AI Firms Drive Office Take-Up in Central London 2026

Key Points

• Surging AI Demand: According to data published by CBRE, artificial intelligence (AI) office take-up reached 450,816 sq ft in Central London during the second quarter of 2026.
• Record-Breaking Half-Year Performance: Total AI-related office take-up for the first half (H1) of 2026 hit 705,371 sq ft, soaring more than four times higher than the 165,819 sq ft recorded in H1 2025 and more than doubling the full-year 2025 total of 317,979 sq ft.
• Overall Market Statistics: Central London office take-up reached 2.7m sq ft in Q2, marking a 19% increase compared to Q1. However, this activity remained 7% below the 10-year quarterly average of 2.9m sq ft and down 14% year-on-year against Q2 2025.
• Sector Dominance: Technology, media, and telecoms (TMT) companies accounted for 27% of all activity in Q2, with AI occupiers executing two of the quarter’s four largest transactions.
• Major Transactions: Prominent deals included Anthropic leasing 158,500 sq ft at 1 Triton Square and OpenAI committing to 95,500 sq ft at Jahn Court, Regent Quarter.
• Space Preferences: Secondhand spaces made up 64% of total Q2 take-up (slightly above the 10-year average of 61%), while newly completed space represented 29% of activity, significantly outperforming its 17% long-term historical average.

London (The Londoner News) July 27, 2026 — Artificial intelligence (AI) enterprises have continued to aggressively secure workspace footprints across Central London throughout the second quarter of 2026, establishing themselves as a primary catalyst for market recovery according to newly released real estate analytics from CBRE.

As detailed by Simon Creasey of Business & Equipment News (BeNews), the latest commercial real estate data underscores an unprecedented wave of expansion by frontier technology firms. AI-focused occupiers accounted for a substantial 450,816 sq ft of office take-up between April and June 2026 alone. When combined with the first quarter’s figures, the total H1 2026 take-up attributable to AI businesses climbed to an extraordinary 705,371 sq ft.

This volume represents a more than fourfold expansion compared to the 165,819 sq ft recorded during the corresponding period in 2025, and comfortably more than double the entire 317,979 sq ft footprint absorbed by AI companies across the entirety of the 2025 calendar year.

What are the overarching metrics for Central London’s office market in Q2 2026?

Looking at the broader commercial property landscape, CBRE’s research—as reported by Simon Creasey of BeNews—indicated that aggregate Central London office take-up hit 2.7 million sq ft during the second quarter. This figure reflects a positive 19% quarter-on-quarter growth trajectory compared to the opening three months of the year.

Despite this quarterly bounce, market velocity has not completely returned to pre-downturn norms. As highlighted by Simon Creasey of BeNews, total leasing activity remained 7% lower than the 10-year quarterly average benchmark of 2.9 million sq ft, and lagged 14% behind the figures logged in Q2 2025.

In terms of sectoral breakdown, companies operating within the technology, media, and telecoms (TMT) bracket captured the lion’s share of leasing demand, representing 27% of all activity executed across the capital during the quarter.

Within this group, AI firms exerted an outsized influence, securing two out of the four largest property transactions finalized in Central London throughout Q2.

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Which major AI transactions defined the quarter’s leasing activity?

The market surge was punctuated by high-profile corporate real estate commitments from leading US-headquartered artificial intelligence developers.

As reported by Simon Creasey of BeNews, Anthropic finalized a massive transaction to lease 158,500 sq ft of high-grade office space at 1 Triton Square.

Expanding upon the wider market context reported by May Agaran of Green Street News and Ellie Rockey, PR Manager for CBRE, the quarter also featured OpenAI committing to a substantial 95,500 sq ft footprint at Jahn Court within the Regent Quarter development.

These mega-deals form part of a broader structural transformation taking place across Central London’s commercial districts.

Additional industry reporting by tech journalists highlights that major global AI entities—including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google—have been aggressively building out their European operational hubs, heavily concentrating their footprints in innovation clusters such as London’s Knowledge Quarter.

How are preferences shifting regarding secondhand versus newly completed spaces?

The composition of property choices made by corporate occupiers during Q2 2026 also revealed distinct structural shifts in the types of buildings being selected. According to market data cited by Simon Creasey of BeNews, secondhand spaces accounted for the vast majority of leasing velocity, capturing 64% of total take-up in the second quarter. This metric hovers slightly above the historical 10-year quarterly average of 61%.

Simultaneously, newly completed commercial developments experienced robust demand, accounting for 29% of all leasing transactions during the period.

This performance significantly outperforms the long-term historical average of 17% for newly built assets, demonstrating that major occupiers—particularly well-capitalised tech and AI firms—continue to place a premium on top-tier, modern, and environmentally sustainable office spaces that meet stringent corporate standards.

What do industry leaders say about the outlook for AI-driven office demand?

Evaluating the operational momentum observed over the spring months, senior real estate figures have pointed toward a sustained structural trend rather than a short-lived anomaly.

As quoted by Simon Creasey of BeNews, Andy Monighan, head of office brokerage for London at CBRE, stated that:

“Leasing activity strengthened during Q2, driven by the rapid increase in AI demand and a healthy pipeline of transactions across Central London.”

Monighan further referenced CBRE’s proprietary market study, adding that:

“As referenced in our recently released ‘London’s Future: AI-Driven Office Demand’ report we fully expect AI occupiers to play an increasingly important role in the market and it was no surprise to see them driving some of the quarter’s largest transactions.”

This sentiment is echoed across the wider financial and commercial real estate community. Market analyses from equity and intelligence groups, including insights published by Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Jeffrey S. Langbaum, Sue Munden, and Patrick Wong, suggest that aggressive AI-driven workforce expansion combined with corporate return-to-office mandates are continuing to stimulate incremental demand.

This dynamic is steadily fostering a bifurcated market ecosystem wherein top-tier, innovation-aligned prime assets consistently outperform the wider, more cautious segments of the commercial property landscape.

As the second half of 2026 commences, real estate analysts anticipate that the relentless expansion of artificial intelligence enterprises will remain a principal stabilizing and driving force for Central London’s commercial property market, helping offset lingering macroeconomic sluggishness and reshaping the geography of the capital’s tech sector.