Insights

Research, analysis, and perspectives on the built world.

Industry

AI Infrastructure Capex in 2026: What Hyperscaler Spending Means for Developers

AI infrastructure capex is becoming a real estate development cycle, not just a chip-buying cycle. This post explains how hyperscaler spending changes site selection, power strategy and underwriting for institutional developers.

May 8, 2026 ·5 min read

Industry

Behind-the-Meter Power for Data Centers: Why Gas Turbines Are Back in the Stack

This post explains why behind-the-meter power is returning to data center development strategy. It covers gas turbines, temporary generation, utility constraints, procurement timelines, emissions risk and how developers should underwrite on-site power options.

May 6, 2026 ·5 min read

Industry

AI for Real Estate Investors: How Institutional Capital Teams Are Using It Right Now

Institutional capital teams are deploying AI across deal screening, underwriting, portfolio monitoring, and investor reporting. This post covers where AI is adding measurable value today, what the human judgment layer still requires, and how to sequence deployment across a capital team's workflow.

May 4, 2026 ·4 min read

Industry

Nuclear Power for Data Centers: What the Hyperscaler Procurement Rush Means for Developers

Hyperscalers including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are securing nuclear energy agreements at unprecedented scale, restarting existing plants and contracting for small modular reactors. This piece covers what that capital deployment means for data center site selection, how nuclear-adjacent sites are being priced, and the timeline risks developers need to model before underwriting.

May 1, 2026 ·5 min read

Industry

What Does a Real Estate Development Consultant Do? And When AI Changes the Answer

Development consulting spans feasibility, entitlement, project management, capital markets, and technical due diligence. This post maps the category clearly and explains how AI-native delivery is compressing timelines without eliminating the judgment layer that experienced practitioners provide.

April 30, 2026 ·4 min read

Industry

Site Selection Services: What They Include and How AI Is Changing the Category

Site selection services have historically been limited by consultant bandwidth, covering 8-15 markets over weeks. AI-native delivery now screens 50+ markets simultaneously with real-time power and zoning data, fundamentally changing the coverage, speed, and reproducibility of the process. This post covers what traditional services include, where AI changes the model, and what to evaluate before hiring a partner.

April 29, 2026 ·5 min read

Industry

Data Center Development Services: What They Cover and What to Look for in a Partner

Data center development services span site sourcing, power analysis, due diligence coordination, capital stack modeling, and permitting support. AI-native firms operate at higher throughput than traditional consultants, screening hundreds of sites concurrently and coordinating due diligence workstreams without the staffing constraints of legacy advisory models. This guide covers what the category includes and the five criteria institutional development teams should use to evaluate partners.

April 27, 2026 ·4 min read

Industry

Sovereign Wealth Funds Are Betting on Digital Infrastructure. Here Is What That Means for Developers.

Sovereign wealth funds including GIC, ADIA, Mubadala and PIF have rotated aggressively into digital infrastructure real estate, concentrating capital in data centers, fiber networks and energy assets. This piece covers which funds are leading the allocation, why the shift is structural rather than cyclical, and three practical implications for development teams navigating a market where sovereign-backed platforms are setting the pace.

April 24, 2026 ·4 min read

Industry

AI for Commercial Real Estate: What It Covers, What It Changes, and How Build Fits In

A practitioner-level overview of where AI is deployed across commercial real estate in 2026 -- from site screening and market analysis to due diligence, underwriting and investor reporting. Covers the buyer landscape by asset class and positions Build as the AI-native development services firm for institutional clients.

April 20, 2026 ·4 min read