WIRED FOR GROWTH

As data centre investments in the regions surge, the industry must grapple with new benchmarks in power, cooling, and Al readiness to build tomorrow's infrastructure

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Data centres are no longer quiet back-end facilities tucked away in industrial zones.

They are becoming the digital backbone of national strategies, smart city ambitions, and economic diversification goals. From cloud storage and AI processing to fintech and e-government, data centres underpin the seamless, secure, always-on digital environment that businesses and governments now expect.

The data centre market, valued at USD 8.63 billion in 2024, is on track to reach USD 19.89 billion by 2030, growing at a remarkable CAGR of nearly 15%. While it reflects a funding surge, it’s also a structural shift with deep implications.

Power-hungry by design

The global rise of AI and high-performance computing (HPC) has led to unprecedented rack densities-going from 40 kW to over 130 kW, and projected to reach 250 kW in coming years. New-generation chips like NVIDIA’S H100 and GB200 are pushing the limits of what traditional power systems can handle.

For MEP engineers, this means designing robust and redundant power solutions that go well beyond historical standards. Diesel generators with N+2 configurations, lithium-ion UPS systems, and backup capacities of 30 to 40 hours at full load are now table stakes, not value-adds.

Additionally, new sustainability mandates are nudging the industry towards alternative fuels like hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), reshaping the generator landscape.