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Software-Defined Data Center Market - By Solution, By Organization Size, By End Use, By Deployment, By Application, Growth Forecast, 2025 – 2034

Report ID: GMI2995
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Published Date: August 2025
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Report Format: PDF

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Software-Defined Data Center Market Size

The global software-defined data center market was valued at USD 70.6 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow from USD 78.1 billion in 2025 to USD 573.8 billion by 2034, registering a CAGR of 24.8%, according to Global Market Insights Inc.

Software-Defined Data Center Market

  • The fast-moving nature of Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) architecture is fundamentally changing data center management from a hardware-centric process to a software-centric, agile, scalable infrastructure ability. As solutions become more integrated with artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and intent-based networking, people need to be cross-domain versed in virtualization, orchestration, and cloud-native operations. As always, advanced training and certification have become important for leveraging infrastructure for the highest efficiency and scalability.
     
  • Solution-makers and partner ecosystems that are tech-heavy on public-private digital infrastructure projects are further accelerating the adoption of the market solutions. In May 2024, Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) began working with cloud providers to adopt enterprise-grade SDDC projects. Around the same time solution-makers such as VMware, Nutanix, and Microsoft are growing the number of partners, the training, and the number of partner-certified program-specific to enterprise and hybrid cloud engagements.
     
  • The drive from the pandemic to pre-COVID-19 was with the understanding the market prior to COVID-19 defaulted to enterprises from a traditional inflexible hardware tied data center infrastructure to virtualization leaning towards more cost-effective and agile ways to gain infrastructure. This early adoption made the strongest impact on IT & telecom, BFSI, and large-scale cloud service providers. The operational deployment of the solution was based around private and hybrid cloud, and we were seeing traction with unified management projects, the attachment was slower due to high up-front investment and there were no clearly available skilled resources
     
  • The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the shift to remote infrastructure management which resulted in increased uptake of software-defined data center (SDDC) solutions, to support virtualized, scalable and policy-driven operations. Enterprises embraced cloud-connected SDDCs, to address operational continuity, cost control and lower on-site maintenance costs with hybrid and multi-cloud architectures being the expected leading deployment models by 2024.
     
  • Computer virtualization platforms hold the largest market share due to their foundational role in enabling software-defined environments. Organizations prioritize proven solutions from vendors like VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V to ensure workload portability, resource optimization, and operational consistency across on-premises and cloud data centers.
     
  • Role-specific SDDC training programs and certification for IT operations, DevOps engineers and cloud architects are on the rise, creating a larger talent pool. In February 2024, VMware announced a new certification path for hybrid cloud specialists, in reply to this enterprise demand for experts in the planning and design of multi-environment infrastructure operating models.
     
  • North America is the leader in SDDC market adoption due to its established cloud adoption and partnerships with hyperscaler cloud providers to support enterprise digital transformation agendas. In September 2023, AWS announced integrations with SDDC vendors to for the creation of hybrid cloud strategies. These statements all made North America's position in the world of software-defined infrastructure.
     
  • The Asia-Pacific region is growing at fastest rate fueled by national policies focused on cloud-first, data localization regulations, and enterprise IT ecosystems modernization initiatives. Countries like India, Australia, and Singapore are investing as fast as possible into their SDDC capabilities, with government-sponsored funding on SDDC projects and vendor partnerships driving infrastructure innovation at an unprecedented pace.

Software-Defined Data Center Market Trends

  • The combination of AI and SDDC orchestration is drastically changing how organizations manage their datacenters. The demand for professionals who can perform traditional software-defined infrastructure management is growing as organizations are also seeking professionals who can automate datacenter operations using AI. In late 2022, VMware introduced AI-driven operational insights via its vSphere+ platform and professionals have now seen that AI-enabled orchestration is a transformative phase from their jobs of managing traditional virtualization to employing infrastructure that is intelligent and has self-healing properties to consume resources in an efficient and intelligent manner.
     
