed to deliver hybrid solutions that scale with customer goals.
Partner opportunities include:
- Helping customers identify optimal workload placement
- Designing hybrid Connectivity and Colocation strategies
- Recommending Managed Services for greater resilience and cost control
Success today isn’t about being in the Cloud-it’s about being in the right Cloud. Partners who can guide customers toward balanced, future-ready environments will drive stronger relationships, lasting growth, and smarter IT strategies built to evolve.
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