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Only 10% of Financial Institutions Prioritize AI-Ready Storage Despite Data Growth Topping Infrastructure Agenda, New Research Finds
Financial institutions are making data growth their top storage priority, but few are prioritizing the AI-ready infrastructure and stronger data foundations needed to manage that growth at scale, according to a new report from Hitachi Vantara, the data storage, infrastructure and hybrid cloud management subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd. (TSE: 6501). The research found that 35% of organizations cite managing data growth as a top data storage priority, the highest response across the survey, yet only 10%
About this update from Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi Vantara report reveals that despite data management being the top data storage priority, financial institutions are underprioritizing AI-enabled storage and unified data platforms needed to manage growth, suggesting a misaligned approach to governance SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial institutions are making data growth their top storage priority, but few are prioritizing the AI-ready infrastructure and stronger data foundations needed to manage that growth at scale, according to a new report from Hitachi Vantara, the data storage, infrastructure and hybrid cloud management subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd. (TSE: 6501). The research found that 35% of organizations cite managing data growth as a top data storage priority, the highest response across the survey, yet only 10% prioritize enabling AI-ready storage and data platforms and just 9% prioritize the implementation of centralized data hubs for governance, reporting, AI/ML and reuse. Click here to download the full report: https://www.hitachivantara.com/en-us/gated-forms/how-financial-institutions-unlock-more-value-from-data-object-storage Based on a survey of 100 financial services decision-makers across banking, payments and investment firms globally, the research points to a divided market still working to align storage investments with long-term data strategy. While managing data growth ranked highest, it was still only cited by slightly more than one-third of participants (35%), while other near-term priorities closely grouped around governance, accessibility and modernization. Notably, the survey found that the second-highest priority cited was ensuring data sovereignty, regulatory compliance and policy-driven governance (30%). The findings show that governance and sovereignty requirements are already influencing how financial institutions prepare for an AI-driven future, including: "Financial institutions clearly recognize that data management is becoming more complex, but many are not yet fully addressing what their environments require," said Octavian Tanase, chief product officer, Hitachi Vantara. "As data volumes grow, organizations need unified data platforms that can span block, file and object storage to reduce fragmentation, improve visibility and support consistent governance for the mission-critical data that financial institutions depend ...