Are we heading toward digital congestion too?

Almost everyone who has dealt with real estate or business operations in recent years is now familiar with the term grid congestion. Companies increasingly hear that the desired electricity connection is not available for the time being, that expanding capacity takes longer than expected, or that growth has to be postponed because the grid is full. This has direct economic consequences: projects are delayed and investments are postponed.

The background is well known. Demand for electricity grew faster than the grid could keep up with, driven by electrification, charging stations, heat pumps and business expansion. The infrastructure seemed sufficient for years, until the point where development overtook capacity.

That experience raises a logical question. What about our digital infrastructure? Demand for data is growing at least as fast. The question is not whether the internet will literally run out one day, but whether the buildings we work in can still support the digital demands of the coming years.

Energy congestion as a wake-up call

Grid congestion arises when more parties want to draw or feed back power simultaneously than the electricity grid can handle. The grid was once designed for fairly predictable consumption. That picture has changed rapidly due to the energy transition.

Electric cars, heat pumps, solar panels and the growth of energy-intensive companies together demand much more from the same cables and stations. The problem is not that there is too little energy, but that the infrastructure for transporting that energy lagged behind the pace of development.

That is the core lesson. The source did not run out, but the capacity to use that source fell short at the moment demand accelerated. It is exactly that pattern that makes the comparison with digital infrastructure interesting.

Do we see the same movement in digital infrastructure?

The digital capacity a building processes every day is also growing rapidly. AI assistants such as Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT are becoming part of daily work. Cloud software moves computing power and storage to external data centers, meaning constant traffic to and from the building.

Add to that a growing number of connected devices: sensors, security cameras, access systems, climate installations and digital twins that map a building virtually. Almost everything in a modern building produces and uses data. Anyone who wants to know more about how AI and real estate come together will see that the computing load is not only in the data center, but also in the building itself.

An important nuance: this does not mean a shortage is inevitable. It does mean that the load on buildings is fundamentally changing, and that the demand for capacity is a development that deserves attention before it becomes urgent.

Internet is no longer just a connection

A few decades ago, internet in an office was mainly used for email, visiting websites and sending limited files. The load was light and predictable. A simple connection was more than enough.

Today, the same infrastructure carries real-time collaboration, cloud platforms, AI models, video calling, hundreds of connected devices and full building management systems. The nature of the traffic is different, the peaks are higher and the sensitivity to outages is greater.

The question is no longer whether a building has internet, but whether it can carry tomorrow's digital load without grinding to a halt.

Connectivity has thus shifted from a convenience to a basic provision. Topics such as fiber optics in buildings and WiFi coverage are no longer technical details, but partly determine whether an organization can function in a building.

The new question goes beyond speed

When looking at a building, many organizations still mainly ask one question: how fast is the internet connection? Speed is relevant, but it gives an incomplete picture of a building's digital quality.

For a future-proof assessment, other questions carry at least as much weight:

• How many devices can be connected simultaneously and how much can the network handle?
• Is there redundancy, so that one disruption does not immediately bring everything down?
• How is the WiFi designed and built?
• Can the infrastructure grow along with the user?
• Was the cabling installed in a future-proof way?
• How secure is the network?
• How much data does the building process on an average day?

These questions show that digital quality is multidimensional. High speed without redundancy or room to grow creates a false sense of security that only becomes apparent years later.

A recognizable practical example

Take a company that rents a modern office for forty employees. At delivery, everything seems more than sufficient. The connection is fast, the network works and nobody worries about capacity.

Two years later, the picture has changed, while the building itself has remained physically the same. AI tools have become standard, everyone works in the cloud and video calling is the norm. Smart meeting rooms have been added, sensors measure occupancy, access control is digital and the cameras run on AI.

The floor area has not increased, but the digital load may have doubled or tripled. This is precisely where the parallel with energy lies: the need grew within the same walls, while the question of whether the infrastructure could keep pace was rarely asked in advance.

Can organizations still operate without IT?

To make the meaning of digital capacity concrete, it helps to look per sector at what falls away without working IT.

Offices

Without cloud, collaboration software, CRM and AI support, most of the daily work grinds to a halt. The digital work environment has become the office.

Retail

Without card payments, checkout systems and inventory management, a store can barely function. The connection is directly linked to revenue.

Logistics

Without scanners, warehouse management and tracking, the process gets stuck. The sector leans entirely on data flows, as also shown by the requirements that AI-driven logistics place on a building.

Industry

Without machine control, monitoring and predictive maintenance, production comes to a halt or runs unnecessary risk. For many organizations, the conclusion is the same: IT has become just as essential as electricity.

Why this starts with the building

A building has long since stopped delivering just four walls and a roof. It also delivers connectivity, network capacity, digital facilities and smart installations. These are part of the product a landlord offers and a tenant takes on.

The quality of these digital facilities increasingly determines how attractive a building is. A well thought out digital foundation makes a building suitable for the way organizations work now and in the future.

That explains why the discussion about digital capacity cannot be separated from real estate. The infrastructure is literally in the building: in the cabling, the meter cupboard, the risers and the spaces where equipment is located.

The market's blind spot

The market currently pays a lot of attention to energy labels, BREEAM, WELL and ESG. That is justified, since sustainability is a real and shared interest. Yet one dimension remains underexposed: the digital capacity, network design, IT delivery level and growth potential of a building.

This information is often completely missing from rental brochures and valuations, while it is becoming increasingly decisive for the everyday usability of a building. The comparison with the energy label comes to mind: there too, it took years before the market had a shared language and benchmark.

The honest question is therefore: are we addressing this development in time, or will we end up trailing behind the facts, as happened earlier with energy? The answer is not fixed, but asking the question is the start of preparation.

How the IT-Label contributes

The IT-Label does not solve capacity shortages and does not build networks. What it does do is make a building's digital quality visible through a clear classification. From IT1+ PREMIUM for buildings with AI-ready infrastructure to IT5 SHELL for buildings without digital infrastructure.

That transparency delivers four things: awareness among owners and users, realistic expectation management, comparability between buildings and insight into growth potential. A building whose digital foundation is known enables better decisions for landlords, tenants and advisors.

As an independent knowledge collective, the IT-Label focuses precisely on that conversation: not judging good or bad, but making the facts about a building's digital foundation understandable. Anyone wanting to know how that classification comes about can find an explanation in the description of how the IT-Label works.

Take the first step now

The comparison with grid congestion is not a prediction, but an invitation to look ahead. Just as energy seemed self-evident for years, we today often still regard digital infrastructure as something that is simply there. Yet the demands on buildings are changing rapidly due to AI, cloud, data and smart buildings.

For owners, investors and users, preparation begins with one concrete step: have the digital quality of your building mapped out and ask yourself whether the infrastructure can grow along with the user's ambitions. A good starting point is the explanation of what the IT-Label is and what a classification means for your real estate.

We have learned that economic growth is not self-evident without sufficient energy. Perhaps it is time to ask whether the same will soon apply to digital infrastructure. Because without IT, doing business today is simply no longer an option for many organizations.