Apac data centre capacity to double by 2030, AI boom creating ‘generational shift’ in power demand: JLL
Data facility capacity in Asia Pacific (Apac) is projected to nearly two times by 2020, as AI-fuelled growth reverses a decades-long trend of steady or declining electricity demand, according to study by JLL.
Amid a decentralised influx of brand-new renewable resource sources, presenting transmission framework– originally developed for big, centralised power plant– has struggled to cope, leading to significant grid congestion across the globe.
Against this backdrop, hyperscalers have announced US$ 200 billion ($ 253 billion) in infrastructure spending for 2026, up 51% from 2025. However, in spite of the record capital investment, interconnection queues for brand-new sustainable projects currently extend to 4 years or even more in some regions, with particular areas compelled to pause brand-new links totally, according to JLL.
The restraints are producing brand-new chances in similar markets. One such chance lies in battery energy storage systems (BESS), which JLL posits will play a progressively essential duty in handling minimal grid access and renewable energy intermittency. “They function as shock absorbers for constricted grids, billing when power is affordable and abundant, then releasing when need and rate are high,” claimed Eastwick.
The AI and information centre boom has actually resulted in a “generational shift in energy need”, stated 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 development are now grappling with numbers nearly multiply their previous quotes.”
Data collected by the realty consultancy shows that Apac information centre capability will jump from 32 gigawatts (GW) to 57 GW by 2030. Globally, data center capacity is assumed to hit 200GW already, driven mostly by hyperscale cloud expansion and AI demand.
That shift has decisively reshaped the data centre landscape, with grid framework currently becoming the main restraint. “Power need is climbing quicker than grids were constructed to handle,” commented Matt Eastwick, JLL’s US group head and senior handling supervisor for energy and facilities.
Subsequently, grid access is increasingly driving decision-making for developers, data centre operators, energy firms, and tech business. “For any kind of energy developer, without having a grid link, you do not have a project,” Jack explained. “For capitalists, this grid blockage translates straight into threat, however it also develops a scarcity costs for assets that give or obtain grid connectivity.”
While data facility build-out still outpaces grid preparation in a number of Apac markets, Cameron expects local dynamics and grid access obstacles to drive new collaboration versions. “Whilst the solution will differ depending on situations, it is clear we will see much more partnership chances and innovative solutions in between information centre and energy customers across the region.”
All the same, safeguarding power supply is now top of mind for data center investors in Apac, stated James Cameron, JLL’s head of energy and infrastructure for the region. “In liberalised industry in Apac, including Australia, India, Japan and the Philippines, condition and area of grid connection is the initial concern for financiers and has the biggest evaluation effect for development assets.”
At the same time, grid accessibility challenges are triggering sector players to turn into direct participants in the electricity industry, with some technology business opting to outright purchase operating renewable assets to ensure electrical power supply, according to JLL.
