Emerging Technology Hubs

Something’s happening in Navi Mumbai! It's a data centre vs residential tug-of-war. Every land transaction is setting newer pricing benchmarks ✨ Land prices here are no longer moving annually. They’re moving monthly. With residential now permitted, land has suddenly acquired a new identity. 🏗️➡️🏠 This is where the psychology of money gets interesting. When land gets a second life, every previous use has to be re-evaluated for its relevance. For many years, Thane-Belapur belt in Navi Mumbai had quietly become India’s data center nerve centre. Availability zones were planned, capital infused, power procured, fiber laid ⚡🧵 Over the last year, there is a change in thought pattern with developers and land owners. Data centres are no longer just competing with each other. They’re competing with homes. Same land. Very different economics. Very different emotions. Residential brings: ✨ faster liquidation 🧠 ✨ scale and FSI utilization 🏘️ ✨ social infrastructure Data centres bring: ⚡long-term economic infrastructure 🧱 ⚡low employment optics ⚡heavy utility consumption Globally, we’ve seen this story before 🎥 In Northern Virginia’s Data Center Alley, as residential crept closer, prices exploded and approvals slowed. But the availability zone didn’t shut down. In Arizona, large hyperscale projects were redirected after community and cost pressures. Moving closer to industrial and airport-linked corridors instead. Just silent strategy repositioning. What happens to existing zones? They are made to sweat harder. The sunk capex, network effects, power density and latency advantages are too valuable to walk away from. So operators and hyperscalers adapt. What usually happens next isn’t dramatic. It’s incremental. So, here’s my view- ✔️ Data centres will continue to compete with residential for the right land parcels for the next two years. As long as land remains available and prices are still within reason ⚖️ ✔️ Existing sites keep operating, often denser and more optimized ⚙️ ✔️ But incremental large scale hyperscale capacity begins to look outward, creating new zones, new rings, new corridors 🌍 Navi Mumbai, in that sense, is entering a new phase of maturity. The question is - How long can data centres and residential continue bidding for the same land before the next availability ring naturally forms? Because capital will eventually recalibrate. And cities, like people, don’t change overnight. They evolve - zone by zone, decision by decision. 🧠 Are we watching Navi Mumbai turn into a multi-ring data centre market in real time? What are your thoughts? PS: Pic clicked by me - Navi Mumbai, my favourite city in the country 🌆

"Singapore may be a small city-state, but it has the means and the right conditions to develop into a data center powerhouse and an AI hub." "In a surprising revelation, documents submitted by Nvidia to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on November 21, 2023, unveiled that Singapore accounted for around 15% of Nvidia’s revenue in the third quarter of the 2024 fiscal year, translating to about USD 2.7 billion. This positions Singapore as the fourth largest market for Nvidia globally, trailing behind the US and China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong). Notably, this marks the first time that Nvidia has explicitly disclosed Singapore as a separate consumer market in its financial reports. Previously, revenue data for the US, mainland China, and Taiwan were the main highlights, with these three markets typically representing 70–85% of the market share, while others, including Singapore, were grouped under “Others.”" "Despite its small land area, Singapore has been a prolific consumer of chips. In the latest quarter, Singapore spent USD 600 per capita on Nvidia chips, while the US spent only USD 60 per capita. China spent about USD 3 per capita." "“What’s a tiny city state doing with all those chips? Building data centers, of course,” said Sang Shin, former executive at Temasek and GIC, on LinkedIn. He previously served as the digital innovation director at Temasek and the head of digital strategy and architecture at GIC. Currently, he is the founder of AI startup Fofty (stylized as “FoFty”). Despite its small land area, Singapore is asserting itself as a major player in the data center domain. According to a report by Cushman and Wakefield, Singapore ranks third globally and first in the Asia Pacific in the data center market. Tied for first place are Northern Virginia and Portland in the US, with Hong Kong securing the fourth spot. With robust infrastructure, excellent international and regional connectivity, low risk of natural disasters, and widespread adoption of digital technology, Singapore has become the data center hub of the Asia Pacific, hosting 60% of the region’s data centers. Multiple major tech companies from the US and China, such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance, have opted to establish data centers in Singapore. According to the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), numerous Fortune 500 companies have regional bases in Singapore. However, data centers are energy-intensive. Singapore currently operates more than 70 operational data centers with a total capacity of over 378 megawatts, constituting over 7% of the nation’s total electricity consumption."

