Asia Pacific set to become world’s largest data centre region over next decade

Asia Pacific’s data centre market continues to grow at a relentless pace and is set to become the world’s largest data centre region over the next decade. According to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest 2022 Data Centre Global Market Comparison report, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney are ranked among the top 10 data centre markets in the world.

Construction totals continue to grow globally, with 4.1 gigawatts (GW) currently underway in the markets covered, up from 2.9 GW in the previous study and 1.6 GW in the year before that. The largest clients continue to require larger builds, with 100 megawatt campuses becoming increasingly common. 

The largest data centre market in the world, Northern Virginia, again finished on top of the overall standings for a third consecutive year. Along with a strong construction pipeline, it offers excellent connectivity, attractive incentives, and low-cost power. Singapore tops the Asia Pacific ranking (2nd globally), moving up two spots globally from 2021, while Hong Kong comes in 2nd in Asia Pacific (6th globally), rejoining the top 10 after missing out last year. Rounding out the Asia Pacific top three is Sydney (8th globally). 

Further growth is expected throughout at least the next five to 10 years, as the region requires entirely new builds due to a lack of existing infrastructure for retrofit. Globally, regions across Latin America and Africa are also expected to enjoy considerable growth in coming years, as new undersea cables are bringing faster access to many markets for the first time. Secondary markets across the world continue to grow, with many soon to reach current primary market size. 

Todd Olson, Managing Director, Japan & Korea, and Head of Asia Pacific Data Centre Practice Group at Cushman & Wakefield

“Asia Pacific’s outlook is exceptionally positive, with many multinational enterprises requiring further refinement in the cloud (or across multiple cloud services) and many regional governments pursuing online service access. Both established and emerging markets will see continued large-scale requirements for capacity by all participants,” said Todd Olson, Managing Director, Japan & Korea, and Head of Asia Pacific Data Centre Practice Group at Cushman & Wakefield. “It is a great time to be investing in this sector and we look to continue leveraging our experience, expertise and access to relationships and supply to drive opportunities within both the asset and platform space.” 

Figure 1: 2022 Asia Pacific and Global Data Centre Rankings 

Thailand has been thrust to the forefront in recent weeks as a data centre market, with several new projects announced and more operators reviewing entry. Bangkok could become a proving ground for IoT deployments with the considerable high-tech manufacturing locally that contributes to the global IT supply chain.

Despite the current moratorium on new builds, Singapore remains a strong location for data centre deployment, propelling them to the top of the regional rankings while tying for second with Silicon Valley on the overall global rankings. The result is also a testament to its strong ecosystems, excellent connectivity, consistent demand, and all major cloud services available and expanding where possible.

 

Ranked outside the overall top 10 markets last year, Hong Kong makes a big jump in 2022 to second in the region and comes in just behind the global top five markets. The market offers a robust development pipeline, excellent networks and all major cloud services are available. Considerable further growth is expected in Sydney (regional 3rd), Seoul (regional 4th) and Tokyo (regional 5th), as there is still some land and power available in key nodes despite their costs.

Secondary markets continue to develop rapidly, so much so that many will be skipping directly to primary market size in the next three to five years. This includes Jakarta, Osaka, Seoul, and several core markets across India, with new tertiary markets beginning to arrive on the scene. Hyperscalers are the driving force behind this, with both US- and China-based companies battling for market share regionally. As such, there is an overwhelming need for new hyperscale capacity across the board, with the largest occupants looking to grow throughout the entire region. 

Gareth Powell, Senior Director of Cushman & Wakefield Thailand.

“The horizon for the data centre industry across the Asia Pacific region is exceptionally bright, thanks to deep hyperscale demand and the billions of dollars in development in progress to support these key tenants,” said Gareth Powell, Senior Director of Cushman & Wakefield Thailand. “The 1.3 gigawatts under construction in the APAC markets reviewed is a small fraction of what is in planning regionally, with much action and growth coming over the next decade.”