Why Phoenix Is An Up-And-Coming Data Center Hub

Phoenix is poised for an influx of spec data center space. The demand will be there to absorb it, according to CBRE's Luke Denmon, a data center specialist.

data center

"In recent years the lack of available product has resulted in Phoenix being passed over during multi-market site selections," Denmon said. But with 27.6 MW under construction and several other projects planned, tenants looking for a megawatt of data center capacity will have a number of new options from which to choose.

As the sixth-largest wholesale data center market in the U.S., Phoenix has nearly 153 MW of existing inventory, and 2016 saw net absorption total 10.3 MW. But market activity was actually significantly higher, Denmon said.

Courtesy of CBRE Luke Denmon

Taking into account the quick turnaround of several sublease offerings and pre-leasing activity, gross leasing totaled nearly 31 MW for the year, and market activity and user demand is expected to remain strong.

“With competitive pricing for both construction and power, Arizona will continue to position itself as a destination for data center development,” Denmon said.

The context of growth in Phoenix is nationwide growth for data centers. In major markets nationwide, 271 MW is under construction, with 45% of that pre-leased, according to CBRE data. Enterprise-driven requirements are generally shrinking as end users become more sophisticated at scaling their IT needs, but cloud providers are taking up the slack, and provided a lot of demand for multi-megawatt space in 2016.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Related Topics: CBRE Phoenix , Luke Denmon
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Phoenix Newsletters
Related Stories

Navigating The Phoenix Student Housing Boom At Bisnow's Event On Sept. 29

California Emerging As Data Center Fallback Market Amid Nationwide Opposition

Data Center IPO Wave Reveals A Variety Of New Strategies In Booming Sector

Healey's New Data Center Rules Make Massachusetts A Tough Sell For Developers

The Number Of Large-Scale Data Centers In U.S. Projected To Triple By 2030

'The Box Isn't The Whole Story': Where Phoenix's Industrial Growth Is Heading

'We Aren't Competitive': Power, Taxes Keep Colorado On The Data Center Sidelines

Blue Owl Reportedly Planning Data Center REIT

AI Data Center Investment To Hit $31.6T — But Europe Reaches Limits

Data Center Demand Doubles, Fueling New AI Boomtowns

Why Some Pennsylvania Data Center Developers Support Shapiro's New Restrictions

Arizona AG Calls For Data Center Pause As Backlash In Phoenix Persists