(TIA: Arlington, VA) -- As artificial intelligence (AI) workloads drive unprecedented changes in data center design, performance, and operational risk, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has announced a coordinated set of actions to help the industry meet AI‑era infrastructure requirements.

These include a new artificial intelligence addendum to the ANSI/TIA‑942 data center standard, continued global leadership in independent third‑party data center certification, and expanding participation in TIA’s new Data Center Excellence Quality Standard (DCE 9000) initiative.

Together, these efforts reflect TIA’s end‑to‑end approach to strengthening AI‑ready digital infrastructure—from defining infrastructure requirements for high‑density, high‑performance computing environments to validating reliability through globally recognized certification, improving quality and consistency across the data center supply chain. As AI accelerates data center scale, complexity, and deployment timelines, TIA’s standards and certification programs are providing the industry with a common, credible framework to manage risk, improve predictability, and support resilient digital infrastructure worldwide.

Advancing ANSI/TIA‑942 to address AI data center requirements

To support the next generation of AI‑driven data centers, TIA Engineering Committee TR‑42.1 (Premises Telecommunications Infrastructure) has initiated a project to develop Addendum 1: Artificial Intelligence to ANSI/TIA‑942‑C, focused on the unique infrastructure demands of AI and high-performance computing (HPC) environments.

AI workloads—characterized by dense GPU clusters, extreme bandwidth requirements, and new power and cooling models—place unprecedented demands on data center infrastructure. The addendum will focus on high‑density, high‑speed cabling for AI and HPC environments, along with cooling and electrical systems, including liquid cooling, to support reliable, scalable data center and digital infrastructure deployments.

The project is being developed through TIA’s voluntary, consensus‑based standards process with participation from data center owners and operators, designers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders supporting digital infrastructure. Publication of the addendum is targeted for mid‑2027.

“This work reflects direct input from across the data center ecosystem,” says Cindy Montstream, chair of the TIA TR‑42 Engineering Committee. “By evolving ANSI/TIA‑942 to address AI‑specific infrastructure needs, we’re aligning real‑world operational experience with globally recognized standards that support scalable, reliable data center design and operation.”

Global data center certification supporting proven infrastructure performance

In parallel with standards development, TIA continues to support the global data center community through its ANSI/TIA‑942 Certification Program, which validates facilities against the standard’s infrastructure requirements and four rated levels of reliability.

To date, more than 1,000 certifications in more than 800 data centers across more than 60 countries have earned ANSI/TIA‑942 certification, demonstrating predictable availability and resilience in diverse operating environments. As AI workloads accelerate new data center construction worldwide, certification provides operators, customers, and investors with independent validation that facilities are designed to meet defined reliability objectives critical to digital infrastructure performance.

Strengthening the data center supply chain with DCE 9000

Recognizing that reliable data center operations depend not only on facility design but also on the quality and consistency of the infrastructure supply chain, TIA launched the Data Center Excellence Quality Standard (DCE 9000) initiative. As announced on Feb. 25, 2026, DCE 9000 is a collaborative effort to establish the first quality management system (QMS) standard purpose‑built for data center physical infrastructure, supporting reliable, scalable, digital infrastructure deployments worldwide.

Built on the ISO 9001 high‑level structure (HLS) and informed by best practices from mature industries, DCE 9000 is designed to improve supplier maturity and proactively address quality risks across the data center infrastructure life cycle. The initiative is gaining strong momentum, with participation expanding throughout the data center ecosystem—from operators and hyperscalers to equipment manufacturers and construction firms. The recent addition of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Oracle, Cummins, and Holder Construction highlights the growing diversity of industry leaders collaborating to strengthen quality, reliability, and consistency as AI‑driven data center deployment accelerates.

“Modern data center builds depend on tightly integrated, multitier supply chains where deviations in process or component quality can cascade into system level risk,” says John Miller, senior director of business strategy and product operations at Oracle. “We are pleased to contribute to the development of the DCE 9000 standard, which aims to introduce a disciplined, metrics-driven approach to supplier qualification, process control, and continuous improvement.”

“AI‑driven growth is pushing the data center ecosystem to scale faster than ever before,” says Dave Stehlin, CEO of TIA. “By combining facility standards, certification, and a common quality framework for suppliers, TIA is helping the industry address today’s challenges while strengthening the digital infrastructure foundation data centers provide.”

Call for industry participation

TIA encourages organizations across the data center and digital infrastructure ecosystem to participate in the development of these initiatives, including data center owners and operators, manufacturers and suppliers, consultants, integrators, and facilities teams.

Organizations interested in contributing to the ANSI/TIA‑942 AI addendum or participating in DCE 9000 are encouraged to contact TIA’s Membership Department at membership@tiaonline.org.

Additional resources

Webpage: Data Center Infrastructure Standard (TIA-942)
Webpage: ANSI/TIA‑942 Certification Program
Webpage: Data Center Quality Standard (DCE 9000)
Blog: ANSI/TIA-942 and DCE 9000: Understanding the Benefits and Difference
Blog: Building the Resilient Future of Data Center Infrastructure
Blog: Aligning the AI High Performance Computing infrastructure with the ANSI/TIA-942 Ratings resilience model
Video: Gino Tozzi of Google discusses the genesis of DCE 9000