Data Centre Construction Cost Index 2026-27

Overview

Turner & Townsend's Data Centre Construction Cost Index 2026-27 is the tenth annual edition of the series, published in October 2026. Drawing on more than 500 projects, it gives indicative construction cost per watt for 62 markets, 12 of them new, and includes a survey of 401 industry leaders.

At the top of the cost ranking are Tokyo (US$18.28/W), Osaka (17.15), Zurich (15.93), Singapore (15.39) and Silicon Valley (15.01). The lowest are Shanghai (5.79), Mumbai (6.83), Ho Chi Minh City (8.32), Bogota (9.13) and the UAE (9.20). The spread shows how many times more the same capacity can cost to build in different markets. The AI effect is a separate finding: US AI-ready facilities cost about 10% more, and advanced AI builds run at US$14-16/W against a country average of US$12.08/W. The report points to density and liquid cooling as the reasons for the difference.

Survey results reveal constraints: 81% of respondents report constrained skilled labour, with mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) trades the most sought after. 56% cite power as a major obstacle, and 52% say utility connections take 1-2 years while 32% say over 2 years. Limits: the values are indicative and vary with project specifics, and the full report was not seen. For designers and investors its value is in anchoring cost and schedule assumptions in pre-feasibility to a published benchmark.

Key points

1. 62 markets (12 new); more than 500 projects; 401 survey respondents.
2. Highest $/W: Tokyo 18.28, Osaka 17.15, Zurich 15.93, Singapore 15.39, Silicon Valley 15.01.
3. Lowest $/W: Shanghai 5.79, Mumbai 6.83, Ho Chi Minh City 8.32, Bogota 9.13, UAE 9.20.
4. US AI-ready facilities are about 10% costlier; advanced AI builds US$14-16/W against US$12.08/W country average.
5. 81% report constrained skilled labour; MEP trades are most sought after.
6. 56% cite power as a major obstacle; 52% say utility connections take 1-2 years and 32% over 2 years.

Using it in design

• In the cost module, provide a country and city $/W construction rate table and state the edition year.
• Add an AI and liquid-cooling premium factor (about 10% in the US).
• In the schedule module, default utility connection time to 1-2 years or more.
• Mark index values as indicative and verify with project-specific quotation data.

Who should read it

Investors, project managers and cost consultants preparing data centre feasibility studies.

Publication details

Authors

Paul Barry; Turner & Townsend

Publisher

Turner & Townsend

Year

2026

Document language

English

Source type

Expert / community

Access

Citation only

Licence

Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document

Citation