  • The world's SDDC certification agencies are moving towards modular, role-based learning journeys, complementary to the SDDC vendor certification learning that is offered. This explosion of role-based learning pathways can trace back to early 2021 when the leading SDDC vendors like VMware, Nutanix and Cisco made their decision to go down the path of procuring and launching different job-based learning and certification tracks connected with SDDC. Examples include VMware's "Multi-Cloud Professional" modular certification program. The majority of SDDC certification agencies expect the modular role-based SDDC learning to form the foundation of their upskilling models through the end of 2027.
     
  • Organizations are going to place a great deal of value on SDDC certification-based learning and show an individual to be competent in SDDC, with over 55% of organizations stating they would expect vendor certification as hiring criteria. This confirmation for the SDDC certification-based learning to evolve came post-2020, followed by two global SDDC vendor learning and certification updates; VMware certified professional – data center virtualization and Nutanix certified advanced professional certifications.
     
  • The rise of intent-based and no-code/low-code infrastructure management tools is transforming SDDC adoption by enabling non-specialist IT staff to manage resources. Taking off in 2022, platforms like Cisco DNA Center and VMware Aria Automation introduced simplified, policy-driven control systems. Enterprises now train teams to scale infrastructure without deep coding expertise. For example, a U.S. retail chain used Aria Automation to upskill store-level IT teams. The trend is expected to grow through 2027, broadening user participation.
     
  • Government-initiated digital infrastructure skilling programs are boosting access to SDDC expertise, mainly in emerging markets. Scaling since 2023, initiatives in countries including India and Singapore aim to train thousands of professionals by 2025 under programs such as India’s National Cloud Computing Mission. Driven by national digitalization agendas and vendor partnerships, instances include Huawei’s partnership with Singapore’s IMDA to train cloud infrastructure specialists. This trend is expected to expand through 2026.
     

Software-Defined Data Center Market Analysis

Software Defined Data Center Market Size , By Solution, 2022-2034, (USD Billion)

Based on solution, the market is divided into software-defined networking (SDN), software-defined storage (SDS) and software-defined compute (SDC). The software-defined networking (SDN) segment dominated the software-defined data center market accounting for around 43% share in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 23% through 2034.
 

  • AI driven network automation is changing the way of usage of SDN by allowing real-time traffic optimization and predictive maintenance. Furthermore, networks are transforming into self-configuration in many cases through machine learning models that can dynamically adjust to changing workloads, allowing better service performance and little downtime. Furthermore, workflows can now also eliminate the need for manual configuration and offer improved scale and security across multi-cloud and edge environments. The appetite for seamless connectivity continues to grow and AI-enabled SDN provides a timely answer to manage environments that demand complex and dynamic networking.
     
  • The development of intent-based networking (IBN) within the SDN framework is easing the burden of network management by enabling a high-level business policy context to automate network configurations. Not only does IBN eliminate network management complexity, but it also lowers human error and reduces deployment cycles and ensures a consistent enforcement of policies in hybrid and multi-cloud environments. IBN abstracts the hard parts of networking, enabling both network engineers and non-expert users to focus on the simplicity of both process and technology.
     
  • SDC is expanding at a CAGR of 26% by dynamically scaling workloads as demand fluctuates, optimizing workload infrastructure usage whilst minimizing human touch. Organizations are increasing their agility and cost efficiency because SDC deeply integrates with hybrid and multi-cloud platforms and runs their modern applications and DevOps pipelines through a common, software-centric compute management system.
     
  • SDS is evolving to include integrated AI analytics to optimize data depreciation and predictive failure management, reducing costs and improving reliability. Organizations are fostering the adoption of SDS to abstract out hardware dependencies allowing for flexible, scalable, and automated storage management across hybrid environment. This push towards SDS is improving performance with big data applications, by optimizing throughput and relieving workload management activities, while uniquely positioning organizations by interpreting and interacting with cloud-native architectures, thus driving digital transformation initiatives.
     
