When AI Meets Digital Infrastructure: What Are Danish Companies Doing?

Blog by Pernille Hoffmann

The AI revolution has changed the fundamentals for Danish companies. The latest “Global Data Insights Survey” from Digital Realty shows that AI is on the rise in European and Danish businesses, primarily used for customer service and analytics. At the same time, companies face new challenges such as sustainability and demanding superchips, which place significantly greater demands on their digital infrastructure.

The Rise of AI in Danish Companies

Globally, AI adoption is growing rapidly, but not all companies are on board. Across Europe, many companies report that they already use AI, but 46% of Danish businesses still indicate that they do not use AI. For those that do, chatbots and analytics top the list. Only 3% of Danish companies use AI as part of their compliance strategy, emphasizing that the focus is primarily on improving customer service and gaining insights into their business.

At the European level, AI is widely used in risk management, with 44% of companies using AI to predict business risks, and four out of ten use AI for chatbots and analytics.

Fast Chips Challenge Digital Infrastructure

Data centers are an important piece of the AI puzzle, but they face new challenges. New European legislation means that the operation of data centers is becoming increasingly complex. Meanwhile, new superfast chips require such large amounts of energy that not all data centers can keep up. This demands the design of new centers with an eye on what requirements will exist three to five years into the future—not only in terms of sustainable energy but also security and access to the global network of cloud actors and customers, accessible through various internet exchanges.

This focus on future-proofing is one of the reasons why the Novo Nordisk Foundation, together with EIFO, NVIDIA, and Eviden, chose Digital Realty’s Danish facilities in March 2024 as the location for Gefion, one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

Sustainability Is Key for Danish AI Strategies

According to the survey, 96% of Danish respondents said that sustainability influences the development of their AI strategies.

At the same time, sustainability has also become a critical factor for companies' infrastructure. Many businesses are asking themselves: Do we have an infrastructure that meets today’s and tomorrow’s sustainability requirements? The survey shows that most Danish companies prioritize sustainability in their AI strategies, acknowledging that future AI-based innovation should not come at the expense of the environment.

Customer Service Takes Priority...for Now

Across Europe, there's consensus that AI should primarily contribute to improved customer experiences. 70% of companies indicate that AI should be used to enhance customer service, which is reflected in the growing use of chatbots and other automated solutions.

Technologies like ChatGPT have caught the attention of many businesses because they have a direct impact on customer-facing processes. However, this also requires leadership that understands data and AI’s potential. The report also shows that Danish companies view leadership's data literacy as even more important than an AI strategy when it comes to becoming data-driven.

Think About the 3%

Despite the widespread use of chatbots, we are only at the beginning of the new AI era.

Although just 3% of Danish companies use AI for compliance today, it is likely that this will increase in the coming years, as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) reporting requirements will affect more companies.

Despite the uncertainty about where the technology is headed, companies cannot afford to sit on their hands. On the contrary, every company should critically assess its digital infrastructure today and ensure that its data is not only protected but also connected to the rest of the world. Only in this way can businesses ensure that they are ready to keep up when the next wave of innovation hits their industry, whether it's chatbots, compliance, or something entirely different.