Market insights: Power plays

AI is driving a surge in power demand we haven’t seen since the early 20th century. The U.S. demand for electricity will rise at a 2.4% compound annual growth rate between 2022 and 2030, and one-third of that demand through 2026 is expected to come from the data center sector. Keeping pace with these needs means embracing innovation, investing in new technology, expanding service offerings, and more. We’ve already begun seeing shifts in this direction across the industry.

The need to build with speed at a large scale has encouraged the wider adoption of modular and prefabricated construction. Facilities are being redesigned to support new cooling developed to address skyrocketing power densities. The desire for lower latency edge facilities in urban markets is leading companies to explore vertical data center construction in landlocked locations. These new infrastructure demands are requiring builders, developers, and everyone in between to grapple with growing facility and power needs. AI’s growth is already proving to be exponential, and we anticipate seeing these demands continue to evolve as its usage becomes more widespread.

Stay tuned for future editions of market insights, where we’ll continue exploring trends driving construction across the industry. In the meantime, click here to view Brasfield & Gorrie’s best-in-class data center projects.