  • For instance, in December 2024, Netflix initiated a hybrid cloud storage strategy, merging SDS and AI-led analytics to optimize content distribution and increase performance in managing huge workloads. By enabling users to use automated storage, utilizing auto-tiering with predictive alerts they were able to improve performance and reduce downtime during peak audience periods. This is a solid representation of how organizations adopt cloud-native SDS to help manage vast data workloads in hybrid environments whilst enabling enhanced agility and cost effectiveness.
     
Software Defined Data Center Market Share, By Organization Size, 2024

Based on organization size, the software-defined data center market is segmented into SMEs and large enterprises. The large enterprises segment dominates the market with 67% share in 2024, and the segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 20% from 2025 to 2034.
 

  • Large enterprises dominate the software-defined data center market, recognizing the value in adopting AI-powered analytics with better manage resources, predict failures and be enablers of autonomous operations, which help balance workloads across hybrid or multi-cloud environments in real-time, resulting in lower downtime and operating costs. By adding intelligence to existing compute, storage, and networking infrastructure, large organizations break through traditional limitations typically attached to infrastructure services and drive increased agility, more favorable return on investment, and more rapid response rates as business demand requires flexibility.
     
  • Large enterprises are involved with the design, purchase, and deployment of a SDDC environment that delivers interoperability across multiple cloud providers and their on-premises environments. This stops vendor lock-in, produces optimized placement workloads, and supports their organizations disaster response for recovery. Unified management platforms produce visibility and control in accordance with their organization’s requirements for visibility and control over their core services and is vigilant over the infrastructure landscape with security and compliance costs to track the workings of their modern infrastructure landscape.
     
  • Large enterprises are embedding advanced security frameworks directly into SDDC architectures, addressing growing cyber threats and compliance mandates. This includes having zero-trust models, AI-driven threat detection, and encryption across virtualized environments. Integrated security at the infrastructure layer helps proactive risk mitigation without compromising performance.
     
  • Small enterprises are growing at a CAGR of 26%, these are adopting cost-effective, cloud-based solutions that minimize upfront investment and simplify infrastructure management. They leverage automated, no-code platforms to overcome limited IT expertise, enabling faster deployment and scalability. Subscription and pay-as-you-go models offer financial flexibility, while vendor-led training programs help build necessary skills. This democratization of software-defined infrastructure empowers small businesses to accelerate digital transformation and compete more effectively.
     

Based on end use, the market is segmented into BFSI, Retail and e-commerce, government, healthcare, manufacturing, IT enables services and others. The BFSI sector dominates the SDDC market due to its critical need for secure, compliant, and highly available infrastructure to support large-scale digital banking, risk management, and data analytics.
 

  • BFSI will solely rely on expanding AI and automation, which will support fraud detection, risk management, and increasing personalization customer experience efforts.
     
  • For instance, in April 2025, JPMorgan Chase enlisted "AI-supported detection schemes", such as "NeuroShield", which the bank claims reduced degree of losses regarding scams by 40%, between -21% and -61% range - feedback from the pilot groups. Another advantage is behavioral biometrics with real-time anomalies, with the aim to identify suspicious activity before detrimental effects to customers.
     
  • Retail and e-commerce are using SDDC to deal with demand variation, scale inventory across multiple locations, and personalize customer experiences. Data pervades every aspect of retail, and organizations can take advantage of real-time data analytics to embrace AI technology across supply chains, pricing models, and marketing campaigns. Cloud-native and software-defined infrastructure improve operational efficiency, particularly during peak seasons, and foster an integrated omnichannel strategy.
     
  • Increasingly, governments are embracing SDDC to modernize legacy architecture, improve service delivery, and better their cybersecurity posture. Software-defined platforms allow governments to share data securely while complying with stringent regulations and cloud-first initiatives. Governments have also prioritized hybrid/multi-cloud hybrid governing which ensures resilience, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. As governments focus more on digitally delivering services to citizens, data centers are helping to usher in increased automation and orchestration within public programs and ultimately aid smart cities and IoT.
     
