Surging Demand for Data Infrastructure Fuels Real Estate Transformation Across Global Data Center Markets

Beijing placed in the top 10 in global overall ranking

Global Data Center markets are seeing surging demand due to relentless growth and expansion of cloud computing and AI workloads according to the latest report by Cushman & Wakefield. The report, which analyzes 97 global markets, highlights how power access, land acquisition, and infrastructure have emerged as critical variables shaping where and how data center facilities are being built.

Key Asia Pacific Rankings

• Beijing, China is the only market to interrupt US dominance in the overall rankings, placing 8^th behind established and emerging US markets Virgina, Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, Oregon, Columbus, and Austin/San Antonio.
• Beijing also placed second behind Virginia for Operational Market Size (MW); Shanghai and Tokyo placed 7^th and 10^th respectively. London (9^th) was the only other non-US market in the Top 10.
• Mumbai’s Under Construction development pipeline ranks 6^th globally, demonstrating the city’s rapidly growing status as a data center hub.

“We expect total capacity to continue its incredible growth trajectory across all global regions, with each expected to at least double based on the current development pipelines,” said John McWilliams, Head of Data Center Insights. “The industry experienced rapid expansion throughout the past year, a trend we expect to continue into 2025 and 2026. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), which gained prominence in 2022, are key drivers of this demand now and into the future”.

Pritesh Swamy, Head of Research & Insights, Data Centre Group, Asia Pacific noted thatAsia Pacific cities continue to demonstrate strong growth momentum, despite challenges related to power availability and land constraints in key locations. “According to the 2025 edition of the GDCMC report, ten of the world’s 30 largest data center markets are now in the Asia Pacific region. This growth is reflected across several sub-category rankings, with cities like Johor and Singapore ranking among the lowest in vacancy rates, Mumbai leading in under-construction pipeline, and Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo placing in the top 10 by market size globally.”

Shaun Brodie, Head of Research Content, Greater China noted, “In 2024, the data center market on the Chinese mainland has exhibited three defining characteristics — structural reshaping, scale expansion, technological progression. The core driving forces include the demand for AI computing power, green and low-carbon policies, and the rise of third-party service providers.”