Webinar

Opportunities and risks shaping the data centre boom

15 October 2026

3 sessions:

15 October 2026 – 10.00am EDT (Americas)
15 October 2026 – 10.00am HKT (Hong Kong)
15 October 2026 – 10.00am BST (London)

online

The construction sector is entering a transformative era, driven by the explosive rise of artificial intelligence and the surging demand for data centres. As investors and policymakers grapple with the implications, the market is contending with questions around capacity, supply constraints, and supportive infrastructure.

In this webinar Dr Nicholas Fearnley and Matthew Mercer will discuss the major forces shaping the outlook for data centre development including:

what is driving the remarkable demand for data centres, and how sustainable is this growth?
To what extent will the delivery of new data centres be limited by capacity bottlenecks, skills shortages, or supply constraints, and what are the risks of oversupply?
What are the wider implications for associated infrastructure such as energy and water networks, and which sectors will feel the brunt of these changes?
Who will be the biggest winners and losers as the market adapts to increased AI and data centre investment?
How real are the productivity benefits from AI adoption, and what does this mean for the construction workforce and project delivery?

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Speakers

Nicholas Fearnley

Dr Nicholas Fearnley is the Head of Global Construction Forecasting, based in Sydney. Nicholas oversees the teams that produce the various construction, mining, and maintenance studies. He works over the full construction spectrum, and regularly presents and provides commentary for both the construction and mining industries.

Nicholas joined Oxford Economics in 2019 after working at Macromontor, where he was responsible for producing regular Australian building construction forecast reports, and bespoke cost escalation and material demand forecasts.

Prior to joining Macromonitor, Nicholas completed a PhD at the University of Sydney with a thesis titled: “A Critical and Quantitative Analysis of the Relationship between Informal Institutions and Economic Development.” He was awarded the Walter Noel Gillies Prize for best PhD thesis in Economics, and his thesis was accepted without edits.

Nicholas has undergraduate degrees in both Accounting and Applied Finance from Macquarie University, and a first class honours degree in Accounting from the University of Sydney with a thesis titled: “Culture and the Measurement Decision Offered by Investment Property”.

Head of Global Construction Forecasting

April Skinner

April is the Senior Economist responsible for producing the Asian Construction Service. The service provides comprehensive analysis and forecasts on building and infrastructure construction across 13 countries in Asia including New Zealand. She has experience in econometric modelling and holds a Master’s degree in econometrics and financial economics.

Senior Economist, Asia Construction, OE Australia

Matthew Mercer

Matthew is a Senior Economist within Oxford Economics’ Global Construction Service. He is responsible for monitoring and forecasting the construction industry in Northern and Western Europe for the Global Construction Service, while also forecasting construction for all countries in the Global Industry Service. He is also responsible for service developments and improvements to our forecasting processes.

Matthew first joined as a placement student in 2020, before returning in 2022 after completing his BSc Economics and Management degree at Loughborough University.”

Senior Economist – Global Construction Forecasting