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 predicted to nearly double by 2020, as AI-fuelled expansion turns around a decades-long pattern of steady or declining electricity demand, according to research by JLL.
At the same time, grid accessibility obstacles are prompting market gamers to become straight participants in the electricity industry, with some technology companies opting to straight up purchase operating renewable assets to assure electrical power source, according to JLL.
While data centre build-out still outpaces grid preparation in numerous Apac markets, Cameron expects regional characteristics and grid access challenges to drive brand-new partnership designs. “While the solution is going to vary depending on scenarios, it is clear we are going to see many more collaboration opportunities and innovative solutions between data centre and power clients throughout the area.”
That change has emphatically improved the information centre landscape, with grid facilities currently becoming the main restraint. “Power need is rising much faster than grids were constructed to handle,” commented Matt Eastwick, JLL’s US group head and senior managing supervisor for energy and infrastructure.
The restraints are developing brand-new opportunities in related industry. One such possibility lies in battery energy storage systems (BESS), that JLL posits will play a significantly important role in handling limited grid access and renewable resource intermittency. “They act as shock absorbers for constrained grids, charging when power is cheap and plenty, after that discharging when need and rate are high,” claimed Eastwick.
The AI and information centre growth has actually resulted in a “generational shift in power need”, claimed 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 modest development are currently grappling with numbers nearly double their previous quotes.”
Consequently, grid access is progressively driving decision-making for developers, data centre operators, energy firms, and tech firms. “For any kind of energy developer, without a grid connection, you don’t have a project,” Jack explained. “For capitalists, this grid congestion equates straight into threat, however it also creates a shortage premium for possessions that offer or secure grid accessibility.”
Against this backdrop, hyperscalers have disclosed US$ 200 billion ($ 253 billion) in infrastructure investing for 2026, up 51% from 2025. However, in spite of the document capital expenditure, interconnection queues for brand-new renewable projects now include 4 years or even more in some regions, with certain areas compelled to pause new connections completely, according to JLL.
Data collected by the real estate consultancy shows that Apac data centre capacity will hop 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 expansion and AI demand.
In the middle of a decentralised increase of new renewable resource resources, existing transmission facilities– initially developed for big, centralised power stations– has struggled to deal, causing significant grid blockage across the globe.
All the same, safeguarding power supply is now leading of mind for data center investors in Apac, stated James Cameron, JLL’s head of energy and framework for the area. “In liberalised markets in Apac, including Australia, India, Japan and the Philippines, status and place of grid connection is the first inquiry for capitalists and has the biggest evaluation effect for development assets.”
