Asia Pacific’s data centre sector is projected to become one of the world’s largest digital infrastructure asset classes, with operational asset values expected to exceed US$950 billion by 2030, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s 2026 Asia Pacific Data Centre Investment Landscape report.
The sector will require more than US$280 billion in new capital expenditure through the end of the decade to support its expanding development pipeline, driven by accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, cloud expansion and digital transformation.
Nearly 77% of the projected investment, or about US$215 billion, is expected to be concentrated in Japan, Malaysia, Australia, India and Indonesia, with Japan alone accounting for nearly one-quarter of the region’s total capital requirements.
APAC’s total data centre capacity is projected to increase 2.7 times by 2030, supported by a development pipeline of 26,455MW compared with 15,135MW of existing operational capacity.
Demand for future capacity is also strengthening, with pre-leasing volumes surging 115% year-on-year between the first half of 2025 and the first half of 2026. Around 7.8GW of future capacity has already been secured, particularly as hyperscalers and other occupiers seek to lock in capacity amid power constraints and lengthy development timelines.
Australia, Malaysia, India and Japan recorded the largest volumes of committed capacity, while Indonesia and Thailand posted the fastest growth, with pre-leasing rising fivefold and ninefold respectively.
Annual colocation rental revenue across APAC is forecast to exceed US$66 billion by 2030, with Japan, Australia, Malaysia, India and the Chinese mainland expected to account for about 71% of regional revenue.
Meanwhile, AI is raising infrastructure requirements, with AI-ready data centres requiring 25% to 35% higher capital expenditure than traditional facilities due to higher power densities and specialised cooling systems.
Cushman & Wakefield said the growing financing activity, demand visibility and long-term revenue potential are strengthening institutional investor interest in data centres as a critical infrastructure asset class rather than a niche alternative investment.
