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How Many Hyperscale Data Centers Are There? 1,136 at Year-End 2024

The “more than 500” hyperscale data center milestone was reached in 2019. Synergy counted 1,136 operating facilities at the end of 2024, within its tracked provider group.
From TheFinanceBase Team2 min to read
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There were 1,136 operating hyperscale data center facilities at the end of 2024, according to Synergy Research Group figures reported by Utility Dive in 2025. The “more than 500” milestone dates to Q3 2019, when Synergy counted 504 facilities in the companies it tracked. These figures describe a defined group of major cloud and internet providers—not a universal census of every data center worldwide.

How the count changed from 2017 to 2024

Period Operating facilities What the figure represents
End of 2017 390 Synergy Research Group’s tracked hyperscale facilities, as reported by Data Center Knowledge in 2019. Source
Q3 2019 504 Synergy’s tracked universe; the milestone behind the original “more than 500” headline. Source
End of 2023 992 Operating facilities, according to Synergy figures summarized by Utility Dive in 2025. Source
End of 2024 1,136 Operating facilities, according to Synergy figures summarized by Utility Dive in 2025. Source

The increase from 992 to 1,136 is 144 facilities in the year-end totals. Synergy separately reported that 137 hyperscale data centers came online during 2024; that opening count and the net change between year-end totals are different measures, so they should not be treated as interchangeable. Utility Dive’s 2025 summary

What counts as a hyperscale data center?

“Hyperscale” is an analyst classification, not a globally standardized facility-size threshold. Synergy Research Group tracks facilities associated with a defined set of major cloud and internet companies, and its detailed classification method is proprietary. Its totals therefore show the scale of that tracked provider group, not every large data center or all data centers worldwide. Data Center Knowledge’s 2019 report described Synergy’s count and dataset.

Counts also depend on what is being counted. In 2019, Synergy reported 504 current facilities and a further 151 in planning or construction. The 151 were prospective sites, not operating facilities and not part of the 504 total. Source

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Where are hyperscale facilities located?

Synergy’s 2019 geographic snapshot showed a strong U.S. concentration: the United States accounted for almost 40% of tracked sites, China about 10%, and Japan about 7%. A separate report from the same period grouped China, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia together at 32%. These are different geographic cuts, not competing estimates: the first gives individual country shares, while the second combines five countries. Neither should be read as a current location breakdown. Data Center Knowledge, 2019 and Data Center Knowledge, 2019

Why are hyperscale data centers growing so quickly?

Cloud and internet services need more infrastructure

Cloud computing and social networking were among the demand drivers behind the expansion described in Synergy’s 2019 reporting. As use of these services grows, providers build or arrange more facilities to support their operations. Data Center Knowledge, 2019

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AI is adding pressure, while new facilities are getting larger

AI demand has become part of the more recent growth story. Synergy’s 2024 figures show that the expansion is not only about adding sites: newer facilities are larger, so compute capacity has been increasing faster than facility count. A facility total alone therefore cannot show how much computing infrastructure is available. Utility Dive, 2025

A few providers account for a large share of capacity

AWS, Microsoft, and Google together accounted for 59% of hyperscale compute capacity in Synergy’s 2024 analysis. This is a share of capacity, not a share of facilities: one measure describes computing capability and the other counts locations. Source

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Who owns the sites?

Owning the company that operates a hyperscale service does not necessarily mean owning the building or land. In Synergy’s 2019 analysis, more than 70% of hyperscale facilities were in leased or partner-owned sites. The figure is a historical snapshot, not a current ownership estimate. Data Center Knowledge, 2019

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