Apple plans to build its second data center in China at Ulanqab City in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The surge in data demand is creating new sectors like quantum real estate and powered land. Hines research shows 40,000 acres of powered land are needed to support data center growth in the next five years.

Hines, a real estate investment manager, is securing power and entitlements for hyperscale sites. Powered land has become an investable asset class due to scarce and valuable power rights. Tech companies and energy producers are leading the competition for powered land as the demand for data centers grows.

Silver Lake and Commonwealth Asset Management launched a powered land platform with $400 million to address the escalating demand for data centers. Data center hubs will expand beyond crowded markets like northern Virginia to power-rich regions in the Midwest and Texas. Europe and the Middle East show potential for developers and investors in the data center industry.

Read more at CNBC: Major real estate developers are fast becoming power brokers