Global Surge in AI Data Center Development and Investment

Key Intelligence

• ■AI data center capacity is rapidly expanding globally, with major projects and investments announced in the US, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Australia, and the EU.
• ■Strategic partnerships, such as HUMAIN (a US start-up) with Saudi Arabia, AMD, and Cisco, are accelerating AI infrastructure development, particularly in the Middle East, with AWS also planning a new cloud region in Saudi Arabia.
• ■Financial activity is robust, including Corvex securing $33 million for expansion and Bitdeer AI selling out its Malaysia data center capacity, though some analysts note banks are nearing lending limits for Asian data centers.
• ■The unprecedented demand for AI computing power is driving innovation in infrastructure, cooling technologies (e.g., SLB acquiring Kelvion for $3.4 billion), and new models for power delivery.
• ■Governments and industry groups are actively promoting and investing in data center growth, with an AI billionaire-backed group launching a pro-data center ad blitz and the EU ordering a 388 million AI supercomputer to address capacity shortages.