Texas to become the world's largest data center market by 2030.... A new report from JLL projects that Texas will overtake Northern Virginia to become the world’s largest data center market by 2030. The shift is being driven by hyperscale cloud and AI demand, alongside superior land and power availability. The explosive growth in demand is closely tied to hyperscale cloud deployments and AI infrastructure, with companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Oracle, and OpenAI leading capacity commitments. This is unsurprising, given the state's distinct energy supply advantage, including access to abundant, competitively priced power compared with constrained grids elsewhere. Here are some of the key takeaways from their report: - Texas alone accounts for approximately 6.5 GW of data center capacity under construction. This is about one-fifth of the 35 GW under construction across all of North America. - 64% of all North American data center capacity under construction is in “frontier” markets such as Northern Virginia, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Silicon Valley. West Texas is one of the key beneficiaries of this shift. - Overall data center vacancy in North America remains at a historic low of 1% for two consecutive years, indicating tight market fundamentals.  - Texas data center grid demand could exceed 40 GW by about 2028, up from 8 GW in 2025, driven by AI infrastructure needs A few questions from me: 1) Who is actually delivering the HV/MV engineering, protection studies, and commissioning at this scale, and is that talent pool expanding fast enough? 2) How much of the Texas build-out is being financed on the assumption of on-site generation (gas, BESS, hybrid) versus pure grid supply? 3) How could behind-the-meter generation and storage at hyperscale campuses be structured so ERCOT can rely on them during system stress without introducing operational risk to the data center?

Texas just raised the bar. Vantage Data Centers announced “Frontier,” a $25B, 1.4GW AI mega-campus on ~1,200 acres in Shackelford County—10 buildings totaling ~3.7M sq ft, designed for ultra-high-density racks (250kW+) with liquid cooling. The first building is projected for the second half of 2026. What this means for the US data center & jobs market: ✅ Scale reset: gigawatt campuses become the reference model for AI, pulling more hyperscale investment into Texas and the broader Sun Belt. ✅ Power & cooling arms race: transmission upgrades, onsite substations, and advanced liquid cooling move to the critical path for delivery. ✅ Supply chain stretch: multi-year strategies for transformers, switchgear, steel, and GPU-ready MEP will favor GCs/EPCs with program-level buying power. ✅ Talent surge: program-scale leaders (VP/Director of Construction, Precon, Program Controls), mission-critical MEP heads, commissioning directors, scheduling & risk (P6/QSRA), and interface managers across power and utilities. ✅ Mobility & compensation: Texas will attract national talent—expect sharper packages, relocation, and travel program teams as contractors and owners chase speed to power. Bottom line: this is a generational build that will ripple through contractors, subs, utilities, and regulators nationwide. If you lead large-scale mission-critical programs—or are building a team to deliver them—let’s connect!

Data Centres: All eyes on Asia’s future ‘Digital Tiger’ Summary: Malaysia is poised to become a significant player in the Asian data center market, potentially transitioning from a "Tier 2" to a "Tier 1" hub due to its rapidly expanding digital economy. With a strong demand for cloud services, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence, the region's data center market is witnessing considerable growth. Malaysia, in particular, stands out for its high internet penetration rate of 96.8% and a growing infrastructure supportive of data center development, especially in Johor. In recent years, Malaysia has attracted RM76 billion (US$16 billion) in investments for its data centers, with expectations to draw an additional US$2.25 billion by 2028. This growth is supported by the establishment of new facilities by global giants like NTT and Amazon Web Services, along with GDS's announcement of its first Southeast Asian data center in Johor. These developments highlight Malaysia's strategic position as a complementary market to Singapore, offering proximity advantages and lower operational costs due to competitive land and energy prices. To elevate its status in the data center industry, Malaysia needs to focus on several key areas. First, upgrading infrastructure and ensuring a skilled workforce are crucial. The country also benefits from its strong cybersecurity framework and strategic positioning for undersea cabling, making it an attractive destination for international data center operators and cloud service providers. Moreover, Malaysia's commitment to green energy, aiming for 40% of power generation from renewable sources by 2035, positions it as a sustainable data center hub. Emphasizing energy efficiency and adopting sustainable development practices will be vital for Malaysia to meet global sustainability and net zero targets. By leveraging its unique advantages, enhancing infrastructure, and focusing on sustainability, Malaysia is on the path to becoming a "Digital Tiger" in Asia's data center market. This transition will require innovative strategies, government incentives, and international partnerships to foster continued market expansion and attract further investment, ensuring Malaysia's prominence in the evolving global data center landscape. #DigitalEconomy #DataCenters #CloudServices #Sustainability #MalaysiaDigitalTiger #GreenEnergy

