Industry leaders continue to shape the future of data center quality, performance, and certification

ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Telecommunications Industry Association—enabling the future of trusted digital infrastructure,—announced continued momentum for its Data Center Excellence (DCE) 9000 initiative with the addition of eighteen new member organizations, the launch of two critical program sub-teams, and the publication of additional resources.

As demand for resilient, scalable, and high-performing digital infrastructure continues to accelerate, DCE 9000 is bringing together stakeholders from across the data center ecosystem to create a comprehensive, industry-led quality management framework that establishes best practices for designing, building, operating, and maintaining world-class data centers.

New Industry Leaders Join the Initiative

The DCE 9000 initiative continues to attract broad participation from organizations representing data center operators, construction and engineering firms, infrastructure planning, mechanical and electrical equipment manufacturing, operations, and certification.

TIA welcomes the following new member companies:

Avion NetworksBell CanadaCaterpillarCBREClaycoE.K. MachineESI Total Fuel ManagementITW FormexLRQANetceedOmniOn PowerPeractio Project ManagementPhoenix ContactPower Plug Busduct Sdn. Bhd.SiemensStack InfrastructureTASValex USATheir participation further strengthens the diverse expertise contributing to the development of DCE 9000 and reflects growing industry recognition of the need for a common framework that drives quality, consistency, and operational excellence across the data center lifecycle.

"As data centers become increasingly critical to the global economy, the industry needs a common framework for defining, measuring and delivering quality throughout the project lifecycle. DCE 9000 presents an opportunity to develop a consistent, internationally recognized standard that improves outcomes, reduces delivery risk and builds greater confidence for owners, developers and operators. Peractio is proud to contribute practical, real-world experience to help shape a standard that will benefit the industry as a whole." -- Lee Robert Smith, Director, Peractio Project Management Ltd

The momentum behind DCE 9000 is also reflected in member feedback. In a recent survey, more than 70% of respondents rated their DCE 9000 membership as very or extremely valuable. Equally significant, 92.59% of respondents said the working group is addressing the industry's most critical pain points and failure modes. These results underscore the growing engagement within the initiative and reinforce the industry's confidence in the standard's direction and relevance.

Two New Sub-Teams Advance Program Development

As development of the DCE 9000 certification framework progresses, the initiative has launched two new specialized sub-teams, Code of Practice and Training, that will play a key role in establishing the supporting certification ecosystem.

The Code of Practice Sub-Team will be chaired by Mike Regan of TIA and is responsible for developing the DCE 9000 certification scheme. The Code of Practice will define the requirements for Accreditation Bodies, Certification Bodies, and participating auditors, including accreditation criteria, auditor competencies, and assessment responsibilities. These requirements will establish the governance framework needed to ensure the DCE 9000 certification program is implemented consistently and credibly across the industry.

The Training Sub-Team will be chaired by Chad Kymal of OMNEX, TIA's authorized training partner, and will lead the development of the education and training framework that supports the DCE 9000 program. The team is responsible for defining training requirements, developing course content, and establishing curricula for a series of role-based learning offerings designed to support organizations throughout their DCE 9000 journey.

Initial training courses under development include an Executive Overview of DCE 9000, Understanding the DCE 9000 Requirements, Implementing DCE 9000, Auditing DCE 9000, and Understanding and Auditing DCE 9000 Measurements. Together, these courses will provide executives, practitioners, implementers, and auditors with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively apply the standard and drive continual improvement.

DCE 9000 Development Advances Toward Draft Standard

Significant progress has been made across the DCE 9000 Working Group as development of the standard continues. The four requirements-focused subteams have completed their reviews and submitted their contributions for integration into the draft standard. In parallel, the Measurements Sub-Team has proposed an initial set of performance and operational metrics for consideration, helping establish a framework for evaluating effectiveness and continual improvement within certified organizations.

DCE 9000 is intentionally breaking from the traditional standards development model by applying agile principles that enable faster development cycles, continuous collaboration, and rapid incorporation of industry feedback—accelerating delivery of a consensus-based standard without compromising quality or technical integrity.

The Working Group is now aggregating inputs from all subteams into a unified draft, which is targeted to be available for member review and comment by the end of September. To support this milestone, DCE 9000 participants will convene in person in mid-September to review, discuss, and refine the draft standard before it advances to the next stage of development.

While development of DCE 9000 is progressing rapidly, organizations still have an opportunity to help shape the standard before its initial release. As the first version of the standard, DCE 9000 Release 1.0 is intended to establish a strong foundation for data center operational excellence while creating a framework for future enhancements. Ongoing industry participation will remain essential as the standard evolves over time to address emerging technologies, operational challenges, and changing market needs.

Organizations interested in participating in DCE 9000 are encouraged to contact TIA QuEST Forum at [email protected] or visit https://tiaonline.org/what-we-do/tia-quest-forum/quality-data-center/.

Resources:

Revised FAQs: DCE 9000 Data Center Quality Working Group Frequently Asked Questions

Blog: Why Data Center Infrastructure Needs Its Own Quality Standard

Blog: ANSI/TIA-942 and DCE 9000: Understanding the Benefits and Difference

White Paper: DCE 9000 VS. TL 9000: Defining the Case for a Data Center Infrastructure Quality Standard

Webinar: Data Center Quality Standards: Why AI Infrastructure Needs More Than ISO

About TIA: 

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) advances trusted digital infrastructure for a connected world. Representing more than 400 companies globally, TIA brings industry and government together through standards development, government advocacy, certifications, and industry programs to support resilient, innovative infrastructure. Accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), TIA plays a central role in shaping the future of global digital infrastructure.

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SOURCE TIA