"Secondly, data centres are getting more efficient, leading to higher system deployment densities and inhibiting demand for floor space.

"Thirdly, the move to consolidated third-party data centres is reducing the overall number of midsize data centres."

Gartner also predicted that the largest category of data centres, those with more than 500 racks of equipment, will increase its share of spending from 20 per cent in 2010 to 26 per cent in 2015.

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