When I spoke with The Business Times some time ago, I described how Chinese firms were accelerating their use of Southeast Asia’s #AI infrastructure as U.S. #export controls tightened. Just a few months later, what looked like a tactical workaround has crystallized into a structural reallocation of global compute. Rack space leased by China‑linked entities has now risen more than 110% since early 2024, with #Johor alone surpassing 450MW of AI‑ready capacity by Q3 2025. Batam’s “twin” model to #Singapore has reached >90% utilization on GPU‑dense campuses, while #Vietnam has moved from emerging niche to recognized hub, with double‑digit growth in latency‑sensitive AI workloads tied to #fintech, #gaming, and #language AI. The market has shifted from opportunistic leasing to multi‑year pre‑paid contracts and co‑financed #GPU clusters, embedding Southeast #Asia as a permanent node in China’s AI roadmap. Vietnam’s positioning as a latency bridge and talent hub is now validated by capital flows, subsea cable projects, and the clustering of AI service providers in #Hanoi and #HoChiMinhCity. The region is no longer a spillover market; it is a strategic frontier where compute, capital, and geopolitics converge. The durability of demand is visible in long‑dated reservations and equity JV structures, reshaping risk profiles and valuation models for digital infrastructure across #ASEAN. My full remarks were published here : https://lnkd.in/gnmMcH5Q — 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐞: https://lnkd.in/gv_dQXAX 𝐌𝐞𝐤𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬: https://lnkd.in/gtNemjz7 #AI #DataCenters #SoutheastAsia #China #Infrastructure #Investing #MickaelDriol #MekongPartners #VietnamToday

The Great Texas Industrial Rebuild: $189B and Growing! Texas is in the midst of a massive manufacturing transformation. From the "Silicon Prairie" in Sherman to the "Physical AI" hubs in Austin and Fort Worth. Top Manufacturing Investments, $189B: 🔴 Samsung Electronics (Taylor & Austin) | $45.0B: A massive leading-edge logic cluster. Taylor is currently in EUV trials for 2nm production, slated for early 2027. 🔴 Texas Instruments (Sherman) | $40.0B: The SM1 fab is now in high-volume production of 300mm analog and power chips, with SM2 following close behind. 🔴 Tesla Giga Texas (Austin) | $10.0B: Home to the "Cortex" AI supercluster and the primary assembly lines for the Optimus Gen-3 humanoid robot. 🔴 GlobalWafers America (Sherman) | $7.5B: Phase 2 expansion is active, providing the critical 300mm silicon foundation for the domestic chip industry. 🔴 Eli Lilly and Company (Houston) | $6.5B: A 236-acre "Generation Park" site under construction to produce next-gen synthetic medicines (APIs). 🔴 Apple (Houston) | $1.0+B: AI servers ramping now; Mac mini production starts late 2026. Top Data Center & AI Infrastructure, $110B-$130B: 🟢 Google ( Armstrong & Haskell County) | $40B: 3 AI data center hubs paired with new solar and battery storage plant. 🟢 Abilene AI Factory (Abilene) | $34.3B: A massive pivot point in the industry; following the OpenAI/Oracle shift, Meta is now in advanced negotiations for the 800MW expansion space. 🟢 Anthropic (Hale) | $50B (US total): Will build a network of hyperscale AI data centers across the U.S. with Texas as an anchor. 🟢 Amazon (Hood/Somervell County) | $11B: This 21-building campus will run "behind-the-meter" using power from the Comanche Peak Nuclear Plant. If Texas is #2 at $189B, who is #1?? Welcome to AZ at $213B, where TSMC alone is investing $165B with much more on the way following the recent roadmap expansion announcement from Taiwan. A3 - Association for Advancing Automation members are helping manufacturers rebuild through robotics and automation. Visit the Automate Show in Chicago this June to learn more. #Texas #Manufacturing #Semiconductors #robotics

