Data center construction costs average $10-$12 million per MW, and AI-optimized facilities can reach as high as $20+ million per MW. The data centre market is entering a new era, driven by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and surging global demand. Key highlights include: Power availability has overtaken location and land costs as the top factor for site selection. Before we unpack the line items and benchmarks, it's worth grounding the conversation in one question every operator asks first: what does it actually cost to build one? How Much Does It Cost to Build a. Infrastructure Scale: Larger, high-performance builds need more hardware and redundant systems, raising both upfront and ongoing costs. This post explains where budgets are moving, what developers need to underwrite earlier and where AI can improve cost visibility before a site. Costs are highly regional.
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