Workplace trends across Asia-Pacific have reached a new equilibrium, with half of occupiers planning to expand their office footprints over the next three years. According to , office attendance has reached a β€œsteady state”, with companies β€œprioritising premium workplaces” and preferring locations in central business districts. 

According to Tom Gaffney, head of leasing, Asia-Pacific at CBRE, the workplace conversation in Asia-Pacific has fundamentally shifted. β€œWith attendance and utilisation largely stabilised at higher levels,” he said. β€œWhat we are seeing now is the emergence of a new equilibrium for the office market, with companies selectively growing their portfolio and prioritising premium workplaces.” 

Beyond traditional property, the broader real assets sector is being reshaped by a massive capital influx into digital infrastructure. In response to this rapid expansion, the advocating for data centres to serve as catalysts for modernising regional power and water utilities as digital demand grows. 

Data centre

This urgency aligns with the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­ Real Assets September/October edition, which cites McKinsey projections that more than $6trn (€5.16trn) of investment is required by 2030 to satisfy global cloud and AI computing demand. 
 
Some of the biggest pension fund investors in data centres include Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), which two years ago acquired Asia-Pacific data centre platform AirTrunk alongside Blackstone for around $16bn. CPP Investments also holds stakes in data centre platforms EdgeConnex and Equinix, and this summer committed to invest up to INR70bn (€640m) in Indian data centres with local operator CtrlS. 

Data centres are critical infrastructure for Asia-Pacific’s digital future,” said Jeremy Deutsch, chair of the APDCA. β€œAcross the region, the sector’s scale, predictable demand and long-term investment are already helping to accelerate clean energy deployment, strengthen grids and support more resilient water systems.” 

This news briefing was published last week. If you would like to receive it regularly, on your β€˜ΒιΆΉΣ³»­ Real Assets profile’, go to and select any from the list.

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Raz joined the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­ editorial team in 2017 as news editor of ΒιΆΉΣ³»­ Real Assets. He has over 15 years of experience as a financial journalist, having worked for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal where he worked as an equities reporter covering corporate news. He later covered consumer finance and moved on to become a leisure reporter and helped manage the London corporate news and small-cap desk.View full Profile

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