The Iberian data center market, which adds up to nearly 14 gigawatts (GW) IT in already announced projects, is at a "turning point" towards a "new paradigm" due to the strong rebound in demand linked to artificial intelligence (AI), according to the analysis published this Thursday by Colliers.
"The acceleration of demand linked to artificial intelligence, 'neoclouds' and large technology operators are breaking the traditional development model based on pre-contracting, giving way to a new paradigm in which operators and developers begin construction without previously having signed contracts to secure future capacity," points out the company in a statement, in what it describes as a "structural turning point."
According to the report "Data Centers Iberian Region Snapshot", prepared by Colliers and focused on the period from October 2025 to March 2026, the Iberian Peninsula groups almost 14,000 megawatts (MW) IT in announced projects, with a forecast of more than 3,300 MW IT in operation before 2030, compared to an operational capacity "still limited and largely already committed".
This "gap" between the available supply and a rapidly expanding demand would be forcing the sector to "anticipate investment decisions", which leads to prioritizing the speed in the execution of projects, the flexibility in the design of facilities and the guarantee of energy supply, according to the consultant's interpretation.
Regarding the distribution of the data center 'pipeline' planned for the peninsula until 2030, the 3,327 MW IT are distributed with 33% in Aragon, 24% in Madrid, 8% in Barcelona, 5% in Lisbon and the remaining 30% in other areas.
For the managing director of Data Centers in Spain and head of Data Centers Capital Markets for Colliers in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), Gonzalo Martín, the sector has entered "a new phase" in which demand "no longer waits".
In this new context, operators are pushed to "build before having closed contracts, something unthinkable just a few years ago" in the Iberian market, he states.
"The availability of energy, the speed of execution and the ability to anticipate have become the true competitive factors, even above traditional pre-contracting," adds the managing director of Data Centers at Colliers, José María Guilleuma.
The company emphasizes that the market shows signs of maturity, with corporate operations and relevant transactions on assets already in operation, projects underway and connection rights, while a change occurs in the rules of access to energy, which represents "one of the main bottlenecks" for the industry.
In this scenario, concludes, "securing land, electrical connection and growth capacity has become a strategic priority".