Research, analysis, and perspectives on the built world.
The data center construction labor shortage is becoming a development constraint as AI campuses scale from tens of megawatts to hundreds. This post explains why electricians, mechanical contractors and commissioning specialists now affect market selection, schedule risk and underwriting.
May 12, 2026 ·5 min read
Digital twins for data center development create a live model of power, cooling, layout and operational constraints before construction starts. This post explains what teams can model today, where the technology is still early and how AI makes digital twins more useful for development decisions.
May 12, 2026 ·5 min read
PJM's 2026 load forecast makes power availability a front-end underwriting question for data center developers. The post explains what changed, which metrics matter and how developers should price grid risk before site control.
May 11, 2026 ·5 min read
Grid capacity screening is now one of the first filters in data center site selection. This workflow explains how developers should combine load forecasts, utility evidence, interconnection risk and human judgment before committing to a site.
May 11, 2026 ·4 min read
Battery storage is becoming part of the data center development stack as power demand, interconnection delays and reliability concerns rise. This post explains where BESS helps, where it does not and how developers should underwrite it.
May 11, 2026 ·5 min read
A practical data center commissioning checklist for developers moving from construction completion to operational turnover. Covers OPR, Basis of Design, factory testing, integrated systems testing, AI-assisted tracking and final handover risk.
May 10, 2026 ·5 min read
A developer-focused guide to data center cooling systems in the AI era. Covers air cooling, containment, rear-door heat exchangers, direct-to-chip liquid cooling, immersion cooling and how cooling strategy affects site selection, water risk and phasing.
May 10, 2026 ·5 min read
A practical explanation of AI capacity planning for data center developers. Covers the inputs, workflows, limitations and human-judgment layer needed to model power, tenant demand, equipment lead times and phased delivery.
May 10, 2026 ·5 min read
An AI agent for real estate plans and executes multi-step property workflows, from site selection to due diligence and underwriting. This guide explains where agents create value, how they differ from chatbots and what institutional teams should check before deployment.
May 9, 2026 ·5 min read