Resources: costs
Cost benchmarks and worksheet
A deliberately short register of published cost benchmarks, each with its date, geography, scope and source, and a worksheet for your own figures. Benchmarks are not quotations and are never combined across publishers, currencies or periods.
Scope first. Construction, IT, site and energy, and operating costs are kept as separate views. An unknown price shows as "requires quote" and the total is withheld rather than filled with a plausible number.
Benchmark register
| Benchmark | Value | Period and geography | Scope and denominator | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average global construction cost, 2026 forecast published consultant benchmark | 11.3 USD million per MW | 2026 (forecast) Global average | Shell and core construction only. Tenant technology fit-out is excluded. MW as published. The source does not say whether this is IT or facility power. A dated published benchmark, not a quotation for a project. | JLL (opens in a new tab), published 5 Jan 2026, accessed 18 Oct 2026 |
| Average global construction cost, 2025 published consultant benchmark | 10.7 USD million per MW | 2025 Global average | Shell and core construction only. MW as published. The source does not say whether this is IT or facility power. Shows the trend with the 2020 and 2026 values. Do not mix with other publishers' figures. | JLL (opens in a new tab), published 5 Jan 2026, accessed 18 Oct 2026 |
| Average global construction cost, 2020 published consultant benchmark | 7.7 USD million per MW | 2020 Global average | Shell and core construction only. MW as published. The source does not say whether this is IT or facility power. Historical reference point from the same series. | JLL (opens in a new tab), published 5 Jan 2026, accessed 18 Oct 2026 |
| Tenant technology fit-out for AI infrastructure, upper figure published consultant benchmark | not disclosed to 25 USD million per MW | As published January 2026 Not stated | Tenant technology fit-out for AI infrastructure, separate from shell and core. MW as published. The source does not say whether this is IT or facility power. JLL says this can cost as much as the figure shown. It is an upper indication, not an allowance. | JLL (opens in a new tab), published 5 Jan 2026, accessed 18 Oct 2026 |
| Construction cost per watt, Tokyo published consultant benchmark | 15.2 USD per W (equal to USD 15.2 million per MW, unit conversion only) | 2025 index Tokyo | Publisher's construction cost model. Detailed scope is not given in the press release. Watt as published. The source does not say whether this is IT or facility power. Ranked first of the markets in the index. Verify the scope in the full report before comparing. | Turner & Townsend (opens in a new tab), published 5 Nov 2025, accessed 18 Oct 2026 |
| Construction cost per watt, Singapore published consultant benchmark | 14.5 USD per W (equal to USD 14.5 million per MW, unit conversion only) | 2025 index Singapore | Publisher's construction cost model. Detailed scope is not given in the press release. Watt as published. The source does not say whether this is IT or facility power. Verify the scope before comparing with other publishers. | Turner & Townsend (opens in a new tab), published 5 Nov 2025, accessed 18 Oct 2026 |
| Construction cost per watt, London published consultant benchmark | 12 USD per W (equal to USD 12 million per MW, unit conversion only) | 2025 index London | Publisher's construction cost model. Detailed scope is not given in the press release. Watt as published. The source does not say whether this is IT or facility power. Verify the scope before comparing with other publishers. | Turner & Townsend (opens in a new tab), published 5 Nov 2025, accessed 18 Oct 2026 |
| Construction cost per watt, Frankfurt published consultant benchmark | 11.6 USD per W (equal to USD 11.6 million per MW, unit conversion only) | 2025 index Frankfurt | Publisher's construction cost model. Detailed scope is not given in the press release. Watt as published. The source does not say whether this is IT or facility power. Verify the scope before comparing with other publishers. | Turner & Townsend (opens in a new tab), published 5 Nov 2025, accessed 18 Oct 2026 |
| Construction cost premium of AI over traditional data centres, United States context, not a cost | 7 to 10 % | 2025 index United States | Comparison of projects of similar IT capacity. Context for scope differences, not a cost to add to a total. | Turner & Townsend (opens in a new tab), published 5 Nov 2025, accessed 18 Oct 2026 |
We show a few figures from each publisher in our own words and link to the source. Read the full publications for methods and scope. Inclusions and exclusions not stated by a source are shown as not disclosed.
Cost worksheet
Loading the worksheet…
Method and review
- Evidence classes are kept apart: public prices, published consultant benchmarks, consented anonymised quotes, modelled scenarios and private estimates.
- A top-down benchmark and bottom-up facility lines never both enter one total.
- Capital cost per MW IT uses the design IT MW you enter, never facility power, grid capacity or occupied capacity.
- No currency conversion and no escalation between periods.
Register updated 18 Oct 2026. Review cadence: Proposed: recheck each entry monthly and when a publisher releases a new edition. Not yet funded or staffed, see the release record.