2025 Global Data Center Market Comparison

CONTENTS >>

CONTENTS >> CONTENTS >>

GLOBAL DATA CENTER MARKET COMPARISON

Introduction to the Rankings

Methodology

As the data center industry evolved throughout 2024, so too did Cushman & Wakefield’s market ranking methodology. The 2025 Global Data Center Market Comparison ranking system has been refined to reflect the variables most relevant to the industry today. While all variables from last year’s report remain, the following updates have been made: • The development pipeline is now segmented into “under construction” and “planned.” • A prelease rate has been calculated for each development pipeline segment and included for all markets. • A general operator presence metric has been added, reflecting the number of different operators in a market. • Variables have been grouped into four categories to better illustrate their inter relationships. As the industry continues to evolve — fueled by increased AI adoption, growing demand for cloud computing and the exponential growth of data generation and storage — the 20 variables featured in this sixth edition shed light on why data center development and leasing activity are concentrated in certain regions. These variables also provide valuable context for the strategic decisions made by some of the industry’s leading players. To reflect market sentiment, each variable has been carefully weighted based on its significance, leveraging Cushman & Wakefield’s deep global expertise in supporting data center industry partners throughout 2024.

HIGH-WEIGHT

MID-WEIGHT

LOW-WEIGHT

Power Availability

Capacity Under Construction & Prelease Rate

Environmental Risk

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Land Availability

Taxes

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Market Size

Water Availability

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Planned Capacity & Prelease Rate

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Political Stability

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Land Price

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Fiber Connectivity

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Vacancy & Absorption

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Regulations & Incentives

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Power Cost

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Cloud Availability & General Operator Presence

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Renewable Power Options

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CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD | DATA CENTER ADVISORY GROUP

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