Recently, Jensen Huang’s visit to China set off intense interest across the tech and investment communities. As the head of global AI computing leader NVIDIA, Huang said at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos that the largest AI infrastructure buildout in human history is already underway. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been invested so far, he noted, and trillions more in infrastructure still need to be built.
Against this backdrop, prefabricated modular data centers—deployed with a “building block” approach—are emerging as a critical solution to the growing gap between AI demand and computing supply. CIMC Digital Power is leveraging its fully integrated, end-to-end capabilities to take a leading position in this race.
As a strategic resource in the AI era, global demand for data centers is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 19% to 22%, with total capacity projected to reach 171–219 GW by 2030.
Traditional construction models, however, are struggling to keep up. Multi-year civil works timelines, heavy upfront capital expenditures, and persistently high energy consumption are poorly suited to AI workloads that evolve on a monthly—or even weekly—basis.
Modular data centers address these pain points directly. By shifting up to 90% of construction into a factory environment, with on-site work limited to assembly and commissioning, delivery timelines can be reduced by more than 50%. Just as importantly, this approach brings predictability in quality, performance, and schedule. Phased deployment also lowers utilization risk and makes projects more viable in regions where fiber connectivity or power supply may be unstable.
Global tech leaders such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google—along with Chinese giants including ByteDance and Alibaba Group—have all incorporated modular strategies into their long-term infrastructure plans.
CIMC has been exploring and developing modular data center solutions since 2013, with a clear goal: transform data center projects from one-off construction endeavors into scalable, industrialized products. The focus is on optimizing efficiency, cost, and sustainability—so that computing capacity can be deployed at the pace of technological breakthroughs, with solutions that are effectively “plug-and-play.”
Through close collaboration with EPC contractors and ecosystem partners, CIMC has supported the global rollout of multiple landmark projects. In 2022, the A100 prefabricated modular data center built by CIMC Xinhui was delivered in the United Arab Emirates, becoming one of the largest overseas prefabricated modular data center projects at the time, recognized for its streamlined design, efficiency, sustainability, and intelligent systems.
Building on more than a decade of modular expertise, CIMC Digital Power has also participated in globally significant, ultra-large-scale projects. In 2024, the company successfully delivered the world’s first ultra-large modular data center—the Malaysia 2312 project—cementing its industry leadership.
The project comprises 833 standard modules and supports approximately 60 MW of IT load. From design and manufacturing to integration, transportation, and final installation, the entire lifecycle was completed in under 10 months—nearly half the 18 to 24 months typically required under conventional construction models.
Notably, the facility achieved industry-leading power usage effectiveness (PUE). The construction cost per watt was on par with traditional steel-structure plus skid-based solutions, while saving more than four months in schedule. The result was a triple breakthrough in build speed, energy performance, and economic return—offering a scalable model for rapid deployment of hyperscale data centers worldwide.
This case highlights four defining strengths of next-generation modular data centers: rapid deployment, predictable performance, flexible scalability, and high energy efficiency.
*Malaysia 2312
As a core strategic platform for digital energy integration under CIMC Group, CIMC Digital Power is committed to delivering highly reliable, modular, and low-carbon data center solutions worldwide. Backed by the group’s advanced equipment manufacturing capabilities and global delivery network, the company has delivered over 1,000 MW of cumulative capacity and more than 17,000 modules across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and other regions.
In the AI era, where computing demand is growing exponentially, the key challenge has shifted from standalone equipment performance to end-to-end system efficiency. The market now demands integrated solution providers capable of orchestrating the entire value chain.
CIMC Digital Power’s integrated model is designed precisely for large-scale, repeatable computing deployment. Using modular architecture as its foundation, the company tightly integrates five critical stages—design, manufacturing, logistics, installation, and commissioning—into a closed-loop system built on hardware standardization, software intelligence, and global service capability.
This approach draws on more than 40 years of expertise accumulated by CIMC Group in the container industry. The same principles of standardized design, high-precision manufacturing, and mass production at scale have been seamlessly applied to modular data centers—making computing infrastructure deployment as efficient and controllable as container production.
Leveraging CIMC Group’s global logistics and multimodal transport network, prefabricated modules can be shipped directly from Chinese factories to project sites worldwide, with localized installation, commissioning, and after-sales support. The result is a scalable “manufactured in China, delivered globally” model that provides clients with the certainty needed to secure AI computing advantages.
In an increasingly competitive landscape, this hybrid capability forms a formidable barrier to entry. Traditional construction firms may understand modular building from an engineering standpoint, but lack the DNA of standardized mass manufacturing. Pure container manufacturers may excel at scale, yet lack the system integration and engineering expertise required for complex data center deployment. CIMC Digital Power occupies the intersection—one of the few players with core strengths in both domains.
Looking ahead, CIMC Digital Power is strengthening its competitive moat through parallel investments in technology upgrades and production capacity expansion. The company plans to grow its R&D team and push toward higher-value, more integrated functional modules. At the same time, new manufacturing facilities are being planned to support continued global expansion.
Currently, the company is delivering prefabricated data center solutions for AI and cloud computing clients with combined demand exceeding 300 MW.
In the AI era, the speed, reliability, and sustainability of computing infrastructure define competitive advantage. Through modular innovation, CIMC Digital Power is enabling high-quality, low-carbon, and highly reliable digital energy solutions—helping global AI infrastructure scale faster and smarter.
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