BUSINESS

Asia-Pacific Data Centers Are Going to Need a Lot More Power, Moody’s Predicts

Published: Aug. 13, 2025 6:22 p.m. GMT+8

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Power demand for data centers in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is projected to grow 15% to 20% annually through 2030, according to Moody’s Ratings, with the region’s capacity expected to more than double, due primarily to growth in China.

Moody’s projected that the region’s total installed data center capacity will jump to 92 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, up from 36 GW in 2024, according to a July 31 report by the ratings agency, which cited estimates from the International Energy Agency. China alone will account for roughly three-quarters of that growth, with its capacity soaring to 67 GW from 24 GW last year.

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APAC data center capacity is projected to more than double to 92 GW by 2030, with China contributing about 75% of the growth.
Data centers in the region, mainly powered by fossil fuels, will require $90–110 billion in utility investments to meet demand.
China’s data center electricity use surged 31% year-on-year in 2024, and grid investments are crucial for supporting rising power needs.

AI generated, for reference only

Who’s Who

Moody's Ratings: Moody's Ratings projects a 15-20% annual growth in power demand for data centers in the Asia-Pacific region through 2030, with capacity more than doubling. This growth, driven primarily by China, is fueled by the rapid development of AI. Moody's estimates $90-$110 billion will be needed for utilities to meet power demands.

S&P Global Commodity Insights: S&P Global Commodity Insights is where Han Bing, a senior research analyst, works. Han Bing previously informed Caixin that data centers in China consumed approximately 140 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2024, a 31% year-on-year surge.

IDC: Refers to the International Data Corporation (IDC), an IT services provider. IDC projects that China's intelligent computing scale will grow by 33.9% annually from 2022 to 2027. This growth highlights the increasing demand for data centers driven by artificial intelligence development.

AI generated, for reference only

What Happened When

2022：: China's intelligent computing scale projected to grow at 33.9% annually from 2022 to 2027, according to IDC.

2024：: Total installed data center capacity in the APAC region is 36 GW, with China at 24 GW.

2024：: Data centers in China consumed approximately 140 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, a 31% year-on-year increase.

As of 2025：: China's existing development pipelines, including planned power projects and those already under construction, are deemed sufficient to meet rising demand.