Apac data centre capacity to double by 2030, AI boom creating ‘generational shift’ in power demand: JLL
Data center capacity in Asia Pacific (Apac) is forecasted to nearly two times by 2020, as AI-fuelled growth reverses a decades-long trend of steady or decreasing electricity demand, according to research study by JLL.
The AI and information centre upsurge has actually led to a “generational shift in energy need”, 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 modest expansion are now grappling with numbers almost double their previous estimates.”
Data compiled by the property consultancy shows that Apac information centre capacity will hop from 32 gigawatts (GW) to 57 GW by 2030. Globally, data center capacity is expected to hit 200GW by then, steered mainly by hyperscale cloud growth and AI demand.
That change has emphatically reshaped the information centre landscape, with grid facilities currently emerging as the key restriction. “Power demand is climbing quicker than grids were built to handle,” commented Matt Eastwick, JLL’s US group head and senior handling supervisor for energy and infrastructure.
Amid a decentralised influx of new renewable resource resources, presenting transmission infrastructure– initially designed for big, centralised power plant– has struggled to cope, causing significant grid blockage across the globe.
The restrictions are developing new possibilities in similar markets. One such opportunity depends on battery energy storage systems (BESS), which JLL posits will certainly play a progressively essential duty in managing limited grid access and renewable resource intermittency. “They serve as shock shields for constricted grids, billing when power is affordable and plenty, then discharging when demand and cost are high,” said Eastwick.
Regardless, securing power supply is currently top of mind for information centre investors in Apac, claimed James Cameron, JLL’s head of energy and infrastructure for the region. “In liberalised markets in Apac, like Australia, India, Japan and the Philippines, position and area of grid link is the initial question for investors and has the biggest appraisal effect for development assets.”
Against this backdrop, hyperscalers have disclosed US$ 200 billion ($ 253 billion) in infrastructure costs for 2026, up 51% from 2025. However, despite the document capital investment, interconnection queues for brand-new renewable projects currently extend to four years or more in some regions, with particular areas required to pause brand-new connections completely, according to JLL.
At the same time, grid access challenges are motivating sector players to become direct participants in the power market, with some technology business choosing to straight up purchase operating renewable assets to assure power supply, according to JLL.
Consequently, grid access is increasingly driving decision-making for developers, data centre drivers, energy firms, and tech firms. “For any type of energy developer, without having a grid connection, you don’t have a project,” Jack detailed. “For financiers, this grid blockage translates directly right into danger, but it also creates a scarcity costs for properties that give or secure grid access.”
While data facility build-out still surpasses grid preparation in numerous Apac markets, Cameron expects local dynamics and grid access difficulties to drive brand-new partnership versions. “While the solution is going to differ depending upon circumstances, it is clear we will see a lot more collaboration chances and innovative solutions in between information centre and energy customers throughout the area.”
