FILE PHOTO: A view of Europe's largest data centre of TikTok, a social media firm owned by China-headquartered Bytedance, in Hamar, Norway, November 30, 2023. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/File photo
LONDON (Reuters) - Europe could see a record level of new data centres this year, according to research released on Thursday by CBRE Group, as companies expand their artificial intelligence and cloud computing activities.
Demand for data centre capacity has skyrocketed in recent years, along with the energy needed to power them, as companies tap into new technologies to run their businesses.
The European market could see data centres that account for 937 megawatts worth of power demand come online in 2025, which would mark a new record for the region, CBRE, the commercial real estate services and investment firm, said.
That would equal a jump of 282MW, or 43%, from the 655MW of capacity delivered in 2024, the company said.
"The data centre construction boom will continue unabated. Available power and appropriate land, government incentives, and hyperscaler ambitions are key factors that are driving the rapid growth of markets such as Milan, as well as the continued expansion of leading markets like London and Frankfurt," said Kevin Restivo, head of European data centre research at CBRE.
Over half of the expected new capacity - 57% - is expected to be delivered in the leading European data centre markets, namely Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin, according to CBRE.
Customer appetite for capacity has grown rapidly, despite difficulties for providers in sourcing power and land for new facilities, CBRE said.
CBRE said it expected double-digit supply growth in five of the 10 secondary European markets they track in 2025. Seven of those, including Milan and Madrid, are expected to have 100MW of supply or more by year-end, up from just four markets at the end of 2022.
(This story has been refiled to change the day to Thursday, not Wednesday, in paragraph 1)
(Reporting by Lucy Raitano; Editing by Amanda Cooper and Aidan Lewis)
