Swiss engineering giant ABB remains highly optimistic about the long-term growth of data centers driven by the global artificial intelligence boom, CEO Morten Wierod told Reuters on Thursday.
Wierod said ABB has seen double-digit growth this year in orders for its electrification products, which include switchgear and uninterruptible power systems that ensure servers stay online. “Over the next five years I am very confident about demand from data centers,” he said.
Rejecting suggestions of an AI bubble, Wierod argued that the challenge lies in construction capacity, not in demand. “We are talking about trillions in investment, but there are not enough people and resources to build all this,” he noted.
AI remains in its early stages, he added, meaning continued expansion of data infrastructure as more companies — beyond the tech giants — invest in new facilities. Data centers accounted for about 7% of ABB’s revenue in 2025, up from 6% the previous year.
Earlier this week, ABB announced a partnership with Nvidia to develop new electrification systems for next-generation chips used in high-performance computing centers. “That’s not for 2025 or 2026, it’s a long-term investment,” Wierod said.
He also highlighted growing opportunities in retrofitting and upgrading older data centers to handle the increased power demands of modern AI systems. “That is a big opportunity,” he said.