This isn't just racking servers in a warehouse. It's a multi-year capital project.
The real process: (1) Site selection based on power availability and fiber connectivity, (2) Utility feasibility study + interconnect application (6-24 months), (3) Design-build RFP with firms that have data center + electrical experience, (4) Permitting (3-12 months depending on jurisdiction), (5) Long-lead equipment procurement (transformers, switchgear, generators: 12-24 months), (6) Construction (12-18 months for shell + MEP), (7) Commissioning + testing (3-6 months). If everything goes perfectly, you're looking at 30-42 months from site selection to operational.
Power and cooling dominate the timeline. Liquid cooling infrastructure changes your mechanical design entirely — you're dealing with coolant distribution, heat exchangers, and pumps instead of just CRAC units. Miss the cooling design and your GPUs will throttle. Miss the power design and you'll trip breakers under load. Both have happened to well-funded AI compute projects in the last 18 months.
Don't start with hardware selection. Start with load calculations (kW per rack), redundancy requirements (N, N+1, 2N), and target PUE (power usage effectiveness). Work backwards from those to building requirements. If you're buying land, verify utility capacity in writing before closing. If you're leasing, confirm existing power infrastructure can support your load without major upgrades.
This is where SideGuy helps you skip the confusion and get clarity fast.
No pressure. No upsell. Just honest answers.
Text PJ: 773-544-1231AI compute infrastructure is moving fast. Companies are making expensive mistakes by committing to solutions before understanding their actual requirements. Good decisions come from understanding power, cooling, redundancy, and execution quality — not just hardware specs.