The short version
Key Findings
- Global data center supply is projected to rise from about 103 GW in 2025 to roughly 200 GW by 2030, a 14% CAGR adding nearly 100 GW, according to JLL. Source: JLL 2026
- Average global shell-and-core construction cost reached $11.3 million per MW in 2026, up 47% from $7.7 million per MW in 2020, per JLL. Source: JLL 2026
- Power availability is now the single biggest obstacle to on-time delivery, cited by 48% of respondents, per Turner & Townsend. Source: Turner & Townsend 2026
- U.S. average equipment lead times have stretched to 42 weeks, 83% above 2019 levels, while 57% of projects in 2025 saw delays of at least three months, per JLL. Source: JLL 2026
- U.S. data center investment totaled $63.35 billion in 2025, with private equity representing 72% of that capital, per S&P Global Market Intelligence. Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence 2026
- Liquid-cooled data centers cost roughly 7% to 10% more than comparable air-cooled facilities and shift spend from electrical toward mechanical systems, per Turner & Townsend. Source: Turner & Townsend 2026
- Total data center expenditures through 2030, including tenant IT, could approach $3 trillion, per JLL. Source: JLL 2026
- The binding constraint has shifted from time-to-build to time-to-energize, with utility connection waits reaching up to 10 years in some core markets, per JLL. Source: JLL 2026
Overview
Executive Summary
Data center construction has become one of the defining global infrastructure buildouts of the decade. 103 → 200 GW global supply is projected to nearly double by 2030, even as $11.3M/MW average build costs have climbed 47% since 2020. The binding constraint is no longer demand — it is power, permitting, and community acceptance. The old benchmark was time-to-build; the new benchmark is time-to-energize.
For contractors, the off-site public works this boom triggers — roads, water, substations, and grid upgrades — post across state and local procurement portals; explore our construction bidding resources and platform plans.
Market size & growth
A Market Doubling to 200 GW
Source: JLL 2026
The Americas remain the largest and fastest-growing region at a 17% CAGR, with more than 35 GW under construction at year-end 2025 and record-low vacancy across primary U.S. markets. Source: CBRE 2026
Capital, M&A & projects
Capital at Giga-Campus Scale
| Blackstone & CPP acquire AirTrunk | Dec 2024 | A$24B | Confirms premium value for hyperscale APAC platforms with deep campus pipelines. |
| Meta & Blue Owl Hyperion JV | Oct 2025 | ~$27B dev cost | Capital structured directly around gigawatt-scale campus delivery, not just stabilized assets. |
| Digital Realty buys Blackstone stakes, 3 Northern Virginia assets | Jun 29 2026 | $3.5B ($7.8B asset value) | Re-prices stabilized, AI-ready Northern Virginia capacity at very high values. |
| AirTrunk Japan green loan | Mar 2026 | US$1.24B | Green debt remains available for large campuses underwriting growth + sustainability together. |
| Hyperion, Richland Parish, Louisiana | U.S. | Meta / Blue Owl funds | ~$27B | Clearest AI-era giga-campus financing; JV owns development and operations. |
| New Florence | U.S. (Missouri) | $15B | New hyperscale cluster tied to local infrastructure-capacity and affordability commitments. | |
| St. Joseph County | U.S. (Indiana) | AWS | $11B | Includes up to $7M for road infrastructure — off-site civils now part of the package. |
| Pennsylvania campuses | U.S. | AWS | $20B | Part of the 2025 hyperscale wave moving to markets with attainable land and power. |
| Saint-Ghislain expansion | EU (Belgium) | €5B (2026–27) | Major European AI/cloud expansion paired with new wind agreements ("power + policy"). | |
| Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire | EU (UK) | $1B | Large UK greenfield/edge-of-London build in a supply-constrained market. | |
| Johor Bahru JHB3 & JHB4 | APAC (Malaysia) | AirTrunk | +280 MW (~US$6.8B Malaysia) | Johor is a global release valve for Singapore constraints. |
| Osaka expansion | APAC (Japan) | AirTrunk | ~530 MW (~US$8B) | Japanese campuses scaling into the global top tier for AI-ready deployments. |
| Australia expansion | APAC (Australia) | AWS | AU$20B (2025–29) | Largest publicly announced tech investment in Australia, paired with solar. |
Construction economics
What It Costs to Build in 2026
Source: JLL 2026
Source: JLL 2026
Air-cooled
Liquid-cooled
- Electrical
- Mechanical
- Core/shell & architectural
- GC prelims & fees
Source: Turner & Townsend 2026
Schedule & lead times
From Time-to-Build to Time-to-Energize
Source: JLL 2026
Analytical synthesis based on JLL's 18-month build benchmark, 24-month advance procurement, and 24-month recommended early community engagement — not a single-source standard.
