Northern Virginia holds the largest installed data center capacity in the world at 6.98 gigawatts, according to IEA data for 2024 charted by Statista. The ranking of the top ten markets places four United States markets among the leaders.

Northern Virginia, which sits close to Washington D.C., is followed by Beijing at 2.38 gigawatts, Chicago at 2.17, Singapore at 2.16, and Shanghai at 2.07. The Pearl River Delta region of Hong Kong, Macao, and Guangzhou holds 1.93 gigawatts. Dallas is next at 1.72, then Dublin at 1.66, Omaha, Nebraska at 1.53, and London at 1.45.

The four U.S. markets in the ranking (Northern Virginia, Chicago, Dallas, and Omaha) total about 12.4 gigawatts of installed capacity. Northern Virginia alone is more than three times the size of the next U.S. market, Chicago.

The chart also reports the share of capacity under construction in each market. Northern Virginia shows 5.38 percent, the highest on the list. Dallas follows at 1.87 percent, then London at 1.67, Dublin at 1.59, Chicago at 1.53, and Omaha at 1.48. Singapore shows 0.70 percent, the Pearl River Delta 0.36, Shanghai 0.21, and Beijing 0.17.

Statista cites an IEA report projecting that data center demand will more than double by 2030 as AI drives computing needs. Rob Faktorow, vice chairman of the real estate services firm CBRE, told radio station WTOP in 2022 that tax incentives, connectivity, and infrastructure explain the concentration in Northern Virginia.

Source: Statista - https://www.statista.com/chart/31372/regions-cities-with-highest-data-center-power-capacity/