Description
The global data centre colocation and interconnection (DCI) market continues to grow at a steady and consistent pace and is estimated to be worth USD $61.2b in 2021, a figure that represents 11.7% y/y growth. Looking ahead to 2022, the market is expected to show some modest acceleration, with the market projected to grow at 11.9% y/y to $68.6b. Global expansion, hyperscale consumption and interconnection uptake are key growth drivers. The five-year CAGR for the 2021-26 period is expected to come in at 11.3% and near the same level of the previous year. In 2026, this market is on track to be worth over $100b for the first time.
The data centre colocation market continues to separate into more focused segments. The primary spilt is between retail colocation (broadly speaking) and hyperscale colocation, which in 2021, was split about 62-38 in favour of retail. By 2026, the wider market should be split roughly evenly (on a revenue basis) between retail and hyperscale colocation. The split is a product of increasingly divergent growth rates. The five-year CAGR for retail colocation is 6.5% and the five-year CAGR for hyperscale colocation is 17.7%. Interconnection continues to be a driver of margin and value-add and is also increasingly a critical differentiator for operators. This emerging market (included within the overall DCI numbers) was worth $2.8b in 2021, which represented 10.2% y/y growth. The five-year CAGR is projected to come in at 10.2% and in 2026, if current trends hold, this market will be worth $4.6b on a global basis.
This report also includes global data centre colocation inventory on a MW basis. According to Structure Research estimates, the global data centre market built out 18.95 Gigawatts of total capacity in 2021. Within this report, the figure is broken down between 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 trends and analysis of colocation consumption trends, which have started to evolve into Build-to-Suit and even Self-Build models. Regional variations in these trends are also discussed.
The data centre colocation market continues to be a model of consistency even as the market shows more divergence between its growing number of sub-segments. The pandemic has presented challenges to be sure, but they have been largely overcome by a number of favourable tailwinds. As the world moves into a post-pandemic world, there is accumulating evidence that trends around digital transformation will start to accelerate and this bodes well for all colocation categories in general.
This 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.
