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Data centre construction costs have no single all-in price: the total depends on location, capacity, design, and what the estimate includes. JLL Research’s 2026 outlook puts the global average shell-and-core benchmark at $10.7 million per MW for 2025 and forecasts $11.3 million per MW for 2026. Those figures exclude land acquisition and active IT equipment; tenant AI technology fit-out can cost as much as $25 million per MW. Treat the headline rate as a scoped construction benchmark, not the price of a fully equipped, operating facility.
What does a data centre construction cost per MW include?
A cost per megawatt (MW) figure is useful only when its scope and capacity basis are clear. JLL’s headline figures describe shell-and-core construction: the building and its core facility infrastructure, rather than the land purchase or the servers, GPUs and networking equipment that make it an operating data centre. Its 2026 outlook describes a single-tenant, 50 MW, air-cooled facility as its example, but the global average benchmark should not be mistaken for a quote for every 50 MW project.
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The boundary matters because two estimates labelled “data centre cost” may describe different things. One may be a powered shell; another may include mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems, tenant fit-out or active IT. Unless those boundaries are aligned, comparing their cost per MW can produce a misleading conclusion.
JLL reports global shell-and-core construction costs of $7.7 million per MW in 2020 and $10.7 million per MW in 2025, a reported compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7% over that period. It forecasts $11.3 million per MW for 2026. The 2026 figure is a forecast, not an observed final cost for every project or market.
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| Benchmark | Reported cost | Geography and scope |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $7.7 million per MW | JLL global average; shell and core |
| 2025 | $10.7 million per MW | JLL global average; shell and core |
| 2026 forecast | $11.3 million per MW | JLL global average; shell and core |
| 2023 | $8.8 million per MW | Currie & Brown US construction benchmark series |
| 2024 predicted | $9.2 million per MW | Currie & Brown US construction benchmark series |
Benchmark figures checked November 2026. JLL’s global series and Currie & Brown’s US series use different geographies and should not be treated as directly interchangeable. Currie & Brown labels its 2024 figure as predicted.
For scale, multiplying JLL’s 2025 global average by 50 MW gives $535 million; applying its 2026 forecast to the same capacity gives $565 million. These are arithmetic illustrations of the published shell-and-core rates, not project budgets. They do not add land, active IT or any other scope not established by the benchmark.
Why is land not part of the headline price?
Land acquisition is explicitly excluded from JLL’s shell-and-core figure, and JLL’s cited outlook does not establish a comparable land cost per MW. The parcel, local market and site requirements differ, so adding an assumed standard land allowance would create false precision.
Keep land visible as its own line in a project budget. Record the site or market, the basis of the land estimate and whether it includes related site work. Do not combine a land-inclusive project estimate with JLL’s shell-and-core rate and describe the result as a like-for-like comparison.
Site selection also has consequences for the rest of the estimate. JLL says, “Speed to power is the primary criteria driving site selection, followed by community support, latency and proximity to customers.” In other words, a parcel’s suitability is not just a land-price question: power access, community support and proximity to customers can shape the decision. The quotation is from JLL Research’s 2026 Global Data Center Outlook.
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What power costs should an estimate show?
Power-related scope should be identified rather than hidden inside a generic construction figure. Facility electrical systems named in the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) report include switchgear, generators, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) equipment and power distribution. But the NYSERDA report does not provide a consistent cost share for utility interconnection, substations or on-site generation, or a common definition of whether those items sit inside a construction benchmark.
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Ask the estimator to state whether the figure includes utility connection, off-site power works, a substation, on-site generation and the facility’s electrical systems. A project estimate may define those boundaries differently from a benchmark, so list each item as included, excluded, owner-supplied or not yet priced. “Power included” is too vague to make two estimates comparable.
The NYSERDA report exhibit also identifies cooling towers, chillers and computer-room air handlers (CRAHs) among facility systems. It is useful for seeing the types of equipment involved, but it does not establish a universal percentage of total cost for either power or cooling.
How do cooling and rack density affect construction costs?
Cooling design and the amount of computing capacity packed into a facility affect cost, but JLL’s cited outlook does not support one general-purpose allowance for every project. JLL reports a 10% construction cost premium for liquid-cooled facilities in its stated comparison. That figure applies to that comparison; it is not a rule that can be added to any data centre estimate.
