What the region's good for#
Singapore rations data center capacity, and Johor takes the overflow. After a pause from 2019 to 2022, Singapore releases new capacity in rounds tied to efficiency and green power. The latest offered at least 200 MW (December 2025).
Across the region, grid power is the constraint. Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney and Johor all have longer lines for new power than most buyers expect.
The markets (24)#
- Singapore. The region's main network hub, with SGIX and other big exchanges. It has the lowest vacancy in Asia-Pacific, and new capacity only comes in government-set rounds.
- Johor. Just across the border, it drew 50+ data centers in two years (July 2024). Water and power are now the limits: Johor rejected nearly 30% of applications over five months in 2024.
- Tokyo. The region's largest and priciest market. Asking rents averaged about $280 per kW a month in early 2026, and new power connections can take years.
- Osaka. Japan's second market and its usual backup site. Power comes faster than in Tokyo, but lead times are growing. Roughly 90% of Japan's data centers sit in these two metros.
- Seoul. A major hub the government is steering new builds away from. Korea now lets utilities refuse big data center loads that strain the Seoul grid (2025).
- Hong Kong. The offshore gateway to mainland China, with 10 subsea cable landing stations and HKIX. Typhoons are routine: about six a year affect the city (Hong Kong Observatory).
- Mumbai. India's biggest market, with 53% of about 1,530 MW nationally (September 2025), and its main cable landing point. Monsoon flooding is a yearly risk: July 2026 brought four straight red-alert days.
- Chennai. India's second hub, with its own subsea cable landings.
- Sydney. Australia's main hub and cable landing point. Grid connections are the bottleneck: AEMO expects data center power use to grow about sevenfold over the next decade.
- Melbourne. Gaining share as Sydney tightens, on better land and power.
- Jakarta. Indonesia's main hub, growing fast on new cloud regions. Flooding and sinking ground in the north of the city are real siting questions.
- Kuala Lumpur. A smaller market driven by Malaysia's own demand, separate from Johor's overflow story. Malaysia overhauled its business power tariffs in July 2025.
Also covered here:
- Bengaluru
- Delhi NCR
- Hyderabad
- Kolkata
- Perth
- Brisbane
- Adelaide
- Canberra
- Shanghai
- Beijing
- Shenzhen
- Tianjin
Don't see your city? Tell us where you need to be, and we'll show you what's within reach.
What to watch#
- Power lines are long almost everywhere. Ask every provider how and when their power is secured.
- Price the hazards in. Earthquakes in Japan, typhoons in Hong Kong, monsoon floods in Mumbai, floods in Jakarta. Ask for the building's own plan.
- Singapore's rounds favor very large projects. Expect smaller deployments to compete for what's already built.
- Mainland China is its own market. Foreign companies have typically worked through licensed local partners, which is one reason many start in Hong Kong.
Common questions#
Why is data center space hard to get in Singapore?#
Is Johor an alternative to Singapore?#
Why you ask every provider at once#
Power, capacity and incentives in this region are shifting month to month. What a provider told you last quarter may not hold today.
That's why one conversation at a time is a slow, risky way to buy. Scope your project once in Clectiv AI and it goes to work for you, getting bids from every provider that fits, with current pricing and availability straight from them. You get real answers in days, not months.