Bytesize.

When it comes to AI, there’s a sense of panic. A panic to do something, anything, even.

In fact, over the next two years, IT leaders expect to increase AI investment by 70%. And when you look at what’s already being spent – $30-40 billion according to MIT research – that’s not to be sniffed at. Yet, worryingly, 95% of organizations are getting zero return on that spend.1

But it’s not down to bad AI models; it’s because the underlying infrastructure can’t support them.

When an organization’s data foundation is optimized, AI success isn’t far behind. In our recent study, organizations of successful AI projects were twice as likely to cite data quality as the key to that success over emerging organizations. And it’s those organizations on the path to data foundation maturity that are primed to lead in the AI future.

What do the leaders in data infrastructure do differently, and why does it matter?

These leaders are driving a shift away from fragmented environments and risk-averse, manual operations to AI-ready environments where governance, automation, and resilience drive measurable ROI. With a robust infrastructure, talent pool, and governance in place, organizations can scale and secure AI initiatives for success.

And as complexity and risk continue to grow at an increasing rate, moving to an optimized data infrastructure is critical. The combination of rapid storage growth, data volume explosion, and multi-platform setups is increasing risk exposure, leading to security concerns with 43% worried about data breaches from human error, and 37% concerned about loss of customer or investor confidence.²

57% of respondents in our report also stated that data loss would be catastrophic to their business, and 46% said if executives saw the true fragility of their current environment, it would keep them up at night. So, it’s high time to course correct and lock in on the data foundation to reduce risk exposure, build resilience, and with it a platform for AI success.²

Those who share the load will win

Organizations that partner up for expertise across data, infrastructure, AI governance, and risk control will be best equipped to set a clear vision for AI and act on it with confidence and control. From proven approaches to governance to tried and tested AI use cases backed by dedicated industry expertise, those organizations that invest in partnerships are more likely to see rapid returns – and build greater confidence with customers and stakeholders.

Dig into more of the data leaders’ secrets in our 2025 State of the Data Infrastructure Global Report. See what’s different from 2024 – plus get a data infrastructure maturity model with a blueprint for action – and start building your competitive advantage today.

SOURCES

¹ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ai_report_2025.pdf

² https://www.hitachivantara.com/en-us/gated-forms/state-of-data-2025