  • Healthcare organizations are moving to SDDC to protect sensitive patient data securely and to support telemedicine, AI driven diagnostics, and research analytics. Hybrid cloud architecture provides safe, compliant methods to store patient data in ways that comply with HIPAA while allowing faster access to electronic health records (EHR). Automation can provide new efficiencies such as operations workflows and disaster recovery to ensure no interruption for patient care.
     
  • IT-enabled services occupy a considerable 20% market share with a 24% CAGR , as ITES providers are all in a race to uptake SDDC to be able to deliver effective cloud services to their growing base of clients, which are secure, scalable, and cost effective. Automation and orchestration powered by AI technologies will ensure optimal use of resources, while minimizing human intervention. Hybrid cloud and multi-tenant environments add flexible environments to scale agility and deliver services efficiently.
     
US Software Defined Data Center Market Size, 2022-2034, (USD Billion)

US dominated the software-defined data center market in North America with around 90% share in 2024 and generated USD 26 billion in revenue.
 

  • The market is currently led by US; the increasing adoption of hybrid and multi-cloud architectures by enterprises, dynamic regional vendor ecosystems, and development of digital infrastructure have contributed to the growth of this sector in the US. The automation ecosystem for SDDC offerings is benefiting from significant investment from enterprises included in the Fortune 500 list of companies, government co-funded industry projects around digital modernization, and projects between cloud vendors, SDDC vendors, and academic institutions focused on retraining/ upskilling the workforce.
     
  • The healthcare system is making material investments in the development and implementation of scalable SDDC training for its I.T. and operations teams; for instance, Ascension Health's deployment of a training program focused on hybrid cloud infrastructure across several states in 2023 shows that large-scale upskilling is becoming more common in the sector.
     
  • Canada's SDDC market is growing at a 19.8% CAGR and is bolstered by public sector modernization investment and cloud data centers. Regional connectivity challenges and bilingual training requirements create demand for customized, cloud-native training platforms, along with initiatives like Canada Health Infoway's infrastructure projects are under-served communities.
     
  • The U.S. market also has a duality of public sector investment alongside qualified AI-driven cloud infrastructure providers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), as well as the benefit of having two strong start-up districts of AI-driven cloud infrastructure providers. This ecosystem allows SDDC vendors to work with startups and universities to provide cutting-edge education, all of which drive a sustainable SDDC ecosystem. Empowered by high digital literacy levels, an emphasis on certification, and growing interest in policy-driven, software-centric infrastructure, the U.S. is well positioned to be the global leader in market development and workforce preparedness.
     

The software-defined data center market in the Germany is expected to experience significant and promising growth from 2025 to 2034.
 

  • Europe has the second-largest share in the market with a CAGR of 22.7%, fueled by increasing enterprise cloud adoption rates, data sovereignty programs in various jurisdictions and the rising demand for standardized infrastructure training among countries. The EU digital transformation fund and cross-border collaboration funds continue to speed up SDDC adoption particularly in government and large industrial sectors.
     
  • The UK market leads Europe’s SDDC market driven by expansive public sector cloud modernization initiatives supported by extensive emphasis around upskilling IT teams. The UK government recognized the need for hybrid cloud infrastructure and software-defined networking, engaging leading vendors such as VMware and Cisco to launch national training programs or ‘pathway to a career’ initiatives with enterprise and institutional demand.
     
  • Germany and France are closely next, being encouraged by a plethora of investments in data center modernization and AI automation platforms. Both countries evidence a focus upon complying with GDPR and national cybersecurity policies, thereby increasing demand for localized multilingual SDDC certification programs, with real time monitoring and analysis capabilities built in.
     
