IT Demand Surge and Extended Lead Times

Hyperscale’s and AI providers are consuming IT resources at an unprecedented rate. Global demand for compute, storage, and networking is now so intense that the industry is facing broad shortages across all major component types. These constraints are unlikely to ease quickly. The supply imbalance is expected to persist for at least the next five years.

While equipment remains available to order, lead times are lengthening significantly. What could once be delivered within weeks may now take two to three months or longer, depending on configuration and vendor allocation. The supply chain is working at full capacity, and new orders are simply joining an ever-growing queue.

Beyond supply and pricing, the physical realities of high-performance infrastructure are becoming increasingly difficult to manage. Power consumption has risen sharply. A typical 42U rack that once drew around 7 kW of power can now require up to 150 kW to support dense GPU-based AI workloads and this figure is expected to climb further in the coming years.

Cooling has become equally critical. Air-cooling systems are often insufficient for these energy-intensive environments, driving a shift towards direct liquid and water-based cooling solutions to maintain stable operating temperatures.

Weight is another growing concern. The latest racks, densely populated with compute and storage hardware, can weigh as much as 1,360 kilograms or 1.36 tonnes or more, requiring reinforced flooring and structural adaptations in many existing data-centre facilities.

Delays are now an industry reality, but they don’t have to derail your plans. At Fortuna Data, we pride ourselves on our ability to globally source IT components, helping organisations stay on track even as supply chains tighten. Our established vendor relationships and advance allocation strategies enable us to secure the hardware you need, when you need it.

If your project is entering the planning or procurement stage, now is the time to act. Contact us today to discuss availability and lead times and ensure your infrastructure investments remain firmly on schedule.