Mumbai's In-Progress Data Centre Capacity Ranks 6th Globally, Surpassing London and Dublin: Report Asia Pacific cities continue to demonstrate strong growth momentum with ten of the world's 30 largest data centre markets now being located in the Asia Pacific region.

The global data centre markets are seeing surging demand due to relentless growth and expansion of cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads, according to the latest report 'Global Data Centre Market Comparison 2025' by Cushman & Wakefield.

The report, covering 97 global markets, highlights power access, land availability, and infrastructure as key factors shaping data centre development. The report reveals that Mumbai ranks sixth globally in under-construction capacity, surpassing global hubs like London, Dublin, demonstrating the city's rapidly growing status as a data centre hub.

The data centre industry experienced significant growth in 2024. Asia Pacific cities continue to demonstrate strong growth momentum; ten of the world's 30 largest data centre markets are now in the Asia Pacific region. The report highlights that Asia Pacific ended 2024 with 1.6 GW of new capacity coming online, bringing the region's total operational data centre capacity to 12.2 GW.

The development pipeline remains strong, with an additional 14.4 GW of capacity currently under construction or planned. Key drivers such as 5G rollouts, increased cloud adoption, rising digital content consumption, and expanding IoT use cases continue to accelerate demand in the region's data centre sector. These trends have attracted sustained investor interest, supported by rising occupancy levels, stable rental yields, and long-term growth prospects from hyperscale and colocation expansions. With these fundamentals, Asia Pacific is poised for continued growth over the next three to five years.

Amid this regional momentum, Mumbai is emerging as a significant contributor to capacity expansion in the APAC region. The report further states that Mumbai ranks as the 7th most established data centre market in the APAC region. At the end of 2024 the city had 335 MW of data centre capacity under construction, which, once completed, will expand its operational capacity by 62 per cent.

At the same time, Mumbai accounts for 42 per cent of India's projected under construction capacity—underscoring its growing prominence as a regional data centre hub. The data centre growth is further supported by digital infrastructure upgrades in the city. According to the Cushman & Wakefield India Outlook Report, 2025 may witness the completion of three crucial undersea data cable projects landing in Mumbai. These are expected to significantly increase India's internet capacity and speed, enhancing inter-regional digital connectivity with Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The completion of these projects will further elevate Mumbai's position as a major connectivity hub in the Southeast Asian region.

Gautam Saraf, Executive Managing Director – Mumbai & New Business, India, Cushman & Wakefield added "India's data centre landscape is undergoing a strategic shift—Mumbai has firmly positioned itself among the top global markets, while Pune is emerging as a key data centre hub in the APAC region. India's data centre sector has attracted prominent international operators and investors, even as domestic players continue to expand capacity. This dual momentum—global confidence and local commitment—underscores the country's readiness to scale sustainably. The next few years will see India add over 2.7 GW of capacity across under-construction and planned projects, reinforcing its position as a future-ready digital infrastructure powerhouse".

Ranked fourth among APAC's top emerging data centre markets, Pune is rapidly becoming a preferred destination for hyperscalers and enterprise-grade colocation facilities. As of Q1 2025, Pune's operational data centre stock stands at 112 IT MW. With an additional 190 IT MW of capacity currently in the under-construction or planned stages, across key corridors such as Hinjewadi and Pimpri-Chinchwad, the city is well-positioned for accelerated growth.

Major players, including STT GDC, Nxtra by Airtel, and IronMountain are anchoring their presence in the region—attracted by Pune's favorable climate, skilled talent pool, dependable power infrastructure, and strategic connectivity to Mumbai's cable landing stations.