5 cloud trends in 2025

For organizations that need to analyze large datasets, manage workloads efficiently, or ensure compliance, a hybrid cloud is a powerful alternative. Gartner predicts that within three years, 90 percent of all businesses will use an environment that combines a local data center with a public cloud.

We’re also seeing more organizations adopting a multi-cloud approach—consuming services from several providers. This can lead to more sustainable and efficient data management, but it also carries risks. Multi-cloud environments are complex, and moving data across multiple clouds introduces security concerns.

“Hybrid and multi-cloud strategies provide cost savings, flexibility, and redundancy—the three cornerstones of scalable data management. Additionally, avoiding vendor lock-in is high on the agenda for many businesses,” says Claes.

Investments in AI infrastructure are increasing energy consumption and contributing to higher carbon emissions. Simultaneously, companies face pressure to reduce their climate impact. With air and liquid cooling, direct-to-chip solutions, and resource optimization becoming the standard, the data centers that stand out are those powered by renewable energy and utilizing innovative solutions to minimize their environmental impact.

Many hyperscalers have stepped back from their own climate commitments to scale their AI offerings, and Claes believes providers with green solutions will become increasingly attractive.

AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform continue to dominate, but smaller players are emerging to challenge the giants. While the market leaders build out their data centers to add AI capacity, niche startups are offering faster and cheaper alternatives for AI training and inference. For innovative businesses that need to scale quickly, this can be a cost-effective choice—but one that comes with risks, such as poor support or limited long-term scalability, Claes adds.

“A strong alternative to hyperscalers and startups is more regional, AI-ready providers, for businesses that need to balance cost efficiency and reliability.”

Data integrity and regulatory requirements remain a priority for many organizations—and continue to drive adoption of private cloud among businesses that need more control over their data, such as those in finance and healthcare. With geopolitical uncertainty shaping the industry, compliance and data sovereignty will remain central to building trust and ensuring long-term economic resilience.

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