A new CBRE Research report finds that the artificial intelligence boom is reverberating beyond data center campuses and reshaping requirements for nearby industrial real estate. The analysis, released as Part 3 of a four-part series on AI and commercial real estate, concludes that both the expansion of data centers and the adoption of AI-driven warehouse automation are altering what occupiers look for in industrial space.
According to the report, companies that build, supply and service data centers increasingly seek locations close to large groupings of facilities. CBRE defines these operating clusters as areas where 11 or more data centers are located within roughly two miles. Within such clusters, tech tenants account for a significantly higher share of leasing than in other areas, signing nearly twice as many leases on a percentage basis. Specialized research and development users also play a much larger role in these locations, nearly doubling their share of leasing compared with non-cluster markets.
This concentration of digital infrastructure activity is translating into measurable rent premiums for nearby industrial properties, CBRE reports. Landlords with space proximate to 11-facility data center clusters achieve average rents that are approximately 6.8% higher than comparable buildings elsewhere. Where clusters reach 21 or more facilities, the premium rises to about 9.8%. With almost no new industrial supply being delivered inside these high-density data center zones, the firm expects this pricing advantage to remain durable.
The report also highlights how AI-enabled operations are influencing the physical specifications of newly built industrial properties. To support advanced automation, robotics and AI-guided workflows, developers and occupiers are targeting warehouses with clear heights of 40 feet or more. CBRE notes that robust electrical capacity has become a fundamental requirement as equipment loads increase, and that building layouts are being designed from the outset around machine and system needs rather than traditional manual processes.
Taken together, CBRE’s findings underscore that AI is affecting both where industrial users want to be relative to data center clusters and how new facilities are configured. Higher rents near dense concentrations of data centers and evolving design standards for AI-ready warehouses point to a tightening connection between digital infrastructure expansion and industrial real estate demand.