  • A consortium of German enterprises Deutsche Telekom combining with SAP and Ionos are working together to establish a data center dedicated to the AI workload, while receiving support from the European Commission (Funding) as part of the AI gigafactories initiative. In addition to support for Europe's AI (infrastructure), this will assist Europe to directly compete with best global players i.e. US and China and is in direct support of German national goals for moving existing data centers to enterprise level SDDC, with a clear focus for AI workloads, as a priority line of effort.
     
  • Emerging countries in Europe include Poland and Sweden, where investments in hybrid cloud adoption, workforce upskilling, and scalable SDDC training are accelerating growth, especially in manufacturing, public services, and digital infrastructure expansion.
     

The software-defined data center market in India is expected to experience strong growth from 2025 to 2034.
 

  • Asia-Pacific accounts for over 20% of the global market and is the fastest-growing region with a CAGR of 27.9%. SDDC adoption is growing rapidly due to factors such as rapidly growing cloud consumption, digital infrastructure established by government programs with infrastructure back in 2021 which aided in technology ramping up and a need for scalable/affordable data center alternatives across all industries and sizes.
     
  • India leads the region in terms of SDDC market size due to the large IT services sector in India, the large talent pool of skilled workers, and a expedite ramping of enterprise automation and adoption of hybrid cloud technologies by government and private sector entities. India is being at the center of the world's outsourced/digital transformation activities while simultaneously adding large scale infrastructure modernization and workforce development at a massive scale.
     
  • Regional governments, such as India, are establishing policies to facilitate programs like India's Cloud Computing Mission and Digital India which support educational and skills initiatives for SDDC. In 2024, partnership programs, like Wipro and Microsoft's hybrid training programs, served thousands of IT professionals across India and improved the momentum toward scalable digital competency development.
     
  • China and Japan are significant contributors, with China committed to increasing data center capacity in Tier 2/3 cities, while Japan invests in SDDC facilities and AI-enabled platforms for critical industries. Both countries are prioritizing compliance, cybersecurity, and energy-efficient infrastructure to ensure regulatory mandates and sustainability objectives are achieved.
     
  • Vietnam is developing into a significant growth market in terms of the Asia-Pacific SDDC environment, mainly due to rapid investments in digital infrastructures and a growing technology services market. Efforts to scale-up cloud-native data center development is supported through public-private partnerships while workforce upskilling focused on hybrid cloud and automation competencies is planned. Emerging forms of localized mobile and internet penetration provide the impetus for demand for multilingual and localized training platforms will help solidify Vietnam's role in the wider regional digital transformation and software defined infrastructure ecosystem.
     

The software-defined data center market in Brazil is expected to experience significant and promising growth from 2025 to 2034.
 

  • Latin America grows with a CAGR of 24.9%, reflecting gradual adoption driven by urban healthcare digitization, rising chronic disease burden, and growing interest in telehealth. Infrastructure disparities and funding constraints limit broader regional scale.
     
  • Brazil continues to be the frontrunner in the region, guided by huge public sector investment and positive cloud modernization policies. In July 2024, a collaborative program by Banco do Brasil and Microsoft to onboard SDDC, included training for the Portuguese language for thousands of IT professionals from São Paulo and key cities.
     
  • Mexico and Colombia are next, with increasing initiatives from government and the private sector to modernize data centers in remote and underserved populations. The pilot projects based on hybrid cloud and automated infrastructure management are fueling the need for flexible and more localized training sources.
     
  • Newer markets such as Argentina, Chile, and Peru are beginning to adopt mobile-friendly, Spanish-language SDDC training programs as demand increases. Universities and industry consortia are partnering with vendors in the effort of closing the skills gap in the workforce largely due to fragmented IT landscapes needing scalable, offline-capable learning solutions.
     

The software-defined data center market in UAE is expected to experience significant and promising growth from 2025 to 2034.
 

  • The MEA region will account for around 6% of the global SDDC market by 2024, and although market expansion is quite constrained, with continued digital transformation programs from governments, increasing trend towards enterprise automation, and larger investments in cloud infrastructure; the limited level of infrastructure in some parts of Africa further limits the growth of the market, impeding wider adoption of the training.
     
