North America Data Center Trends H1 2025
CBRE · Gordon Dolven, Josh Ruttner et al.
CBRE's report of 8 September 2025 shows record primary-market supply, record-low vacancy and power availability as the top criterion for new sites. It puts numbers on why power timing drives site selection.
On this page
Overview
The report was prepared by the CBRE Research team (authors include Gordon Dolven, Josh Ruttner and Pat Lynch) and assesses the North American data center market for the first half of 2025. It was published on 8 September 2025.
According to the State of the Market section, primary-market supply reached 8,155 MW, up 43.4% year on year. Vacancy is at a record-low 1.6%. Capacity under construction is 5,242.5 MW, of which 74.3% is preleased. The figures show demand clearly outstripping supply, with most new capacity committed while still being built.
The power section notes that developers prioritise sites with power available in 18-36 months and capacity above 200 MW. Utilities are also increasingly asking developers to contribute to generation and transmission capital expenditure. Available power is therefore both a timing and a cost component of a site.
As a limit, the report focuses on North America and conveys market indicators; it contains no engineering design rules. It does supply inputs that shape site-selection criteria.
Key points
- Primary-market supply of 8,155 MW, up 43.4% year on year.
- Primary-market vacancy is a record-low 1.6%.
- 5,242.5 MW under construction; 74.3% preleased.
- Developers prioritise sites with power in 18-36 months and above 200 MW.
- Utilities increasingly ask developers to contribute to generation and transmission capex.
- Report dated 8 September 2025; authors include Gordon Dolven, Josh Ruttner and Pat Lynch.
Using it in design
- Add 'power available within N months' and MW-available fields to site screening.
- Flag the utility generation/transmission capex contribution as a separate cost line.
- Treat power delivery timing as a primary criterion in the project schedule and site comparison.
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Who should read it
Developers and design consultants making site-selection and investment decisions, and energy planners.
Publication details
- Authors
- Gordon Dolven; Josh Ruttner; Pat Lynch; CBRE Research
- Publisher
- CBRE
- Year
- 2025
- Document language
- English
- Source type
- Expert / community
- Access
- Free to read
- Licence
- Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document
Original licence note
Public CBRE research page; cited only.
Citation
Gordon Dolven; Josh Ruttner; Pat Lynch; CBRE Research (2025). North America Data Center Trends H1 2025. CBRE. https://www.cbre.com/insights/reports/north-america-data-center-trends-h1-2025
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