Seagate report shows 99% of IT leaders expect AI to lift storage demand over next three years

Seagate published its 2026 Data Infrastructure Readiness Report, flagging AI-driven storage growth as a near-universal expectation among IT leaders.

• Survey of 2,712 decision-makers found 99% expect storage requirements to rise within three years; 32% expect an increase of more than 50%.
• Only 38% reported being fully prepared for AI’s long-term data demands, pointing to a widening capacity and readiness gap.
• Data quality and readiness led AI deployment hurdles at 53%; storage infrastructure followed at 43%, ahead of compute availability at 27%.
• Energy and sustainability constraints are already reshaping plans, with 77% delaying or restructuring AI infrastructure expansion due to such concerns.