  • The UAE leads the SDDC market with substantial strategy around its reviewing national digital strategies, smart city projects and increasing training for workforce in hybrid cloud, software-defined infrastructure investments. In October2024, the Dubai Smart Government initiative participated as a partner with leading vendors & launched AI-powered SDDC upskilling programs for thousands of IT professionals in the region.
     
  • Saudi Arabia is increasing at a CAGR of around 22%, with Saudi Arabia pursuing its Vision 2030 initiatives through large-scale SDDC deployments and South Africa emphasizing hybrid-cloud infrastructure and certified training programs to assist the digital economy. The demand for localized cloud-based learning platforms with offline access and compliance features is increasing.
     
  • There will be initial opportunities for partnership in other jurisdictions, specifically Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria, where government agencies and private-sector partnerships are piloting modernization of digital infrastructure. Scalable, multilingual SDDC training solutions that conform to the local regulatory framework will fulfill skills shortages and stimulate market development across these unsaturated areas.
     

Software-Defined Data Center Market Share

  • The top 7 companies in the software-defined data center industry are Dell Technologies, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, Huawei, Cisco Systems and Nutanix contributing around 60% of the market in 2024.
     
  • With a complete SDDC portfolio for compute, storage, and networking and associated management, Dell Technologies is well suited for the market. VxRail and PowerEdge deliver hyperconverged infrastructure at scale, while hyper-converged infrastructure is optimized for hybrid cloud environments. Dell's global channel partner network and partnerships with VMware, offer multiple options to consume, deploy, and manage SDDC solutions, supporting the rapid enterprise digital transformation of existing infrastructure.
     
  • Microsoft has wanted to grow the SDDC market through the hybrid cloud offerings of Azure, delivering software-defined capabilities for compute, storage, and networking with seamless cloud interoperability. The use of Azure Stack and Azure Arc empowers enterprises to manage hybrid resources across their on-premises, multi-cloud, and edge environments. With the extensive number of partners and developers that are leveraged through Microsoft's ecosystem, and their emphasis on AI, there is great flexibility for enterprises to deploy.
     
  • Google Cloud's expertise in AI and Kubernetes-based orchestration reinforces Google Cloud’s position in the SDDC market by facilitating intelligent and scalable automation of the overall infrastructure. Anthos is an integrated software solution to manage workloads in hybrid and multi-cloud environments with a focus on containerized applications. Google’s investments in open-source software and edge computing strengthen the organization’s readiness to launch software-defined data centers with flexible and resilient infrastructures.
     
  • Oracle utilizes its knowledge and strength in database and enterprise applications to offer SDDC developments based on mission-critical workloads. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) consolidates software-defined compute, storage, and networking with security and compliance built for regulated sectors.
     
  • Huawei provides affordable, end-to-end solutions that feature advanced hardware and software stacks designed for emerging markets. Technical structure of its FusionCloud platform delivers infrastructure with AI-driven management functionality while maximizing performance, energy and scalability. Huawei's presence in the Asia-Pacific region, and Africa coupled with offerings from private and public partnerships, facilitates greater SDDC adoption landscapes.
     
  • Cisco is the global leader in software-defined networking, solution infrastructure for SDDC solutions with a strong portfolio of switches, routers, and security appliances. Cisco provides AI-influenced automation on its Intersight, and ACI platforms, allowing centralized management across IT management and policy-driven networking. Cisco is highly valued as it is robust and trusted. It empowers scalable, programmable data centers to enable enterprise organizations to cloud- and edge deploy their applications with world-class security.
     
  • Nutanix is a company known for hyperconverged infrastructure that simplifies SDDC deployments by converging compute, storage, and networking into a simple layer of management. With advanced features in its Prism platform, Nutanix supports AI driven automation, predictive analytics, and public cloud integration for hybrid and multi-cloud strategies. Nutanix targets mid-market to Enterprise customers who want to deploy quickly, gain operational efficiency, and simplify IT. Nutanix's emphasis on fast, scale, and cloud-like experience allows organizations to speed towards digital transformation with less complexity in their infrastructure.
     

