A new report found that investment in the worldwide data centre market rose to US$61 billion (A$92.4 billion) this year, setting a new record amid the artificial intelligence boom.
The S&P data, which was first reported by CNBC News, found that the data centre market grew from US$60.8 billion last year in what it called a “global construction frenzy”.
There are currently around 500 data centres in the U.K. and 4,000 in the U.S., according to Data Centre Map, which tracks the facilities globally.
S&P analyst Iuri Struta said he doesn’t see demand for data centre builds slowing anytime soon.
“The global data centre footprint is projected to expand at a faster rate over the next five years than it did in the previous five, spurred by demand for energy- and computer-intensive AI workloads,” said Struta.
“Unable to buy, many investors are turning to new builds.”
This surge comes as investors have become increasingly wary of inflated artificial intelligence valuations and the financing underpinning the rapid expansion of data centres.
Global stocks sold off in November as worries of an AI-fueled bubble persisted.
Last week, Oracle's shares dropped 11% amid disappointing earnings and profit margins. The company also saw data centre partner Blue Owl Capital withdraw from a deal US$10 billion last week.
Oracle denies the partnership falling apart, but Broadcom, Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices retreated after it was reported.
Earlier this year, the International Energy Agency noted that electricity demand for data centres will more than double by 2030, reaching 945 terawatt hours (TWh) or just more than “Japan’s total electricity consumption today”.
Debt issuance has nearly doubled to US$182 million in 1015 from US$92 billion last year, with Meta and Google among the most active issuers.
Meta has raised US$62 billion in debt since 2022, with almost half of that issued in 2025.
