The AI boom has fundamentally changed how we build data centers. Land, connectivity, and power are the three core pillars of any data center project, but the primary focus has moved to power.
– Data Center Dynamics
Securing sufficient power has become the single biggest bottleneck in the AI era. In fact, power is now considered the top priority for data center operators, with a recent survey from Cushman & Wakefield showing it's the top consideration for developers in the Americas.
Without accurately evaluating power, data center developers risk significant sunk costs from choosing land before securing power and long interconnection timelines that can kill a once viable project overnight.
For a project to succeed in this new environment, developers must adopt a proactive strategy that prioritizes power from day one. The AI race demands a new approach to site selection - one focused on finding viable power quickly to enable efficient capital deployment and achieve rapid pipeline growth.
