Average annualized PUE in Uptime Institute's Global Data Center Survey 2026 (per-facility average of respondents)
1.52observed
| Value kind | observed — Reported measurements, counts, and specifications keep the precision and scope stated by their source; an exact specification is not treated as a range. |
|---|---|
| Scope | Per-facility average of survey respondents (Uptime calls it the industry-wide annual average), not a capacity- or fleet-weighted statistic. The same survey's capacity-weighted average is 1.36; the gap is the larger-facility advantage, not an improvement in one population. Uptime does not state the PUE sample size on its public pages. |
| Caveat | The 2025 survey average was 1.54 (n=681); compare survey years as dated respondent averages, not a measured world-fleet trend. Same 2026 survey: modal installed-base rack density reached 11 kW (from 9 kW in 2025), the installed base, not the AI-factory design point. |
| As of | 2026 |
| Source | Uptime Intelligence Update 518, The growing PUE advantage of larger data centers, 2026-08-06, analysing the Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey 2026 (keynote report 2026-07-24) · Opening paragraph: the 2026 survey revealed an industry-wide annual average PUE of 1.52 |
| Review | checking…review by 2027-08-06 · standard cadence |
| Recorded changes | last 2026-10-12 · 2 revisions tracked |
| Claim id | weighted-average-annualized-pue-sixth |
Where the guide uses it
- 0.3 Vocabulary, Mental Models & the Metric Stack
- 5.2 Air Cooling at the Limit
- 15.1 Efficiency Metrics: PUE, WUE, ERF, REF & the Post-PUE Metric Stack
- 15.2 Energy Efficiency: Cooling, Free Cooling, Setpoints & Power-Chain Losses
← Full numbers register — every date-stamped figure in the guide, with revision history.