The Asia Pacific data centre market is undergoing rapid expansion as AI, cloud computing and digital transformation drive one of the largest infrastructure investment cycles on record. Led by US hyperscalers, capital expenditure by the world’s largest technology companies is forecast by CBRE to exceed US$700 billion in 2026 and approach US$850 billion in 2027, while Chinese technology companies such as Alibaba, Tencent and ByteDance are also increasing investment across the region.
Most attention is focused on the infrastructure build-out — securing power, developing capacity, navigating permitting and regulation — and identifying durable AI monetisation pathways. Exit strategy is conventionally identified at investment outset. In data centres, however, successful exits depend on how assets are developed, contracted and positioned throughout the ownership period. The challenge is the mismatched time horizons between an asset’s business plan and investors’ preferred