Source: JLL 2026
“The old benchmark was time-to-build. The new benchmark is time-to-energize.”
Policy & incentives
Policy Is Now in the Pro Forma
| European Union | Mandatory annual energy/water reporting; rating scheme → labels in 2027. | Raises compliance burden; opens a path for best-in-class assets to win approvals and capital. |
| Ireland | New projects must provide matching generation/storage and source 80% of demand from additional Irish renewables (6-yr glide path). | Power strategy becomes part of entitlement strategy. |
| Singapore | ≥300 MW near-term additional capacity tied to efficiency/green energy; EE grant launched Dec 2024. | Capacity allocation favors highly efficient, policy-aligned projects. |
| Virginia | Sales-and-use tax exemption remains, but under active 2026 policy review. | Incentives still matter; fiscal and environmental scrutiny is rising. |
| Washington State | Formal workgroup reviewing economic, tax, energy, environmental, and tribal impacts. | Signals rising due-diligence burden and possible future policy change. |
Nationally
Locally
Source: JLL 2026
Sustainability & efficiency
PUE, Water, and the Liquid-Cooling Shift
Source: Uptime Institute 2025
JLL expects 80% liquid-cooling adoption for new facilities by 2030, reshaping structural, mechanical, and water strategy on every AI program. Source: JLL 2026
Constraints & outlook
Three Roads to 2030
Base case (~200 GW). Grid and energy innovations partially relieve constraints; demand stays strong; financing stays available.
Strong but selective boom — aggressive expansion in U.S. frontier markets, Johor, India, Nordics, Iberia, secondary metros.
Source: JLL 2026
The base case is the most credible planning case, but the realistic distribution is a barbell: the sector does not miss on average demand, it misses where specific markets cannot secure power, permits, and acceptance fast enough. When that happens, construction does not stop — it relocates.
Cite these
Key Statistics
The most-cited figures from this report, grouped for quick reference. Each links to its place in the report and copies with its source attached.
Market
- 103 → 200 GWGlobal data center supply rises from ~103 GW (2025) to ~200 GW (2030), a 14% CAGR. JLL 2026#
- 109 GWThe Americas reach 109 GW by 2030 at a 17% CAGR — the largest, fastest-growing major region. JLL 2026#
- 35+ GWMore than 35 GW was under construction in North America at year-end 2025, 64% in frontier markets. JLL 2026#
- 0.3%Northern Virginia data center vacancy fell to 0.3% by Q1 2026. CBRE 2026#
Cost
Schedule
Power
- 48%Power availability is the top obstacle to on-time delivery, cited by 48% of respondents. Turner & Townsend 2026#
- up to 9%Data centers could reach up to 9% of U.S. electricity generation by 2030. U.S. DOE (citing EPRI) 2024#
- ~950 TWhGlobal data center electricity demand is projected to roughly double to ~950 TWh by 2030. IEA 2025#
Capital
- $63.35BU.S. data center investment totaled $63.35 billion in 2025; private equity was 72%. S&P Global Market Intelligence 2026#
- ~$3TTotal data center expenditures through 2030 could approach $3 trillion. JLL 2026#
- $870BThe next five years could require around $870 billion of new debt financing. JLL 2026#
People also ask
Questions This Report Answers
How much does it cost to build a data center per MW in 2026?
