GCC Copper Demand Set to Surge with Data Centre Boom

Copper demand in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is poised for steady growth over the medium term, driven by investments in digital infrastructure and energy transition projects.

A report by global financial services firm UBS expects the region to benefit from expanding data centre capacity and rising investment in electricity generation, transmission, and distribution networks.

The report highlights that copper demand linked to data centres and associated power generation is projected to increase from around 900 kilotonnes in 2025 to nearly 1.55 million tonnes by 2030, representing annual growth of about 11%.

This growth is attributed to the increasing electricity consumption and cooling requirements of AI-driven hyperscale data centres, which require significantly larger volumes of copper for transformers, switchgear, busbars, and other critical electrical equipment.