This study addresses the increasing recognition of data centers as core assets for national digital competitiveness and industrial infrastructure in the context of rapid AI proliferation and accelerating digital transformation. It reconceptualizes the...
This study addresses the increasing recognition of data centers as core assets for national digital competitiveness and industrial infrastructure in the context of rapid AI proliferation and accelerating digital transformation. It reconceptualizes the entire data center development process into a full life cycle and empirically analyzes the relative importance of key decision-making factors at each stage. Data centers are defined as hybrid real estate and digital infrastructure assets that integrate power and communications systems, operational performance, and financial structures. By reinterpreting and adapting Donovan’s (2014) life-cycle model for the domestic context, this study establishes a four-stage analytical framework: market analysis and project planning, project structure and financing, design and construction, and operation and disposition.
The research methodology involved a comprehensive review of prior literature and industry reports, complemented by expert focus group interviews (FGIs), to develop a hierarchical framework consisting of four major categories, twelve subcategories, and fifty indicators. Based on a survey of industry experts, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy-AHP) were applied. These methods ensured logical consistency in pairwise comparisons while accounting for the uncertainty inherent in expert perceptions, thereby enhancing the stability and interpretability of the results.
The analysis reveals that the importance structure of data center projects is not evenly distributed but is concentrated in the operation and disposition stage, where value is primarily realized. This finding contrasts with conventional development-oriented approaches that emphasize the early development phase. Specifically, factors associated with operational stability—such as performance assessment, asset value enhancement, power supply redundancy arrangements, and real-time monitoring—were identified as critical. These results indicate that data center value is driven by operational performance and cash flow stability rather than the initial construction phase.
Furthermore, the Fuzzy-AHP analysis indicates that, following uncertainty adjustment, the importance of factors such as infrastructure reliability, financial feasibility, and ESG-based social acceptance was further strengthened. These findings demonstrate that data center projects are evaluated beyond technical specifications, reflecting a composite value determination structure where policy, finance, and sustainability are integrally combined.
Overall, this study defines the data center development process as the full life cycle and systematizes it into a stage-based analytical framework. It empirically demonstrates that value creation is concentrated in the operation and disposition stages. This dual nature—exhibiting real estate characteristics during development while generating value through operational performance and technology—implies that data centers are hybrid assets requiring long-term, integrated management strategies.