Turner & Townsend’s 2026–27 index overview names higher rack density, liquid cooling and accelerated schedules as primary cost drivers. Currie & Brown also identifies location, how much computing capacity fits in the building and whether the owner or contractor supplies MEP equipment as factors in construction cost. Together, these findings explain why two facilities with the same stated MW capacity may not have the same construction price.
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For a useful estimate comparison, record whether each design is air- or liquid-cooled, its stated rack-density assumptions and its delivery schedule. Do not infer a project’s precise cooling cost from the 10% premium, or treat cooling equipment as the only difference between two designs: the benchmark does not offer a complete, transferable cooling breakdown.
How much can tenant fit-out and IT equipment add?
Tenant technology fit-out is a separate, potentially substantial budget from shell and core. JLL says tenants are typically responsible for technology fit-out and that AI infrastructure fit-out can cost as much as $25 million per MW. The cited benchmark excludes active IT equipment, so it should not be presented as the cost of servers, GPUs and networking plus the building.
At 50 MW, the arithmetic equivalent of “as much as $25 million per MW” is up to $1.25 billion for AI technology fit-out. This is an illustration of JLL’s stated upper figure, not a typical project price or a guaranteed allowance. It should not be assumed that every facility needs AI fit-out at that level.
Keep the building and tenant technology in separate budget sections. State whether a proposed figure covers a powered shell, shell and core, a fitted facility or active IT. If an estimate combines construction and technology, show the component totals and their respective scope so a reader can see what is actually being compared.
How should you compare two data centre estimates?
Compare estimates only after aligning their date, geography, design, capacity basis and scope. The following checklist captures the main variables identified by JLL, Turner & Townsend and Currie & Brown.
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| Comparison axis | What to align or disclose |
|---|---|
| Geography and date | Same market and cost year; label actual, predicted and forecast figures accurately. |
| Capacity | Same MW basis and facility size; identify IT load or another capacity definition if the source specifies one. |
| Design | Air or liquid cooling, rack density and delivery schedule. |
| Project scope | Land, site works, utility connection, shell and core, MEP, fit-out and active IT equipment. |
| Procurement | Whether electrical and mechanical equipment is owner-supplied or contractor-supplied. |
| Building efficiency | How much computing capacity the design fits into its floor area. |
Use a simple scope register alongside the headline cost per MW. For each category, mark the amount and basis if known, whether it is included or excluded, and who supplies it. If the source does not quantify a category consistently—such as grid connection or land—keep the uncertainty explicit rather than dividing an unsupported allowance across the project.
Then compare rates only within the same scope. The Currie & Brown figures are a US series, while JLL’s cited figures are global averages. Their different years and geographies alone mean the amounts are context, not evidence that one source is cheaper or more accurate. Turner & Townsend’s index covers 62 markets and is based on a typical 60 MW design; its indicative cost-per-watt and index values need to be checked for the relevant local market and scope before use.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should a construction budget say when costs are still uncertain?
Separate what is supported by a benchmark from what remains site-specific. A benchmark can provide an early reference point, but it does not price every parcel, utility connection, cooling design or procurement arrangement. Currie & Brown describes its US benchmark as a rough-order-of-magnitude starting point and notes that customized benchmarking analysis is available.
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This approach does not produce a universal total, because the cited JLL, NYSERDA, Turner & Townsend and Currie & Brown sources do not provide a harmonized allocation among land, power, cooling and fit-out. It does make a budget more useful: readers can see what a benchmark means, which project decisions may change the cost, and what must be priced separately before a total is meaningful.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does MW mean in a data centre cost estimate?
MW means megawatt, a measure of power capacity. The estimate should state what capacity the figure uses; do not assume that every source means the same thing by MW or that a facility’s IT load and other capacity measures are interchangeable.
Can I use a global cost-per-MW figure to budget a specific site?
Use it as context, not as a site quotation. The global benchmark does not establish the specific parcel, local utility works, procurement boundaries or design needed to price a particular project.
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AI infrastructure may require tenant technology fit-out that is excluded from shell-and-core construction figures. JLL’s stated upper fit-out cost is specific to AI infrastructure, so it should not be treated as a universal premium for every AI facility.
Does the published construction benchmark include servers and GPUs?
JLL’s shell-and-core benchmark excludes active IT equipment. A reader should look for a separate tenant technology or IT line before treating an estimate as the cost of an equipped facility.
