AI boom fuels US$11.6b data centre investment in Asia-Pacific as Hong Kong eyes niche role
The Asia-Pacific data center sector is experiencing significant investment, with a record US$11.6 billion expected in 2025, partly driven by the AI boom, according to CBRE. While Hong Kong faces technical limitations in meeting AI-specific demand, its data center leasing is supported by hyperscale cloud providers, mainland Chinese tech and e-commerce firms, and financial institutions.

Briefing Summary
AI-generatedThe Asia-Pacific data center sector is experiencing significant investment, with a record US$11.6 billion expected in 2025, partly driven by the AI boom, according to CBRE. While Hong Kong faces technical limitations in meeting AI-specific demand, its data center leasing is supported by hyperscale cloud providers, mainland Chinese tech and e-commerce firms, and financial institutions. Across the region, Malaysia, Australia, and India are leading in increased live data center capacity. Johor, Malaysia, saw a 53% annual increase in live capacity, and Melbourne, Australia, added 37%.
Article analysis
Model · rule-basedKey claims
5 extractedThe Australian city of Melbourne has added 37 per cent to its live capacity.
Johor in southern Malaysia has boosted its live capacity by 53 per cent on an annual basis.
Markets such as Malaysia, Australia and India were leading the growth in live capacity across the region.
In Hong Kong, AI-related demand is unlikely to be met because of technical limitations.
The artificial intelligence boom is partially spurring investment in Asia-Pacific’s data centre properties with a record US$11.6 billion worth of capital poured into the segment in 2025.