Data Center Space in Chi. has Become Scarce

The chiller plant at DuPont Fabros’ facility in Elk Grove Village, IL.

CHICAGO—The demand for online content will soon double the size of the nation’s data center sector, experts say, but for now, available space remains scarce in some key markets, including Chicago. In fact, of the region’s total inventory of about 3.9 million square feet, just 266,947 square feet of commissioned space remains vacant, according to JLL’s latest data center report.

But once the power limitations in several key submarkets are fixed, the company expects that major providers will accelerate the launching of speculative builds, and by late 2017, these new vacancies should give users more leverage to negotiate lower rates.