Apac data centre capacity to double by 2030, AI boom creating ‘generational shift’ in power demand: JLL
The AI and information centre boom has led to a “generational shift in energy demand”, said Steven Jack, the firm’s head of energy and infrastructure for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in a Sept 8 release. “Utilities that were forecasting moderate expansion are now grappling with figures almost double their previous estimates.”
Data facility capacity in Asia Pacific (Apac) is forecasted to nearly two times by 2020, as AI-fuelled development turns around a decades-long trend of steady or decreasing electricity need, according to study by JLL.
Regardless, securing power supply is currently leading of mind for information centre investors in Apac, said James Cameron, JLL’s head of energy and framework for the area. “In liberalised industry in Apac, including Australia, India, Japan and the Philippines, condition and area of grid link is the initial inquiry for financiers and has the largest assessment impact for development assets.”
At the same time, grid accessibility difficulties are prompting sector players to turn into straight players in the energy market, with some technology business choosing to outright purchase operating renewable assets to assure energy source, according to JLL.
That change has decisively improved the information centre landscape, with grid framework now becoming the primary restriction. “Power demand is rising quicker than grids were built to manage,” commented Matt Eastwick, JLL’s US group head and senior regulating supervisor for energy and infrastructure.
Against this backdrop, hyperscalers have announced US$ 200 billion ($ 253 billion) in infrastructure investing for 2026, up 51% from 2025. However, in spite of the record capital expenditure, interconnection lines up for new sustainable projects currently encompass four years or even more in some regions, with particular areas forced to pause new connections completely, according to JLL.
In the middle of a decentralised increase of brand-new renewable energy resources, existing transmission facilities– initially developed for large, centralised power plant– has struggled to adapt, causing considerable grid congestion across the globe.
The constraints are producing brand-new chances in associated markets. One such possibility hinges on battery energy storage systems (BESS), which JLL posits will certainly play a significantly important duty in handling minimal grid access and renewable resource intermittency. “They work as shock absorbers for constrained grids, billing when power is affordable and abundant, after that releasing when need and price are high,” stated Eastwick.
While data centre build-out still surpasses grid planning in a number of Apac markets, Cameron expects local characteristics and grid access obstacles to drive new partnership designs. “While the solution is going to vary depending upon circumstances, it is clear we will see many more collaboration chances and innovative solutions between information centre and energy customers throughout the region.”
Data compiled by the real estate consultancy shows that Apac data centre capacity will jump from 32 gigawatts (GW) to 57 GW by 2030. Globally, data centre capacity is assumed to hit 200GW by then, driven mainly by hyperscale cloud expansion and AI demand.
Consequently, grid access is increasingly driving decision-making for developers, data centre drivers, energy firms, and tech business. “For any energy developer, without a grid connection, you do not have a project,” Jack detailed. “For investors, this grid blockage converts straight right into danger, yet it additionally creates a deficiency premium for properties that give or obtain grid accessibility.”
