Zurich Commercial Insurance has expanded its Data Center Project Guard offering beyond the United States, introducing the specialist product in Brazil, Germany, Italy, the Nordics and Spain following its initial launch in the US in January 2026. Developed by Zurich North America’s construction team, the solution secured business within weeks of its debut before being extended to additional international markets. The product is designed for contractors, project owners and on-site teams involved in large-scale data centre developments. As demand for increasingly complex facilities grows worldwide, Zurich is positioning the offering to address evolving project risks through dedicated Construction Insurance support. Commenting on the expansion, the company said: “Each market has unique needs and challenges, but tailored underwriting, risk engineering expertise and excellent claims services have value everywhere.”
The global rollout comes shortly after Zurich released its April 2026 report, Data center risks right now, which examined the resilience challenges facing the sector. Drawing on insights from risk engineers, underwriters, claims specialists and senior executives, the study assessed six key areas affecting data centre projects, including loss drivers, insurance limits, labour availability, power requirements and related operational considerations. According to the report, the emergence of multibillion-dollar campus developments is placing pressure on conventional insurance structures, making capacity, coordination and programme design increasingly important. The findings highlighted the need for lifecycle planning that involves builders, owners, lenders, insurers and reinsurers from the earliest stages of development.
Zurich’s analysis also pointed to the impact of AI-driven demand, which is accelerating the development of larger and more densely built facilities. As construction activities increasingly overlap with early operational phases, project exposure can intensify across areas such as weather events, fire risk, equipment issues, labour constraints and power availability. The report identified early and integrated decision-making as a key factor in strengthening resilience, particularly in areas such as loss modelling, redundancy planning, workforce readiness and the management of power, water and severe weather risks. These considerations are becoming more important as organisations seek effective Construction Insurance solutions for complex data centre developments.
The expansion aligns with broader growth reported by Zurich Insurance Group during the first quarter of 2026. The company said its property and casualty business delivered accelerated growth during the period, with infrastructure and data centre construction among the principal drivers of demand. Gross written premiums in the P&C segment rose 17% in US dollar terms to $15.56bn (SFr12.25bn) for the three months ended 31 March 2026, while Commercial Insurance premiums increased by 9%, supported by global specialty and middle market business. Retail premiums also recorded growth of 7%.