The average global shell-and-core construction cost for a single-tenant, 50 MW, air-cooled facility is $11.3 million per MW in 2026, up from $7.7 million per MW in 2020, according to JLL. AI infrastructure fit-out alone can run as high as $25 million per MW.
How big is the data center construction market through 2030?
Global supply is projected to rise from about 103 GW in 2025 to roughly 200 GW by 2030 in JLL's base case, adding nearly 100 GW. Total data center expenditures through 2030, including tenant IT, could approach $3 trillion.
Why is power the #1 constraint on data center construction?
Operators face multi-year grid-connection waits — up to 10 years in some core markets — so "speed to power" now outranks cost and location in site selection. 48% of contractors cite power availability as the biggest obstacle to on-time delivery, per Turner & Townsend.
How long does it take to build a data center?
JLL's benchmark shell-and-core build time for a 50 MW project is 18 months, but total project duration is far longer once grid, permitting, and community processes are included — 57% of 2025 projects were delayed at least three months.
How much more does liquid cooling cost than air cooling?
Liquid-cooled data centers typically cost 7% to 10% more than comparable air-cooled facilities, and they re-weight the budget — mechanical rises to about 33% of cost while electrical falls to about 48%, per Turner & Townsend.
Where is most data center construction happening?
The Americas remain the largest and fastest-growing region, reaching 109 GW by 2030 at a 17% CAGR. More than 35 GW was under construction in North America at year-end 2025, with 64% in frontier markets rather than legacy hubs.
How much capital is flowing into data centers?
U.S. data center investment totaled $63.35 billion in 2025, with private equity representing 72%, per S&P Global Market Intelligence. The next five years could create ~$1.2 trillion in real estate asset value and require ~$870 billion of new debt.
What public construction bids does the data center boom create?
Every campus triggers off-site public works — roads, water and sewer, electrical substations, and grid upgrades. AWS's Indiana project alone earmarked up to $7 million for road infrastructure, and these civils are increasingly bid through public procurement portals.
What are the biggest risks to data center construction through 2030?
In order: power availability, equipment lead times (42 weeks in the U.S.), community acceptance and policy, and climate risk — First Street finds 79% of global capacity faces elevated acute climate hazards.
Methodology & sources
Methodology, Sources & Citation
This report is published by ConstructionBids.ai and authored by Haithum Abdelfattah, CEO. It synthesizes public data from JLL, CBRE, Turner & Townsend, the U.S. DOE, the IEA, S&P Global Market Intelligence, Uptime Institute, the European Commission, Ireland's CRU, Singapore's IMDA, Cushman & Wakefield, First Street, and company announcements. Figures are sourced inline; where the public record is not fully standardized, we flag analytical inferences.
Key terms
- Time-to-energize gap
- The widening difference between how long it takes to build a data center (the shell-and-core benchmark is 18 months) and how long it takes to actually power it, as grid-connection waits reach up to 10 years in some markets. Realizable supply is now gated by energization, not construction.
- Acceptance paradox
- The 58-point gap between the 93% of people who support data centers nationally and the 35% who support them locally — turning zoning and consultation into schedule risk, not just reputational risk.
- Barbell outcome
- The thesis that the sector does not miss on average demand but on dispersion: specific markets that cannot secure power, permits, and community acceptance fast enough lose projects, which relocate rather than disappear.
Sources
- JLL (2026)
- CBRE (2026)
- Turner & Townsend (2026)
- U.S. DOE (citing EPRI) (2024)
- IEA (2025)
- S&P Global Market Intelligence (2026)
- Reuters (2025)
- Uptime Institute (2025)
- European Commission (2026)
- CRU (Ireland) (2025)
- IMDA (Singapore) (2026)
- Cushman & Wakefield (2026)
- First Street (2026)
- Company announcements (2026)
Cite this report
Abdelfattah, H. (2026). The 2026 Data Center Construction Industry Report. ConstructionBids.ai. https://constructionbids.ai/data-center-construction-report-2026
<a href="https://constructionbids.ai/data-center-construction-report-2026">The 2026 Data Center Construction Industry Report</a> — ConstructionBids.ai