CapitaLand’s new AI-ready data center in #Chennai isn’t just infrastructure. It’s a strategic anchor for #India’s digital future... This is one of the most intentional builds in the Indian market. And it sends a clear signal about where the next phase of AI infrastructure is headed. CapitaLand Data Centre Chennai 01 (CLDC 01) features: • 54MW gross capacity, with 34MW IT load • Advanced liquid cooling to support AI and HPC workloads • LEED Gold sustainability design • Subsea cable proximity for global connectivity • Carrier-neutral, enterprise-grade security Strategically located in #Ambattur, #Chennai, this seven-story facility will offer 4,900 rack capacity across 420,000 square feet. Construction milestones are already in place, with Phase 1 going live by late 2025. Here’s why it matters: 1. Chennai is becoming India’s coastal digital gateway. With direct access to subsea cables, low-latency cloud services, and hyperscaler interest, the region is emerging as one of India’s most valuable edge points for global AI infrastructure. 2. CapitaLand is thinking beyond real estate. They’re building a network of AI-optimized data centers across India, in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and now Chennai. These aren’t conversions; they’re built-for-purpose assets aligned with global trends in compute demand. 3. AI isn’t abstract, it’s physical. Liquid cooling. High rack densities. Reliable power. These are the foundations of AI at scale. And CapitaLand is putting them in place now. This isn’t just about market share. It’s about strategic positioning in the infrastructure layer of the AI economy. The organizations that own this layer will shape the future of AI in India, and beyond. #DataCenters

The shift of hyperscale capacity to industrial zones outside Jakarta—Cibitung, Cikarang, and Karawang—shows that large land plots and abundant power are not the only success factors. Another key element is the presence of ultra-high-capacity fiber networks that connect these hyperscale campuses to Jakarta’s interconnection ecosystem (IX, cloud on-ramps, operator exchanges, enterprise hubs). Without adequate transport corridors, hyperscale facilities may exist physically but cannot operate optimally. This is evident from industry reports and multi-MW expansions that are driving traffic growth both east-west (DC-to-DC) and north-south (to/from the global internet and regional clouds). From a technical standpoint, the urgency is clear. First, capacity & latency: hyperscale architectures require massive bandwidth for storage replication, disaster recovery, and cross-site synchronization with strict RPO/RTO. Second, route diversity & resiliency: hyperscale demands physically redundant fiber corridors to avoid failures caused by excavation, maintenance, or incidents—without this, SLAs cannot be maintained. Third, traffic engineering: the backbone must support multi-terabit DWDM, OTN, Segment Routing, and optical monitoring to separate latency-sensitive traffic from bulk workloads like backups or AI dataset replication. Fourth, economics: building large dark-fiber or duct corridors is more efficient long-term than adding multiple small IP/MPLS links in parallel. From a market perspective, Indonesia’s hyperscale capacity is growing rapidly with the rise of AI, big data, and multi-cloud. As power availability in Jakarta tightens, developers are shifting toward West Java. But this migration of workloads significantly increases the demand for transport capacity between Jakarta and West Java. Without a large backbone, new data centers risk becoming bottlenecks—big buildings with limited bandwidth, similar to several global clusters that faced this issue. Practical challenges are also substantial: Right-of-Way processes take a long time, especially across toll roads, industrial areas, and utility corridors; fiber routes are vulnerable to accidental cuts; and operators face business-model dilemmas between long-term dark fiber and faster-revenue wavelength services. Capacity planning must also consider future traffic patterns such as AI training bursts (GPU spikes), multi-site replication, and increased regional interconnection including Batam–Singapore. In short, the expansion of data centers into Cibitung–Cikarang–Karawang can only succeed if supported by large-capacity, diverse, and scalable fiber backbones. Without this transport foundation, the risks of bottlenecks and SLA degradation will remain high—even if hyperscale campuses stand impressively outside Jakarta.