In 2017, the number of IoT devices outnumbered the world’s population for the first time, exceeding 8 billion. While forecasts for the future have varied widely, the current consensus is that we can expect 20-plus billion IoT devices by 2020. We may have as many as 125 billion by 2030, according to IHS Markit, a data analytics research firm.

The last 15 years have seen a marked increase in data use. This puts tremendous strain on existing data centers, many of which are struggling to keep up with demand. In the coming years, that growth won’t slow down — if anything, it’s likely to accelerate. 

What does that kind of growth mean for your municipality’s data? Think of it this way: if your residents planned to increase their water usage by a factor of 15 in the next 12 years, you’d have to update your infrastructure (assuming supply was no concern). A similar increase in connected devices, then, should lead to an infrastructure update of your data centers.

To be clear, not all of the IoT increase will involve city-owned devices or make demands on municipal or state data centers. But as the “smartest” cities have already demonstrated, there are many intriguing IoT applications that could help cities improve operations and service delivery.