Asia Pacific Data Construction Cost Guide 2025

OPERATIONAL CAPACITY PER POPULATION

In the following pages, we take a closer look at three of the key themes impacting data centre construction:

Markets with >100,000 People / MW

Tom Gibson Head of Project & Development Services, Sustainability & ESG, and Data Centre Group, Asia Pacific

1,000,000 1,200,000 1,400,000 1,600,000 1,800,000 2,000,000

 The sector’s relentless growth continues to attract investment at scale, funding ongoing development despite increasing land and construction costs.  While mature markets remain the primary investment destinations, emerging markets are attracting increasing interest—especially those where streamlined ownership structures and incentives are available.  Investment is driving rapid evolution: research into cooling and construction techniques that will deliver cost savings, compress delivery timelines and drive operational efficiencies continues at pace.  The pool of skilled labour available for both the construction and operation of data centres remains relatively shallow across most markets, and particularly so in emerging markets where adjacent talent pools— those capable of building other large-scale industrial and/or uptime-sensitive structures—may also be small.

The ongoing maturation of the data centre sector continues to bring both opportunities and challenges to local markets and the region as a whole. In compiling the data for this report, the following themes stood out.  Power availability continues to top the list of challenges in almost all locations, with some mature markets now facing wait times of around seven years.  Alongside this challenge, demand for renewable power continues to grow, driven by interconnected pressures including cost, power grid decarbonization, regulation and reputation.  Rather than slowing development, power constraints are driving innovative solutions and brownfield redevelopments; nuclear alternatives are increasingly being considered where regulation permits.  Along with their demand for power, data centres’ water and land use has seen resistance from community groups and governments, with early signs that increased regulation could be forthcoming in some markets.  Greener data centres are coming. More sustainable materials that reduce the embodied carbon of concrete and steel are being trialled and renewable power remains the gold standard.

- 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000

Power Availability & Cost

India

China

Vietnam

Malaysia

Thailand

Indonesia

Philippines

Markets with < 100,000 People / MW

- 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 90,000 100,000

The Impact of AI

Underpinning all of these key themes is the population-to-capacity differential between Asia Pacific and other key markets. This remains the greatest driver of data centre development across Asia Pacific.

Investment Trends

Japan

Taiwan

Australia

Singapore

CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD | ASIA PACIFIC - DATA CENTRE CONSTRUCTION COST GUIDE 2025

4

South Korea

New Zealand

United States

Hong Kong SAR

United Kingdom