AI is accelerating change across the data centre market — and 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year.

We’ve been digging into the latest European Real Estate Market Outlook 2026 from CBRE, pulling out the data centre insights that matter most for operators, investors and the wider digital infrastructure ecosystem.

👉 A few trends stand out:

• Capacity is highly limited, with vacancy forecast to fall to record lows as demand continues to outpace supply

• Power density has become the key bottleneck, driven by high-density AI workloads and rising demand for double-digit megawatt capacity

• New demand profiles are emerging, with GPU-focused and AI-led operators adding pressure to an already constrained market

• London remains a key growth hub, power, planning and grid constraints are reshaping how and where capacity comes online

What’s clear is that AI isn’t just increasing demand — it’s changing the rules around site selection, infrastructure planning and long-term strategy.
We’ll continue to track how these trends play out and what they mean in practice for the sector.

👉 The full CBRE European Real Estate Market Outlook 2026 is well worth a read:

https://lnkd.in/ehCvx_ea

SOURCE: CBRE European Real Estate Market Outlook 2026