Portugal ranks tenth among the world’s fastest-growing data centre markets since 2024, with installed capacity, measured in live IT power, increasing by 23%, according to Savills’ global trends platform Impacts.
The analysis, based on data from DC Byte, places Portugal alongside four other EMEA markets in the global top 10. Finland and Saudi Arabia rank third and fourth respectively, both with 57% growth since 2024, while Denmark ranks sixth with 38% and France ninth with 28%.
Despite their recent growth rates, Savills noted that these markets still have relatively limited installed capacity in absolute terms compared with the world’s largest data centre hubs.
The United States remains the world’s dominant data centre market, with around 50 GW of installed capacity and 19% growth since 2024, followed by China. Japan, the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands also remain major established markets, with significant capacity but more moderate recent growth.
According to Savills, increasing constraints around access to power are contributing to the slower expansion of some mature data centre markets. Nevertheless, their connectivity and established customer bases mean they are expected to remain critical locations for the global industry.
The development of new facilities in these markets is becoming increasingly challenging due to constraints including construction costs, land availability and grid capacity.
The Nordic region, meanwhile, is emerging as a particularly attractive destination for large-scale data centre development linked to artificial intelligence. Finland, Denmark and Norway offer access to relatively low-cost clean energy, cooler temperatures that can support data centre operations and fewer physical constraints, according to Savills.
“Within the AI-driven data centre growth story, the Nordic countries, particularly Finland, Denmark and Norway, are emerging as one of the most compelling deployment propositions globally: low-cost clean energy, cooler temperatures for operations and fewer physical constraints”, said Rupert Duckworth, Associate Director, EMEA Data Centre Advisory at Savills.
“The region has established itself as a large-scale AI-focused development hub, with several significant campuses currently under development”, he added.
Portugal has also gained visibility among major international data centre investors and operators, according to Tiago Cortez, Associate Director, Industrial, Logistics & Data Centres at Savills Portugal.
“Portugal has gained significant visibility among major global data centre investors and operators. With the major projects already underway and further projects in the pipeline, Portugal is set to become one of the world’s major destinations for large-scale data centres”, he said.
