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 CBRE’s latest 2026 Asia Pacific Office Occupier Survey, office attendance has reached a “steady state”, with companies “prioritising 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. “With attendance and utilisation largely stabilised at higher levels,” he said. “What 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 Asia-Pacific Data Centre Association (APDCA) has published a new white paper advocating for data centres to serve as catalysts for modernising regional power and water utilities as digital demand grows.
This urgency aligns with the IPE 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. “Across 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.”
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