Apac data centre capacity to double by 2030, AI boom creating ‘generational shift’ in power demand: JLL
Data centre capacity in Asia Pacific (Apac) is forecasted to nearly double by 2020, as AI-fuelled growth reverses a decades-long trend of stable or decreasing electricity requirement, according to research by JLL.
That shift has actually emphatically reshaped the information center landscape, with grid infrastructure currently emerging as the main restriction. “Power need is climbing faster than grids were constructed to manage,” commented Matt Eastwick, JLL’s US group head and senior regulating supervisor for energy and infrastructure.
Data collected by the real estate consultancy shows that Apac information centre capacity will jump from 32 gigawatts (GW) to 57 GW by 2030. Globally, data center capacity is assumed to hit 200GW by then, steered largely by hyperscale cloud development and AI need.
Consequently, grid access is progressively driving decision-making for developers, data centre drivers, energy firms, and tech companies. “For any type of energy developer, without a grid connection, you don’t have a project,” Jack explained. “For investors, this grid blockage translates directly right into threat, yet it likewise develops a scarcity premium for assets that give or secure grid access.”
The restraints are producing brand-new opportunities in similar industry. One such opportunity hinges on battery energy storage systems (BESS), that JLL posits will certainly play an increasingly important function in handling minimal grid access and renewable energy intermittency. “They work as shock shields for constricted grids, billing when power is low-priced and rich, then discharging when demand and cost are high,” said Eastwick.
Regardless, securing power supply is currently leading of mind for information centre investors in Apac, said James Cameron, JLL’s head of energy and framework for the region. “In liberalised markets in Apac, including Australia, India, Japan and the Philippines, position and place of grid connection is the initial concern for investors and has the largest valuation effect for development assets.”
Amid a decentralised influx of new renewable resource resources, presenting transmission infrastructure– initially made for big, centralised power plant– has struggled to deal, resulting in significant grid congestion across the globe.
At the same time, grid accessibility challenges are prompting industry gamers to turn into straight participants in the electricity industry, with some technology business choosing to outright purchase operating renewable assets to guarantee energy supply, according to JLL.
The AI and information centre upsurge has actually resulted in a “generational change in power need”, stated Steven Jack, the business’s head of energy and infrastructure for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in a Sept 8 release. “Utilities that were predicting moderate expansion are now grappling with numbers almost double their previous estimates.”
Against this backdrop, hyperscalers have disclosed US$ 200 billion ($ 253 billion) in infrastructure investing for 2026, up 51% from 2025. Nevertheless, despite the record capital investment, interconnection lines up for new renewable projects now extend to four years or even more in some regions, with certain areas required to pause brand-new links entirely, according to JLL.
While data center build-out still outpaces grid planning in numerous Apac markets, Cameron expects regional characteristics and grid access obstacles to drive new collaboration designs. “Whilst the solution will vary relying on situations, it is clear we will see many more collaboration possibilities and innovative solutions in between information centre and energy clients across the area.”