Software-Defined Data Center Market Companies

Major players operating in the software-defined data center industry are:

  • Cisco Systems
  • Dell Technologies
  • Google
  • HP
  • Huawei
  • IBM
  • Microsoft
  • NetApp
  • Nutanix
  • Oracle
     
  • Cisco Systems, Dell Technologies, and Google have all employed methods for investing into ecosystems that train enterprise IT teams broadly. Cisco’s Learning Network highlights SDDC skills and certifications found in an SDDC network-centric world. Dell Technologies is expanding its Education Services to include hands-on labs covering hyperconverged infrastructure. Google's training includes Anthos and AI automation courses; they are quickly building cloud-native infrastructure training and expertise by partnering with universities and enterprise organizations to develop future professionals.
     
  • HP, Huawei and IBM are targeting scalable, compliance-driven training platforms that have platform-agnostic ecosystems to meet diverse global markets. HP offers role-based learning paths focusing on hybrid cloud and infrastructure modernization. Huawei’s FusionCloud training targets emerging markets with localized and competency-based content, including AI-based management and administration. IBM offers SDDC certification tracks that address cloud and AI, and emphasize automation and security, drawing upon resources linked to academic institutions and public sector programs.
     
  • Microsoft, NetApp, and Nutanix provide modular, cloud-first training frameworks emphasizing hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructure management. Microsoft Azure certifications focus on software-defined compute and networking, integrating low-code automation. NetApp’s training programs combine storage virtualization with AI-driven analytics, supporting enterprise data lifecycle management. Nutanix offers project-based learning through its Prism platform, including cloud integration and predictive analytics, catering to mid-market and large enterprises seeking simplified hybrid cloud adoption.
     
  • Oracle is a leader in providing tailored SDDC training focused on mission-critical workload and database-driven infrastructure.  Oracle University's curriculum is collaborative and combines the concepts of an Autonomous Data Center with software-defined computers and software-defined storage, with a focus on security and high availability.  With global enterprises and educational partnerships, Oracle builds skills and capabilities uniquely for regulated industries to help organizations maximize hybrid-cloud deployment, automation of infrastructure, and ensure reliability and regulatory compliance.
     

Software-Defined Data Center Industry News

  • In May 2025, Google Cloud and Nutanix established a strategic alliance to provide integrated hybrid cloud solutions combining Nutanix's hyperconverged infrastructure deployed on-premises with Google Cloud's Anthos hybrid management platform deployed in the cloud. The partnership intends to make multi-cloud management easier, as well as expedite the capability to adapt AI into SDDC environments, all while providing enterprises with unified orchestration and improved workload mobility between environments.
     
  • In March 2025, Oracle launched its AI Centre of Excellence in Singapore as a regional hub in Southeast Asia to support collaboration between technology partners, government bodies and industry leaders, while accelerating AI innovation and adoption within commercial organizations. The Centre will support implementation of the latest AI solutions in hope of fostering digital transformation at its customers and regional align to empower enterprises for competition-added advantage and sustainable growth within the region.
     
  • In November 2024, Microsoft announced a major update to Azure Arc, enabling seamless management of on-premises, multi-cloud, and edge environments within software-defined data centers. Organizations that want to manage hybrid, multi-cloud and edge environments together in a software-defined data center can now make use of hyper automation for AI-driven architecture and governance requirements enabling consistency across their on-premises and multi-cloud estate. This is further evidence of Microsoft investing to maintain its position as the market leader in hybrid cloud and facilitating enterprise digital transformation across many sectors.
     
