Five Priorities for a Smarter, Stronger Future: Reflections on the 2025 iMasons State of the Industry

The Infrastructure Masons 2025 State of the Digital Infrastructure Industry Report puts a sharp focus on five persistent and interdependent priorities shaping our industry’s future: Power, People, Perception, Planet, and Protection. These “Five Ps” frame the evolving challenges and opportunities brought into sharper view by the rise of artificial intelligence.

At Provident Data Centers, we find this year’s report especially timely. It doesn’t just assess where we are, it challenges us, and the industry as a whole, to act. These priorities mirror the considerations driving our own projects, from ensuring resilient power to cultivating talent, advancing sustainability, strengthening community trust, and safeguarding infrastructure.

People

One of the most important messages we took from this year’s analysis is the need to focus on people, not just within our companies, but in the communities we impact and the workforce we hope to grow. The industry can’t continue to scale without serious investment in talent and trust.

The workforce challenge is real. We need far more electricians, network engineers, HVAC techs, security professionals, and automation specialists than we’re currently producing. That means meeting students and job-seekers earlier through high school partnerships, trade school programs, and community college pathways and showing them that this industry offers long-term, meaningful careers.

Perception

It also means changing perceptions. Too many people still don’t understand what digital infrastructure is, or how it benefits their local economy. As AI drives demand for more localized data processing, new data centers are being planned closer to population centers. The public’s awareness is growing but so is its scrutiny. We can’t expect to be welcomed unless we engage early, listen carefully, and build relationships based on shared goals.

For Provident Data Centers, this looks like proactive outreach: meeting with local officials before we submit permits, offering educational programming through nonprofit partnerships, and ensuring that our projects reflect the needs and values of the communities we join. It's not just about being a good neighbor, it's about being an active one.

AI

AI’s rapid growth brings urgency to all five areas highlighted by iMasons - power, perception, people, planet, and protection - but data protection is especially foundational. These challenges are already influencing where the industry can grow and are impacting carbon reduction goals that benefit both people and the planet.

Let’s keep building with purpose.

The 2025 iMason’s report outlines practical steps we can take from expanding internship models and replicating workforce development wins, to embedding education and engagement into project timelines. These aren’t optional extras; they're how we ensure the industry is sustainable in every sense of the word.

We encourage you to read the full report. It’s a powerful reflection of where we stand and where we need to go next.   Download the full 2025 Infrastructure Masons report here: https://imasons.org/publications/state-of-the-digital-infrastructure-industry-annual-report-2025/