Key Takeaways
- • 89% of global executives experienced energy-related disruptions in the past year, with 83% identifying power reliability as the driver of the next major supply chain crisis, according to a Prologis survey released October 2, 2025.
- • Three-quarters of surveyed executives expect power demands at their facilities to increase 10-50% over the next five years, driven primarily by AI adoption and data center expansion requiring sustained high electricity consumption.
- • Energy reliability ranks fourth among operational risk concerns for 2026, behind economic volatility (51%), tariff and trade policy changes (48%), and geopolitical/cybersecurity threats (38%), but cited by 33% of executives as a critical disruption risk.
- • U.S. Department of Energy warns power outage risk could increase 100-fold by 2030 without adequate capacity additions during peak demand periods, with data center growth identified as a primary driver of electricity demand surge.
- • Prologis CEO Hamid R. Moghadam frames energy reliability, AI adoption, and facility location as the three pillars of supply chain resilience, positioning the industrial real estate sector as central to the infrastructure transition required to support global operations.
Summary
A Prologis survey released in early October 2025 reveals a critical vulnerability in global supply chains: widespread exposure to energy-related disruptions and insufficient power infrastructure to support near-term operational growth. The findings underscore an emerging consensus among institutional operators that energy reliability—long treated as a secondary operational concern—has become a primary strategic risk factor.
The survey data demonstrates the scale of current exposure: 89% of global executives reported experiencing energy-related disruptions within the past 12 months, indicating that power outages are not theoretical risks but operational realities affecting nearly all major enterprises. More significantly, 83% of respondents identified power reliability as the likely driver of the next major supply chain crisis, a projection that reflects executive confidence in the severity of the underlying infrastructure challenge.
The root cause accelerating this crisis is AI-driven electricity demand. Approximately three-quarters of surveyed executives anticipate their facilities will require 10-50% more power over the next five years, a surge directly attributable to AI adoption and the energy-intensive nature of training machine learning models. GPUs running continuously for months consume substantial electricity, a dynamic that is straining existing power grids globally. This demand trajectory compounds existing infrastructure constraints: the U.S. Department of Energy has warned that power outage risk could increase by 100 times by 2030 if electricity suppliers fail to add adequate generation capacity during peak demand periods.
Within the broader risk landscape for 2026, energy reliability ranks among the top operational concerns executives face, though it sits below economic volatility (51%), tariff and trade policy changes (48%), and geopolitical and cybersecurity threats (38% each). At 33%, energy reliability remains a significant concern that directly threatens operational continuity. Hamid R. Moghadam, co-founder and CEO of Prologis, framed the challenge strategically: "Supply chains are going through the biggest reset in a generation, and it comes down to three things: energy reliability, AI and location. The new priority is resilience—building networks that can adapt and endure." This positioning reflects industrial real estate's critical role in the infrastructure transition required to support resilient, energy-secure supply chains.
For institutional investors and asset allocators, these findings signal that supply chain resilience strategies must now incorporate energy infrastructure due diligence as a material component of operational risk assessment. The convergence of AI adoption, aging power grids, and geopolitical uncertainty has created a structural vulnerability that will likely persist throughout 2026 and beyond absent significant capital investment in grid modernization and distributed generation capacity.
The survey data demonstrates the scale of current exposure: 89% of global executives reported experiencing energy-related disruptions within the past 12 months, indicating that power outages are not theoretical risks but operational realities affecting nearly all major enterprises. More significantly, 83% of respondents identified power reliability as the likely driver of the next major supply chain crisis, a projection that reflects executive confidence in the severity of the underlying infrastructure challenge.
The root cause accelerating this crisis is AI-driven electricity demand. Approximately three-quarters of surveyed executives anticipate their facilities will require 10-50% more power over the next five years, a surge directly attributable to AI adoption and the energy-intensive nature of training machine learning models. GPUs running continuously for months consume substantial electricity, a dynamic that is straining existing power grids globally. This demand trajectory compounds existing infrastructure constraints: the U.S. Department of Energy has warned that power outage risk could increase by 100 times by 2030 if electricity suppliers fail to add adequate generation capacity during peak demand periods.
Within the broader risk landscape for 2026, energy reliability ranks among the top operational concerns executives face, though it sits below economic volatility (51%), tariff and trade policy changes (48%), and geopolitical and cybersecurity threats (38% each). At 33%, energy reliability remains a significant concern that directly threatens operational continuity. Hamid R. Moghadam, co-founder and CEO of Prologis, framed the challenge strategically: "Supply chains are going through the biggest reset in a generation, and it comes down to three things: energy reliability, AI and location. The new priority is resilience—building networks that can adapt and endure." This positioning reflects industrial real estate's critical role in the infrastructure transition required to support resilient, energy-secure supply chains.
For institutional investors and asset allocators, these findings signal that supply chain resilience strategies must now incorporate energy infrastructure due diligence as a material component of operational risk assessment. The convergence of AI adoption, aging power grids, and geopolitical uncertainty has created a structural vulnerability that will likely persist throughout 2026 and beyond absent significant capital investment in grid modernization and distributed generation capacity.
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