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Research, analysis, and perspectives on the built world.
Data Center Substation Development: Site Criteria, Utility Coordination and Delivery Risk
This article explains why substation development is now central to data center site selection and delivery. It covers site criteria, ownership models, utility coordination, equipment bottlenecks and the role AI can play in tracking risk before construction slips.
May 27, 2026 ·5 min read
Grid-Enhancing Technologies for Data Centers: What Developers Can Use Before New Transmission Arrives
This article explains how grid-enhancing technologies affect data center development strategy. It covers dynamic line ratings, power flow control, advanced conductors, topology optimization and where these tools matter in power-constrained markets.
May 27, 2026 ·5 min read
Data Center Transformer Procurement in 2026: Why Electrical Equipment Is Now a Development Constraint
This post explains why transformer and switchgear procurement has become a major constraint for data center development in 2026. It covers lead times, utility coordination, capital planning and how AI helps teams track equipment risk across site selection, procurement and delivery.
May 26, 2026 ·5 min read
AI Rack Density Planning for Data Centers: What Developers Need to Model Before Design Locks
This post defines AI rack density planning and explains why developers need to model rack power, liquid cooling, floor loading, electrical topology and phasing before design decisions lock. It separates what AI tools can calculate from the engineering judgments that still require expert review.
May 26, 2026 ·5 min read
Data Center Construction Quality Control with AI: How to Catch Defects Before Commissioning
This post breaks down how AI changes data center construction quality control, from design conformance checks to field evidence capture and commissioning readiness. It explains what AI can automate, where expert judgment still matters and why quality failures now threaten delivery schedules as much as power availability.
May 26, 2026 ·5 min read
Data Center Easement Due Diligence: What AI Can Catch Before Site Control
This post breaks down the easement and title review workflow for data center development. It explains which rights matter most, how AI can extract and cross-check them and where lawyers, surveyors and utility experts still need to sign off.
May 25, 2026 ·5 min read
Data Center Transmission Planning in 2026: The Constraint Behind the Constraint
This post explains why transmission planning has become the upstream constraint in data center development. It covers FERC Order No. 1920, load growth, interconnection congestion and what developers need to diligence before treating a power-rich site as viable.
May 25, 2026 ·5 min read
Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling: What It Changes in Data Center Development
This post explains direct-to-chip liquid cooling and why it matters for data center development. It covers site selection, water and heat rejection constraints, building design implications and where AI can help model cooling scenarios.
May 25, 2026 ·5 min read
AI Infrastructure Capex Is Rewriting Data Center Development in 2026
Hyperscale AI capex is reshaping the data center development pipeline. This piece explains why capital is moving faster than power, equipment and entitlement capacity, and what developers need to model before chasing AI infrastructure demand.
May 22, 2026 ·5 min read