2026 Global Data Center Outlook

The data center sector is projected to increase by 97 GW between 2025 and 2030, effectively doubling in size over a five-year period. By 2030, global data center capacity could reach 200 GW. This rapid growth will be driven largely by hyperscale cloud expansion and AI demand.

The Americas is the largest data center region, representing about 50% of global capacity. The Americas also has the fastest growth rate of the three global regions, with a projected 17% supply CAGR through to 2030, preserving its position as the dominant data center region. The U.S. drives most of the activity in the region, accounting for about 90% of capacity in the Americas.

APAC data center capacity will expand from 32 GW to 57 GW by 2030, achieving a 12% CAGR. Colocation leads growth at 19%, while on-prem capacity is projected to decline 6% as enterprises continue cloud migration.

EMEA’s 10% CAGR forecast is fueled by government support for AI infrastructure and strong demand for sovereign AI clouds to meet data privacy regulations. The region will add 13 GW of new supply, with growth concentrated in established European hubs and emerging Middle Eastern markets pursuing digital transformation strategies.

The data center sector currently sits at the beginning of one of the largest infrastructure investment supercycles seen in the modern era. The interconnected nature of data centers means the AI-fueled expansion is reshaping a number of sectors including power, technology and real estate.

The transition from AI training to inference will redistribute workloads from centralized clusters to distributed regional hubs, fundamentally altering capacity planning and geographic deployment strategies.

Energy infrastructure has emerged as the critical bottleneck constraining expansion. Grid limitations now threaten to curtail growth trajectories, making behind-the-meter generation and integrated battery storage solutions essential pathways for sustainable scaling.

Investors and developers must balance speed to market with capital efficiency while navigating supply chain constraints and evolving demand patterns. Industry leaders must transform these converging forces into competitive advantages. The winners of this generational investment supercycle will be those who can anticipate demand inflection points while maintaining flexibility to adapt as AI models and use cases evolve.