AI drives surge in data centre funding

By Milan Rojan

Investor interest in data centres has accelerated in 2026 as demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure continues to reshape private capital markets, with financing volumes reaching $58 billion across 42 transactions so far this year.

According to Dealogic, investment in the sector has risen significantly from $34 billion across 34 deals recorded during the same period in 2025. The increase has reflected growing confidence among investors in the long-term demand for the digital infrastructure required to support AI applications, cloud computing and data-intensive technologies.

The surge in capital deployment has coincided with a substantial global construction pipeline. Consultancy Oxford Economics has estimated that nearly 850 data centres are currently under development worldwide, representing a combined value of approximately $7 trillion. The United States has led activity with 228 projects under construction, followed by China with 98 projects.

Market participants have increasingly viewed data centres as a strategic asset class as enterprises and technology providers expand their AI capabilities. The facilities have become critical to supporting the computing power, storage capacity and connectivity needed to process growing volumes of data.

Emily Brown, Co-Head of the Global Private Capital Industry Group at White & Case LLP, said: “The current fundraising environment is becoming more concentrated around strategies where LPs see clear long-term structural demand, and AI infrastructure is definitely emerging as one of the clearest examples of that shift.”

Brown noted that data centres and digital infrastructure have attracted significant interest from limited partners seeking assets capable of generating long-term value amid economic uncertainty.

“Data centres and digital infrastructure are attracting significant attention from LPs, not just because of the scale of projected AI growth, but also because investors are looking for assets that they believe can deliver resilient long-term value in a more uncertain market,” she said.

The growing focus on AI-related infrastructure has also influenced fundraising strategies across the private capital sector. According to Brown, investment managers have increasingly launched dedicated AI and digital infrastructure funds to meet demand from institutional investors seeking targeted exposure to the sector.

“We are also seeing fundraising become much more thematic and specialised, with firms increasingly launching dedicated AI and digital infrastructure funds to meet investor demand,” Brown added.

As AI adoption continues to expand across industries, investors have increasingly positioned data centres at the centre of their infrastructure strategies, reinforcing the sector’s role as a key enabler of digital transformation and next-generation technology growth.