A global survey conducted by Recon Analytics between May and June 2026, which included 2,712 enterprise technology decision-makers from seven major markets—United States, China, India, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan—shows that the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) is driving up the demand for data storage. According to a report prepared by Seagate, 99 percent of the surveyed companies expect their storage needs to increase over the next three years, with 32 percent predicting an increase of more than 50 percent. Furthermore, 98 percent of participants believe AI is turning storage into a key part of their company's infrastructure, rather than just a supporting function. The survey also found that 86 percent of respondents are seeing a moderate to significant return on investment from their AI initiatives, with 33 percent reporting a substantial and measurable return. When asked about the biggest challenges in adopting AI, 53 percent of respondents identified data quality and availability as the main obstacle, followed by 43 percent who cited limitations in their storage infrastructure. Investing in data centers is becoming a top priority for many companies. Specifically, 76 percent of surveyed organizations rank data center investment among their top three infrastructure priorities, with 20 percent considering it their highest priority. When it comes to barriers in making AI systems more adaptable, the main issues cited by respondents included the maturity of their AI strategy (16 percent), lack of budget and resources (14 percent), and challenges related to data management and governance (14 percent). Sustainability and the management of infrastructure over time are also growing concerns. Nearly all respondents—97 percent—believe that extending the lifespan of their existing infrastructure can improve sustainability. Similarly, 94 percent expect their storage operations to become more sustainable over the next five years. When it comes to environmental concerns specifically related to AI infrastructure, energy consumption (52 percent) and the associated carbon emissions (51 percent) were the most frequently mentioned issues by those surveyed.