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The GCC Data Centre Projects Market 2026

Publisher GlobalData
Published Feb 16, 2026
Length 312 Pages
SKU # GBDT20939883

Description

The GCC Data Centre Projects Market 2026

Summary

Produced by MEED, a GlobalData company, this report delivers a project-by-project view of the GCC’s data centre buildout at a time when cloud adoption, AI workloads and data localisation are reshaping national infrastructure priorities.

The GCC Data Centre Projects Market 2026 tracks 174+ major active and planned projects across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain, with a combined value of more than $93bn.

Who will benefit from this report?

Designed for organisations involved in planning, financing, delivering or supplying digital infrastructure, including:
  • Data centre developers and operators
  • Contractors and engineering consultants
  • Technology firms and specialist suppliers (power, cooling, electrical, modular)
  • Investors, infrastructure funds, banks and advisors
  • Policy makers, economists, analysts, academics and researchers
To help you prioritise opportunities, the report:
  • Reviews 30+ projects in-depth, including capacity, location, development stage, timelines, ownership, stakeholders, contractors and key decision makers
  • Provides a structured project listing for the remaining pipeline, with essential data points and scope notes for fast qualification and comparison
All findings are anchored in MEED Projects data, supported by human-checked project research from MEED’s regional team, so you can act on reliable, deal-relevant intelligence rather than desk-based assumptions.

Data centres have become foundational to the GCC’s digital economy, supporting sovereign cloud ambitions, smart city programmes, fintech growth, e-government services and cybersecurity resilience. As demand accelerates, investors and suppliers face a crowded pipeline where power availability, grid constraints, cooling performance, sustainability requirements and delivery capacity can determine whether projects move from announcement to execution.

Who is driving investment?

Track activity across public and private sector clients, including global hyperscalers and regional developers. The report covers the market landscape shaped by organisations such as Amazon Web Services, Khazna, Etisalat, Google, Huawei, and other active owners, developers, utilities and government stakeholders across the GCC.

The policy and regulatory context

The report assesses the drivers and constraints influencing delivery, including:
  • Data localisation rules and hosting requirements
  • Country-level digital policies and regulatory frameworks
  • National programmes supporting long-term demand (e.g., Saudi Vision 2030, UAE digital economy and AI initiatives, and broader GCC cloud-first/localisation strategies)
Scope

This report includes analysis of:
  • GCC data centre project pipelines by country and project type
  • Investment outlook, capex trends and client spending plans
  • Procurement routes, packaging strategies and delivery models
  • Power and cooling technologies, energy efficiency and ESG considerations
  • Renewable energy integration and sustainability requirements
  • Regulatory frameworks and data localisation policies
  • Profiles and activity of key developers, hyperscalers, contractors and suppliers
Countries covered: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain

Reasons to Buy
  • Identify upcoming opportunities across hyperscale, colocation, enterprise and edge facilities
  • Monitor live pipelines and capacity expansion timelines across all six GCC markets
  • Understand procurement routes, phasing strategies and delivery models
  • Assess execution risks linked to grid access, land availability, contractor capacity and sustainability targets
  • Prioritise markets, clients and partners with greater confidence
  • All insights are grounded in project-level intelligence verified by MEED’s research team, not desk-based assumptions.

Table of Contents

312 Pages
  • Executive Snapshot
    • Introduction to Data Centre - An Essential Backbone of the Digital Economy
    • Data Centres: The Backbone of the Digital and Cloud Economy
    • Typical Schematic diagram of a Data Centre
    • Data Centre Typologies
    • Classification of Data Centres
    • Evolution of Data Centres: 1950s-Present
    • GCC Data Centre Evolution
    • Key Trends in Modern Data Centres : Global
    • Key Trends in Modern Data Centres : GCC Landscape
    • Global Distribution of Data Centres
    • Global Distribution of Data Centres - Hyperscale
    • Installed Capacity Growth: Historic & Forecast
    • Data Centre Construction Projects Globally
    • Regional Power Demand: Historic & Outlook
    • Technology & Value Chain Leaders
    • Data Centre Demand Drivers
    • Growth Constraints: Power, Cooling & Decentralisation
    • Data Centre Demand Drivers - GCC
    • Data Centre Barriers in GCC
    • Data Centre Business Opportunities - GCC
    • Supply Chain Dynamics
    • GCC Supply Chain by Country
    • GCC Data Centre Operators
    • GCC - Data Centre Equipment Suppliers
    • Data Centre Construction Cost in GCC
    • GCC Data Centre Construction Cost Index 2025
    • GCC Data Centre - PPP Framework
    • Data centres - Market/Policy Overview
    • Saudi Arabia
    • UAE
    • Bahrain
    • Kuwait
    • Oman
    • Qatar
    • Executive Summary
    • Projects Market Size
    • Historical Contracts
    • Data Centre Project Map - Under Execution
    • Pipeline Projects
    • Data Centre Project Map - Pipeline Projects
    • Top Stakeholders - Execution Projects
    • Top Stakeholders - Future Projects
    • Top Projects in Execution
    • Top Future Projects
    • Major Data Centre Projects in Saudi Arabia
    • Other Known Data Centre Projects in Saudi Arabia
    • Major Data Center Projects in UAE
    • Other Known Data Centre Projects in UAE
    • Major Data Centre Projects in Bahrain
    • Other Known Data Centre Projects in Bahrain
    • Major Data Centre Projects in Kuwait
    • Other Known Data Centre Projects in Kuwait
    • Major Data Centre Projects in Qatar
    • Other Known Data Centre Projects in Qatar

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