The rapid pace of digital transformation has made data centre infrastructure increasingly central to today’s digital economy. Data centres are no longer seen solely as technical facilities for storing and processing information (Merit, 2026), but have evolved into essential infrastructure that supports a wide range of digital services, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), e-commerce, digital financial services, and e-government systems. The International Energy Agency (IEA, 2025) also reported that growing digitalisation provides the foundation for AI, while the training and deployment of AI systems take place in data centres, particularly for large-scale models that require extensive computing capacity. As data-intensive technologies continue to expand, the role of data centres is becoming increasingly strategic, both as a foundation for digital services and as an investment segment within the broader digital economy.
This growing strategic importance is also evident in the scale of global investment in the sector. According to JLL’s Global Data Centre Outlook (2026), the data centre industry is currently experiencing an infrastructure investment supercycle, requiring up to USD 3 trillion by 2030. Approximately 100 GW of new capacity is expected to come online between 2026 and 2030, equivalent to around USD 1.2 trillion in real estate asset value creation. This also means that companies using data centres to operate their digital services and IT systems are projected to invest a further USD 1 trillion to USD 2 trillion to equip these facilities with IT infrastructure.
Furthermore, in line with findings from Emerging Trends in Real Estate Asia Pacific (2026) by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), data centres are increasingly recognised as one of the most promising sectors within the real estate market, ranking alongside industrial and residential segments in terms of investment prospects. This points to their expanding role not only as critical digital infrastructure but also as an increasingly attractive component of real estate portfolios. The same report also highlights the current distribution of data centre capacity across the Asia-Pacific region, based on combined live and pipeline capacity. China leads with over 8,000 MW, followed by India and Japan at around 3,500 MW each, Australia at approximately 3,200 MW, and Malaysia at around 2,700 MW. South Korea records about 1,700 MW, while Singapore and Hong Kong each range between 1,300 MW and 1,500 MW. In comparison, Indonesia remains at around 1,000 MW. This positioning indicates Indonesia's relatively early-stage development in the regional data centre market and highlights the potential for further expansion as demand for digital infrastructure continues to grow.
The growing appeal of data centres to investors reflects a broader shift in priorities toward technology and innovation, which also emphasizes their importance in investment decisions. As data centres become essential in supporting AI development and digital services, their role is becoming a key consideration in investment decision-making. This is evident in how technological and innovation capabilities are identified as the most important factor influencing investment intentions (Kearney, 2026). Markets that provide reliable digital infrastructure, supported by strong technological capabilities, are widely seen as more attractive for foreign investment.
Therefore, strengthening Jakarta’s digital ecosystem becomes increasingly important to support its competitiveness in the evolving digital economy. As outlined in the Regional Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPD) 2025–2045, the development of an adaptive and globally competitive digital ecosystem is a key priority for optimising the city’s economic productivity. A well-developed digital ecosystem is expected to create new opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and economic growth, while also enabling broader connectivity, cross-border collaboration, and faster knowledge transfer. In this context, the expansion of digital infrastructure, including data centres, plays an important role in enabling Jakarta to adapt to rapid technological change and strengthen its position as a global city. With 116 data centres in operation (Datacentremap, 2026), Jakarta has the largest number of data centres in Indonesia, marking it as the country's leading location for data centre development.
These developments point to the increasingly strategic role of data centres within the digital economy, both as critical infrastructure and as a growing investment segment. Data centres operate at the intersection of real estate, infrastructure, and private equity. The combination of rising global demand, strong investment momentum, and evolving technological needs continues to shape the expansion of data centre capacity across regions. Hence, Jakarta’s position as the largest location for data centre infrastructure in Indonesia, supported by ongoing efforts to strengthen its digital ecosystem, provides a solid foundation for further growth. This creates a conducive environment for continued development in the sector, where investors can explore opportunities that align with long-term digital infrastructure needs and the sustained growth of the digital economy.