NEW YORK — As companies worldwide invest billions of dollars in artificial intelligence, attention is increasingly shifting toward the less visible but essential infrastructure needed to support that growth.
S&P Global has announced an agreement to acquire datacenterHawk, a leading provider of proprietary intelligence covering the global data center, fiber-optic connectivity, and digital infrastructure markets.
The acquisition reflects the rapidly changing role of data centers in the global economy. Once viewed primarily as part of the information technology sector, these facilities are now becoming strategic components of national energy systems, industrial development, real estate investment, and infrastructure planning.
Following the completion of the transaction, S&P Global will combine the technology research and market forecasting capabilities of 451 Research with datacenterHawk’s detailed asset-level intelligence.
The combined platform is expected to provide information on operating and planned data centers, available capacity, pricing, development pipelines, site selection, land availability, fiber-optic connectivity, and regional infrastructure conditions.
Customers will gain a broader view of where new data center capacity is emerging and how the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure is reshaping demand for electricity, computing power, telecommunications, land, supply chains, and sustainable infrastructure.
For investors and infrastructure operators, the acquisition will make it possible to evaluate the data center market alongside power-generation capacity, electric grid constraints, renewable energy development, critical materials, supply chain risks, and the broader energy transition.
Dave Ernsberger, president of S&P Global Energy, said artificial intelligence is transforming not only technology markets, but also the physical infrastructure and energy systems that support the global economy.
“AI is transforming not only technology markets, but also the physical infrastructure and energy systems underpinning the global economy, with significant implications for productivity, investment, and GDP growth,” Ernsberger said.
He added that bringing datacenterHawk into S&P Global Energy would strengthen the company’s ability to help customers make informed, real-time decisions in what is expected to become one of the most important infrastructure markets of the next decade.
David Liggitt, founder and CEO of datacenterHawk, said the data center industry now sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, energy, capital investment, and sustainability.
“Customers need intelligence that connects the growth of critical infrastructure with energy markets, grid constraints, supply chains, and environmental considerations,” Liggitt said.
According to the companies, combining the resources of 451 Research and datacenterHawk will provide customers with a clearer understanding of where future computing capacity, infrastructure investment, and market demand are likely to emerge.
S&P Global also expects the acquisition to support the development of new benchmarks, indexes, and analytical products covering computing demand, data center capacity, pricing, and infrastructure availability.
The transaction is expected to close during the second half of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed.
S&P Global said the acquisition is not expected to have a material impact on the financial results of either the company or its energy division.
Why It Matters
The global data center market is rapidly becoming one of the most important segments of modern infrastructure. The expansion of artificial intelligence is driving demand for new facilities, electricity generation, grid connections, fiber-optic networks, cooling systems, specialized equipment, and large-scale capital investment.
S&P Global’s acquisition of datacenterHawk demonstrates that intelligence about AI infrastructure is becoming nearly as valuable as the computing capacity itself.
