- A new JLL report forecasts global data centre capacity will nearly double to around 200 GW by 2030, driven by cloud and artificial intelligence workloads.
- The growth comes with infrastructure and energy challenges, requiring up to $3 trillion in investment, raising questions about sustainability and strategic planning.
What happened: Data centre capacity boom forecast
The global data centre industry is on track for unprecedented expansion through the end of the decade, according to the 2026 Global Data Centre Outlook from real estate services firm JLL. The report projects that approximately 97 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity will be added between 2026 and 2030, effectively doubling current global capacityfrom around 103 GW to nearly 200 GW by 2030. This expansion is largely driven by rapid growth in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads, which are increasingly shaping the architecture of digital infrastructure.
AI demand is a pivotal catalyst behind this growth. While AI accounted for an estimated 25 per cent of data centre workloads as of 2025, analysts expect this proportion to climb steeply, potentially making AI workloads responsible for half of all capacities by the end of the decade. Industry sources also anticipate a shift in AI usage patterns, with inference workloads overtaking training as the major driver of data centre demand by around 2027.
The projected growth does not come without its challenges. The JLL outlook highlights that this doubling of capacity will be accompanied by a massive investment cycle—sometimes described as an “infrastructure supercycle”. Up to $3 trillion in total investment will be required across real estate, financing and tenant IT fit-outs by 2030. This includes roughly $1.2 trillion in real estate value creation, nearly $870 billion in new debt financing, and an additional $1 trillion to $2 trillion for customers to install computing equipment such as GPUs and network systems.
Also read: BDx Indonesia signs power deal to support AI data centres
Also read: EDGNEX unveils $2.3B AI data centre campus in Jakarta
Why it’s important
The projected doubling of global data centre capacity carries far-reaching consequences for technology, energy, sustainability and economic strategy. Firstly, this growth underscores the central role data centres play in powering the digital economy. Digital services, cloud platforms, content delivery and AI all depend on the existence of vast, reliable compute infrastructure. As organisations worldwide shift more workloads to cloud and hybrid environments, data centres have become foundational to business continuity and innovation.
Another strategic consideration is regional competitiveness. The Americas currently account for about 50 per cent of global data centre capacity and are expected to continue leading expansion. This dominant position reflects strong cloud adoption, hyperscale investments and robust energy infrastructure. Regions that lag in data centre development risk falling behind in attracting cloud-dependent industries or AI innovation ecosystems.
Furthermore, the scale of projected investment highlights vulnerabilities and opportunities in financing models. A near $3 trillion commitment implies significant involvement from private capital, public funding and debt markets. Questions remain about how smaller markets, emerging regions or mid-sized operators will access funding compared to hyperscale cloud giants and major real estate investors.
There are also questions around data centre siting decisions, community impacts and supply chain constraints. As operators prioritise access to water, land, cooling infrastructure and resilient networks, local authorities and regulators may need to balance economic benefits with environmental stewardship and grid reliability concerns.
