Apac data centre capacity to double by 2030, AI boom creating ‘generational shift’ in power demand: JLL
Against this backdrop, hyperscalers have disclosed US$ 200 billion ($ 253 billion) in infrastructure spending for 2026, up 51% from 2025. Nevertheless, despite the document capital investment, interconnection lines for new renewable projects currently extend to 4 years or even more in some regions, with certain areas required to pause new connections entirely, according to JLL.
Data put together by the property consultancy shows that Apac information center capacity will jump from 32 gigawatts (GW) to 57 GW by 2030. Globally, data centre capacity is expected to hit 200GW already, driven mostly by hyperscale cloud expansion and AI need.
That change has emphatically reshaped the data centre landscape, with grid infrastructure currently emerging as the main restriction. “Power need is climbing faster than grids were constructed to manage,” commented Matt Eastwick, JLL’s US group head and senior regulating supervisor for energy and facilities.
In any case, safeguarding power supply is now leading of mind for data center investors in Apac, said James Cameron, JLL’s head of energy and framework for the area. “In liberalised markets in Apac, such as Australia, India, Japan and the Philippines, status and area of grid connection is the very first inquiry for financiers and has the largest evaluation influence for development assets.”
The AI and information centre boom has resulted in a “generational change in power demand”, stated 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 forecasting modest expansion are currently grappling with numbers almost double their previous quotes.”
While data centre build-out still surpasses grid planning in several Apac markets, Cameron expects local dynamics and grid access difficulties to drive brand-new collaboration versions. “Whilst the solution will vary depending on scenarios, it is clear we are going to see a lot more partnership chances and innovative solutions in between data centre and power customers across the area.”
The restraints are developing new chances in associated industry. One such opportunity lies in battery energy storage systems (BESS), which JLL posits will certainly play a progressively essential role in managing limited grid access and renewable energy intermittency. “They serve as shock shields for constricted grids, billing when power is affordable and abundant, after that releasing when need and cost are high,” said Eastwick.
Consequently, grid access is increasingly driving decision-making for developers, data centre drivers, energy firms, and tech firms. “For any energy developer, without a grid link, you do not have a project,” Jack detailed. “For investors, this grid blockage equates straight right into danger, but it also produces a scarcity premium for assets that give or obtain grid accessibility.”
Data facility capacity in Asia Pacific (Apac) is predicted to nearly two times by 2020, as AI-fuelled growth turns around a decades-long trend of steady or decreasing electricity requirement, according to research by JLL.
In the middle of a decentralised influx of new renewable energy sources, existing transmission facilities– originally developed for large, centralised power plant– has struggled to cope, leading to significant grid congestion across the globe.
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At the same time, grid accessibility obstacles are motivating industry players to become straight participants in the electricity market, with some technology companies choosing to straight up purchase operating renewable assets to ensure energy supply, according to JLL.
