1、knightfrank.co.uk/research 2026Tackling the principal topics defining the global data centre landscapeData Centres:The Leading QuestionsDATA CENTRES:THE LEADING QUESTIONS2ForewordSTEPHEN BEARDGLOBAL HEAD OF DATA CENTRES DEVELOPMENT&INVESTMENTThe global data centre market has entered its most aggress
2、ive investment and build-out phase in its history.Demand is being reshaped by the AI super cycle,traditional hyperscale cloud providers,and escalating power constraints that increasingly dictate market behaviour.Investors are navigating an environment of unprecedented capital influx,rising tenant co
3、ncentration risk,and a widening divergence between power-rich and power-constrained regions.The global acceleration of artificial intelligence is reshaping the digital and physical landscape at a pace,driving profound change across the data centre industry and the wider energy ecosystem.AI is no lon
4、ger a theoretical technology,it is a present and immediate force,catalysing a historic build out of digital infrastructure.Over the next five years,AI related demand will require as much as$1.6 trillion in global investment,transforming data centres into one of the most capital-intensive asset class
5、es in the world.What was once a sector defined by location,connectivity and occupier demand is now being led by a single overriding variable:power.Global data centre capacity is projected to nearly double by 2028,rising from 62GW to more than 110GW,with AI specific workloads expanding even faster.Ye
6、t this rapid growth is running headlong into structural constraints.Power grids across key markets are stretched to their limits,with connection queues extending close to a decade in some regions.These pressures have intensified vacancy shortages,pushed rents upward and elevated power availability t