Saudi Arabia has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing data centre markets, with live IT power rising 57% since 2024.
The Kingdom now ranks joint fourth globally with Finland for growth in live IT power, according to Savills Research analysis of data from DC Byte.
The expansion reflects rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud infrastructure. It also comes as Saudi Arabia continues to invest in its digital economy under Vision 2030.
Saudi data centre capacity rises 57%
Savills measured the growth in live IT power between 2024 and 2026. Saudi Arabia recorded a 57% increase during the period.
The Kingdom is one of five EMEA markets in the global top 10 for data centre growth. Finland ranks third, while Denmark, France and Portugal also feature in the list.
Malaysia tops the global ranking, followed by Indonesia and Finland. Saudi Arabia and Finland are listed as joint fourth.
Despite the rapid growth, Saudi Arabia remains a relatively small data centre market by global capacity.
The United States leads the global market with about 50GW of live IT power. China follows as the second-largest market.
Savills said the smaller size of Saudi Arabia’s current market leaves room for further expansion.
AI and cloud demand support Saudi growth
The rise in data centre capacity comes as businesses and governments increase their use of AI and cloud services.
Saudi Arabia is also developing the power, land and connectivity needed to support hyperscale and enterprise data centre operators.
Government-backed digital economy initiatives are adding to that demand. Meanwhile, investment in digital infrastructure continues to align with the Kingdom’s wider Vision 2030 programme.
For Saudi businesses, the growth of local data centre capacity could support the wider adoption of digital services and AI applications.
Savills expects momentum to continue
Harry Goodson Wickes, Head of KSA & Northern Gulf Offices at Savills, said Saudi Arabia’s data centre expansion points to a broader change in the Kingdom’s digital economy.
“What we’re seeing in Saudi Arabia goes beyond a single project or announcement, it’s a structural shift in how the Kingdom is planning its digital economy.”
He added that investors are taking note and that momentum is expected to continue as sovereign investment and hyperscaler capacity expand.
Savills’ data centre advisory team is tracking capacity, power and land availability across the Gulf as the sector develops.
For Saudi Arabia, the key shift is therefore not only the pace of recent data centre growth. It is also the build-out of the infrastructure needed to support the Kingdom’s next phase of AI and cloud adoption.
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