From the explosion of AI use cases and AI-capable technologies to the rapid optimisation of software-defined vehicles (SDVs), 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year for data gentre footprint through streamlined planning approvals, prioritized power grid connections and financial incentives. Growth in data centers show no sign of slowing as we approach the new year.
At the same time, organisations are under increasing pressure to manage the data traversing their own networks at scale.
There is an immediate need to access insight in real-time, and that means adopting the right technologies and capabilities to stay competitive.
At the core of this is a need for storage that can deliver efficient, reliable, real-time access to insights. In 2025, flash storage emerged as the solution of choice for many industries due to its scalable, robust, and flexible nature. As we move into 2026, this trend is set to accelerate in a few key ways:
Storing and Managing Unstructured Data
As data volumes continue to rise in 2026, organisations will no doubt generate more unstructured data than ever before.
This unstructured data can include anything that does not fit neatly into predefined formats or models, which could be text, emails, video, imagery, sensor readings, and system logs from different formats.
Produced rapidly and in large quantities, unstructured data only becomes valuable when efficiently stored, processed, and converted into actionable intelligence.
Industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, automotive, and finance generate vast amounts of unstructured data every day, and this will only continue into the new year.
From medical scans and clinical notes, through to machine logs, quality-control imagery, and vehicle sensor streams, organisations will need to be able to convert this unstructured data into structured insight that can be analysed in real-time.
The insights enable informed decision-making, predictive maintenance, and operational efficiency.
Flash storage is well suited to meet the needs of data-heavy sectors as it provides high-speed data processing, low latency, and the reliability required to handle vast volumes of unstructured data rapidly and dependably.
Its ability to support real-time insights, enable edge processing, and manage demanding workloads with minimal degradation also enables it to turn raw data into valuable, actionable outcomes across sectors.
Ongoing advancements in flash storage also allow for accelerated read/write performance which is ideal for building robust data repositories, training next-generation AI models, and processing insights in real-time which enables efficient and seamless operations.
Making Software-Defined Vehicles a Reality
The opportunity for Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), or Autonomous Vehicles (AVs), in 2026 will be significant.
The UK Government claims that 38,000 domestic jobs could be created across manufacturing, software development, testing, and optimisation.
The country is gearing up to become a global leader in the next generation of mobility, the market could be worth as much as £42 billion by 2035.
However, this new market will come with unprecedented data demands. Each SDV could produce 1 to 2 terabytes of raw data each day according to a 2021 study by McKinsey & Company.
This is because cameras, radar, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and AI systems are constantly collecting, storing, and analysing information in real-time to improve safety, performance, and seamless operation.
Without reliable storage at the heart of these systems, all the innovation, jobs and economic growth which come with this, could face operational challenges.
With these intense data requirements, it will be even more crucial that storage is not overlooked in the coming year. While the focus tends to be on real-time processing and immediate vehicle performance, data storage, specifically flash storage, will enable the making SDVs a reality.
This is because resilient, vehicle optimized flash storage can manage the massive data demands of SDVs reliably and efficiently.
Such devices are able to withstand varying temperatures, vibrations, and mechanical shock commonly encountered in automotive environments.
Flash storage also enables the real-time processing of sensor data, supporting the secure logging of critical information, and underpinning the performance of software-defined and autonomous systems.
Flash Innovation in the Data Centre
As data volumes continue to grow and new technologies like AI proliferate, development of the UK’s underlying data centre network, and technology within these data centres, will be critical. The UK government in early 2025 laid out plans for significant waves of investment in this space.
With this funding expected to drive rapid expansion in digital infrastructure, creating opportunities for economic growth, innovation, and global competitiveness.
Flash storage offers significant advantages for data centres, delivering enhanced performance, efficiency, and scalability.
Its features, high speed and low latency, can enhance the performance of read and write operations, resulting in improved overall system responsiveness.
This performance uplift is complemented by lower power consumption and reduced heat generation, helping minimise cooling requirements and lower operating costs.
Moreover, the compact design of flash solutions supports higher-density deployments, making it ideal for environments where physical space is at a premium.
With no moving parts, it also provides enhanced durability and reliability, supporting long-term system stability and minimising the risk of mechanical failure, making it a resilient and dependable choice for modern data centre infrastructure.
With investment expected to ramp up, and space at a premium across the UK’s data centre network, flash will become a storage solution of choice to support these intense delivery requirements.
Flash: The Backbone of the Data Economy
Ultimately, in 2026 the volume of data traversing our networks will continue to soar, and AI-powered technologies will increasingly become ubiquitous. Having the right storage in place will be key.
With such emphasis on new technologies in development and data opportunities, the role of storage has often been overlooked.
Going forward however, if governments and organisations really want to benefit from the trove of insight now available to them, they will have to pay more attention to data storage options that underpin much of our future data economy.
And flash storage will continue to rise as the option of choice for many, across interesting and diverse use cases.
