Apac data centre capacity to double by 2030, AI boom creating ‘generational shift’ in power demand: JLL
Data compiled by the real estate consultancy shows that Apac information centre capability will hop from 32 gigawatts (GW) to 57 GW by 2030. Globally, data center capacity is assumed to hit 200GW already, steered largely by hyperscale cloud growth and AI demand.
In any case, securing power supply is now leading of mind for information centre investors in Apac, said James Cameron, JLL’s head of energy and infrastructure for the area. “In liberalised markets in Apac, including Australia, India, Japan and the Philippines, position and place of grid link is the very first concern for capitalists and has the largest appraisal impact for development assets.”
Amidst a decentralised influx of brand-new renewable energy resources, presenting transmission framework– originally designed for huge, centralised power plant– has struggled to cope, resulting in considerable grid congestion across the globe.
Against this backdrop, hyperscalers have reported US$ 200 billion ($ 253 billion) in infrastructure spending for 2026, up 51% from 2025. Nevertheless, in spite of the document capital expenditure, interconnection lines up for new sustainable projects currently reach four years or even more in some regions, with particular areas required to pause new connections entirely, according to JLL.
Data center capacity in Asia Pacific (Apac) is forecasted to nearly double by 2020, as AI-fuelled growth turns around a decades-long trend of steady or decreasing electricity demand, according to study by JLL.
While data center build-out still exceeds grid planning in numerous Apac markets, Cameron expects regional characteristics and grid access obstacles to drive new partnership models. “Whilst the solution will differ depending upon scenarios, it is clear we are going to see many more partnership possibilities and innovative solutions between data centre and energy clients throughout the area.”
The AI and data center boom has led to a “generational shift in energy demand”, said Steven Jack, the company’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 figures virtually multiply their previous price quotes.”
The restraints are creating new opportunities in associated industry. One such possibility depends on battery energy storage systems (BESS), that JLL posits will certainly play an increasingly important duty in handling restricted grid access and renewable resource intermittency. “They function as shock absorbers for constrained grids, charging when power is affordable and plenty, then releasing when demand and rate are high,” claimed Eastwick.
Consequently, grid access is progressively driving decision-making for developers, data centre drivers, energy firms, and tech business. “For any kind of energy developer, without having a grid link, you do not have a project,” Jack detailed. “For financiers, this grid blockage equates directly into risk, however it also creates a shortage premium for possessions that offer or secure grid accessibility.”
That change has emphatically reshaped the data centre landscape, with grid framework now becoming the main restriction. “Power demand is climbing much faster than grids were constructed to manage,” commented Matt Eastwick, JLL’s US group head and senior handling supervisor for energy and infrastructure.
At the same time, grid accessibility difficulties are triggering sector players to come to be straight players in the electricity industry, with some technology business deciding to straight up purchase operating renewable assets to guarantee energy source, according to JLL.