  • In March 2024, Huawei Cloud attended LEAP 2024 to showcase its smart cloud + AI solutions for the Saudi market, showing support for the digital transformation of Saudi Arabia toward its Vision 2030 goals. Since launching its Riyadh Region in September 2023, Huawei Cloud has been able to provide secure and low latency services to support major carriers in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa with new smart cloud infrastructure solutions, enabling enterprise digital transformation in the region.
     
  • In January 2024, Dell Technologies announced its VxRail X-Series hyperconverged infrastructure platform created for AI and data-intensive workloads. The new range of products features state-of-the-art NVIDIA GPUs and AI accelerators, enabling companies with greater performance and scale in running software-defined data centers. The introduction of the VxRail X-Series implies Dell’s intent to be an influential supplier of AI-ready infrastructure as well as respond to the increased requirements of edge computing and hybrid cloud deployments.
     

The software-defined data center market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecasts in terms of revenue ($ Mn/Bn) from 2021 to 2034, for the following segments:

Market, By Solution

  • Software-defined networking (SDN)
    • Hardware
    • Software
    • Services
      • Managed
      • Professional
  • Software-defined storage (SDS)
    • Hardware
    • Software
    • Services
      • Managed
      • Professional
  • Software-defined compute (SDC)
    • Hardware
    • Software
    • Services
      • Managed
      • Professional

Market, By Organization size

  • SME
  • Large enterprises

Market, By End Use

  • BFSI
  • Retail and e-commerce
  • Government
  • Healthcare
  • Manufacturing
  • IT-enabled services
  • Others

Market, By Deployment

  • On-premises
  • Public cloud
  • Private cloud
  • Hybrid cloud

Market, By Application

  • Resource pooling & virtualization
  • Disaster recovery & business continuity
  • Data center consolidation
  • Dynamic resource allocation
  • DevOps and CI/CD automation

The above information is provided for the following regions and countries:

  • North America
    • US
    • Canada
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • UK
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • Russia
    • Nordics
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • South Korea
    • Southeast Asia
  • Latin America
    • Brazil
    • Mexico
    • Argentina
  • MEA
    • South Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • UAE
Authors: Preeti Wadhwani, Satyam Jaiswal
Frequently Asked Question(FAQ) :
What is the market size of the software-defined data center in 2024?
The market size was USD 70.6 billion in 2024, with a CAGR of 24.8% expected through 2034. The growth is driven by increasing adoption of AI-driven orchestration, automation, and demand for efficient resource management in data centers.
What is the projected value of the software-defined data center market by 2034?
The market is projected to reach USD 573.8 billion by 2034, fueled by advancements in AI-enabled infrastructure, self-healing systems, and the growing need for scalable and intelligent data center solutions.
Who are the key players in the software-defined data center market?
Key players include Cisco Systems, Dell Technologies, Google, HP, Huawei, IBM, Microsoft, NetApp, Nutanix, and Oracle.
What is the market share of the software-defined networking (SDN) segment in 2024?
The software-defined networking (SDN) segment accounted for approximately 43% of the market share in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 23% through 2034.
What was the market share of large enterprises in the software-defined data center market in 2024?
Large enterprises dominated the market with a 67% share in 2024 and are projected to grow at a CAGR of over 20% from 2025 to 2034.
What are the upcoming trends in the software-defined data center market?
Trends include AI-driven operational insights, self-healing infrastructure, automation of data center operations, intelligent resource consumption, and the integration of AI with software-defined infrastructure management.
What was the revenue generated by the U.S. in the software-defined data center market in 2024?
The U.S. dominated the North American software-defined data center market, generating USD 26 billion in revenue in 2024, accounting for approximately 90% of the regional market share.
Software-Defined Data Center Market Scope
  • Software-Defined Data Center Market Size
  • Software-Defined Data Center Market Trends
  • Software-Defined Data Center Market Analysis
  • Software-Defined Data Center Market Share
Authors: Preeti Wadhwani, Satyam Jaiswal
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Premium Report Details

Base Year: 2024

Companies covered: 34

Tables & Figures: 180

Countries covered: 21

Pages: 240

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