Data center market to hit 270兆円 by 2030, Nikkei special reports

The special report, produced jointly by Nikkei Computer and Nikkei Business, frames the data center buildout as an 'AI infrastructure economy' expanding far beyond semiconductors. The four major US IT companies are expected to spend about 110兆円 on capital investment, a scale comparable to a national budget, which is redirecting money away from existing IT markets and causing shortages in servers and smartphones.

Japanese companies with strengths in materials and substrate technology have captured demand as GPUs become larger and more multi-layered. Around 80 data center operators were surveyed on opening plans through 2030; 24 companies are adding 38 sites, showing trends toward regional dispersion and liquid cooling.

At the same time, the report notes that data centers have no defined use category under Japan's Building Standards Act, creating a regulatory gap that has become a source of disputes with residents. Local governments are responding with district plans, but defining the use remains difficult, leaving them caught between operators and residents.