I N F O G R A P H I C

A recent whitepaper from Khazna Data Centers and WhiteShield highlights the driving impact of data centres on the global economy . Navigating the Economic Landscape of Data Centers provides an in-depth analysis of the current state of the data centre landscape based on expert insights and industry statistics .

However , conventional data centres are designed with 5 – 10kW per rack as an average density , and AI now requires 60 + kW per rack . AI applications also generate far more data than other types of workloads and thus require significant amounts of data centre capacity .

About 20 % of global data centre capacity is already being used for AI . The impact of technology and data infrastructure extends beyond mere applications and day-to-day online interactions – it also profoundly influences economic development . In the current economic landscape , technology catalyses international trade and business .

Although the absolute output of international trade is rising , the trade intensity , measured as the percentage of Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ), is decreasing . Notably , international flows of services are assuming a more significant role in global value chains , emerging as a new driver of globalisation alongside digital shifts . The ease facilitated by technological advancements and the digitisation in trading services across borders has allowed service providers to access new markets and customers . Looking ahead , forthcoming technological disruptions such as AI and the Internet-of-Things ( IoT ) are poised to further fuel the growth of trade in services .

The global Generative AI market alone , with a market size of US $ 67 billion , is projected to grow to US $ 1.3 trillion over the next 10 years . This surge in the non-human economy is expected to have an unprecedented impact on services trade , as devices are poised to substitute traditional human activities . Only in the APAC region , the machineto-machine ( M2M ) economy is expected to grow 29 % annually , driven by global tech giants like Cisco , IBM , Google , Intel and Huawei .

At the heart of this Digital Transformation , robust data centres play a pivotal role . They serve as the backbone of the digital economy , facilitating the seamless flow of data and services across borders . Data centres and data hubs , with their advanced infrastructure and capabilities , are uniquely positioned to meet this demand .

Just to understand the growth prospects , the global data centre market size , measured in total revenue worth US $ 324 billion , is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8 %, reaching US $ 436 billion by 2028 . When examining specific segments , the global colocation data centre market is forecasted to experience even higher growth , with a 5-year CAGR of 11.3 % from 2021 to 2026 .

Furthermore , the hyperscale market is anticipated to grow at an even faster rate of approximately 20 %.

According to data from Synergy Research Group ( SRG ), more than 900 hyperscale data centres are in operation today , and an additional few hundred are under construction .

Oracle alone , in its Q2 2024 earnings call , stated that the company is in the process of expanding 66 of its existing cloud data centres and building 100 new cloud data centres .

With this level of global expansion , it is expected that an increasing number of labours will be required for the planning , construction and operation of this data centre infrastructure . This growing demand is likely to worsen the existing shortages in staffing .

Data centre staff requirements are forecast to grow globally from about 2 million full-time employees in 2019 to nearly 2.3 million by 2025 , suggesting a huge potential for future growth . �

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