The data centre build-out for artificial intelligence (AI) and hyperscaler infrastructure requires significant amounts of risk capital and is seen as an area of opportunity for the catastrophe bond, insurance-linked securities (ILS) and capital markets.
Data centre catastrophe bonds are being discussed and designed, while other data centre ILS arrangements are already being utilised.
Brokers and structuring agents are working to design risk transfer arrangements that can leverage the appetite of capital markets and ILS investors to bring large-scale insurance and reinsurance capacity to support the data centre infrastructure industries risk transfer needs.
Data centre cat bonds and ILS are anticipated to be used to cover peak natural catastrophe risk exposures, such as earthquakes and hurricanes.
While ILS capacity is also seen as viable for other exposures including business interruption covers, plus weather risk transfer arrangements are being utilised to cover exposure to other climate perils for data centre and other tech or AI infrastructure.
Read our data centre risk transfer news and analysis below, as well as insights on how cat bonds and ILS can play a role.
The global data centre insurance market is projected to grow from currently around US $11 billion to more than $24 billion by 2030, which comes as the market continues to drive an influx of infrastructure risks and opportunities, according to Allianz Commercial, the commercial insurance business of Allianz Group.
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As the insurance-linked securities (ILS) and catastrophe bond markets continue to embrace artificial intelligence (AI), the technology has the potential to help expand the market into new sectors like data centre risks, according to Ethan Powell, Principal and CIO of Brookmont Capital Management.
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Zurich, the European headquartered global re/insurance company, said this morning its has secured a significant $1 billion quota share reinsurance arrangement to support its growing business in underwriting data centre risks, while it has also broken out its US peak peril catastrophe reinsurance tower in its disclosures, now showing its recent catastrophe bond.
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As data center exposure continues to grow, it is placing significant pressure on the insurance industry to address these challenges. In light of this, Jason Bolding from Gallagher Securities has emphasised that the growth will require a blend of traditional insurance, reinsurance, captives, catastrophe bonds, and sidecars to effectively fill the widening protection gap.
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As the buildout of AI and digital infrastructure continues to expand across the re/insurance industry, driving insurance-linked securities (ILS) into this emerging sector relies heavily on key structural advancements, including the development of standardised parametric triggers and portfolio aggregation mechanisms, according to Michael Moloney of Oliver Wyman.
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With capacity constraints likely to limit the insurance industry’s ability to fully insure hyperscale data centre projects, given their scale and complexity, a new report from S&P notes that this will drive greater use of self-insurance through captive insurers, and potentially, alternative capital such as insurance-linked securities (ILS).
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A new analysis from Lloyd’s global specialist re/insurer MS Amlin has revealed that 56% of the 670 planned US data centre projects representing nearly $800 billion in investment, are located in states that are highly exposed to either hurricanes, severe convective storms, earthquakes or winterstorms.
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As alternative capital continues to integrate further into the global reinsurance market, in order for this to be truly sustainable the sector must prioritise better modeling, greater transparency and careful sequencing of product development so that capital can be deployed where it strengthens resilience, according to Laurent Rousseau of Guy Carpenter.
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Two of the Lloyd’s syndicates operated by specialist ILS investment manager Nephila Capital are set to provide capacity support to a new property treaty consortium launched by MS Amlin, with data centre risk underwriting said to be a key focus for the new venture.
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Adoption of advanced technology and artificial intelligence are serving to expand addressable markets for the insurance and reinsurance industry, with digital infrastructure one example where data analytics are expected to help Aon access institutional sources of capital for its clients, CEO Greg Case explained today.
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