The demand for new data centers continues to surge, with companies around the world pushing forward with various development projects to meet the growing need for digital infrastructure. In North America, major players like Microsoft, DC Blox, Amazon, and Meta are making significant strides in expanding their data center footprints.
Microsoft is aiming to establish its sixth data center in Des Moines, Iowa, on a sprawling 132-acre plot of land, further solidifying its presence in the region. In northern Virginia, the approval of the Digital Gateway Project will pave the way for the development of up to 37 data centers across 2,000 acres, marking one of the largest data center projects in the world.
DC Blox is set to construct a hyperscale-ready data center campus on 72 acres of land in Conyers, Georgia, equipped to accommodate 750,000 square feet of space with 216 MW of total power. Meanwhile, Amazon is moving forward with plans to develop a data center in Round Rock, Texas, and Meta has selected DPR Construction to build its $1 billion data center in Mesa, Arizona.
Crossing the border into Canada, Cologix is expanding its presence by acquiring two Cyxtera facilities in Vancouver and Montréal, as well as expanding its existing data centers in Montréal and Toronto. However, in a setback for the semiconductor industry, Samsung Electronics Company has delayed the mass production plans for its chip plant in Taylor, Texas, until 2025.
In Latin America, Scala Data Centers has launched a new facility in Porto Alegre, Brazil, dedicated to hyperscale customers and powered by 100% renewable energy. Oracle has also expanded its cloud regions in Colombia and Chile to strengthen its technological commitment in the region.
In Europe, Blackstone has entered into a new venture with Digital Realty Trust to develop four data center campuses in Frankfurt, Paris, and Virginia, with an estimated cost of $7 billion. Green Mountain has completed the first of three data center buildings for TikTok in Norway, set to operate on renewable energy and support the company’s expanding data storage needs in Europe.
Moving to Asia-Pacific, Vantage Data Centers is entering the Taiwanese data center market with the construction of a 16 MW facility in Taipei. In Pakistan, the Higher Education Commission has opened a cutting-edge data center at NED University, while NTT Global Data Centers Japan and TEPCO Power Grid have formed a joint venture to develop data centers in Greater Tokyo.
In Malaysia, YTL Power International’s partnership with Nvidia Corporation to build a $4.3 billion artificial intelligence data center has propelled the company’s stock to a record high. In the Middle East and Africa, Airtel Africa has launched Nxtra by Airtel to establish a network of data centers across the continent, while Orange Botswana inaugurates the country’s first Tier 3 data center.
Lastly, the UAE’s Ministry of Investment has signed a memorandum of understanding with Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to support collaboration and investment in Egypt’s data center projects, with a potential combined operational capacity of 1,000 MW. With data center developments continuing at a rapid pace globally, the need for robust digital infrastructure remains a top priority for businesses across various industries.
Some new data center developments in January 2024 include projects in Alabama, Florida, Virginia, Texas, and Tennessee. These data centers are part of the growing trend of data center construction and expansion in various states across the country. Stay updated on the latest news and developments in the data center industry by visiting DataCenterKnowledge.com.