Description
The global data centre colocation and interconnection market has seen a major shift in the last 12 months, as AI moved from one segment of demand to the main determinant of how capacity is bought and built. Liquid-capable capacity more than doubled in 2026 to 12.1GW, capacity above 150kW/rack entered the installed base for the first time, and the powered-land band added more capacity in the year than it held in total as recently as 2022. Structure Research forecasts the global data centre colocation and interconnection market to grow from 63.8GW and US$151.9b in 2026E to 213.1GW and US$458.7b in 2031E, a capacity and revenue CAGR of 27.3% and 24.7% respectively from 2026 to 2031. Colocation revenue alone is US$147.4b in 2026E and US$452.1b in 2031E; interconnection is reported as a separate series and is not split across the segmentation axes.
The 2026 version of this report includes an updated data centre infrastructure taxonomy and segmentation framework. The refined taxonomy defines a clean split between enterprise colocation and hyperscale colocation, with core hyperscale being split into three distinct categories: AI inference, dedicated hyperscale and AI factories. Data centre capacity is then analysed within a new segmentation framework that breaks down how infrastructure is consumed into three questions, and a fourth view built on top of them: 1) who is the buyer; 2) how much is taken down; 3) how much power is there per rack; and, derived from those, 4) what runs in the racks/data hall?
The fourth view is noteworthy, and we have identified the kinds of customers and workloads that run on data centre infrastructure. This new workload segmentation breaks out six segments, representing a continuation of last year’s five splits — AI training, AI inference, public cloud, enterprise retail and enterprise retail+ — that more accurately captures the present state of the market.
This report includes global data centre colocation inventory on a MW basis and market share data for interconnection. The market share analysis is supported by detailed regional breakdowns for four major regions: APAC, North America, EMEA and Latin America. We also include inventory estimates (on a MW basis) for major markets in all four regions along with a maturity index that maps out current and emerging markets. Finally, we provide a summary of regional market dynamics and analysis of colocation consumption and landscape trends. Regional variations within these trends are also discussed.
Structure Research’s Global Colocation Market Share Report remains the most comprehensive dataset on the global data centre colocation market and an indispensable resource for any service provider, investor or end user looking to understand and project the future of the market or find a service provider. This latest refresh reflects our more granular view of the landscape, which produces deeper insights into markets in the top tier and better visibility into all corners of this global market, while accounting for the significant changes created by the rise of AI demand, shifting go-to-market models, and the rapidly increasing constraints around land and power availability. This report also has two sister reports: The Hyperscale Self-Build Report (the 2026 version expected to be published in Q3 2026);
