Data Centers Are The Future – Here’s 5 Steps To Build Your Own

In recent years, especially since 2020, we’ve witnessed an unprecedented surge in connectivity, user distribution, and the demand for always-on systems, culminating in the rapid expansion of Data Centers. According to recent report by McKinsey & Company, the US data center demand is forecast to grow by some 10 percent a year until 2030.

This article is a comprehensive guide for evolving organizations considering the construction of their own Data Centers, a journey involving critical planning and execution across five distinct phases.

Phase One: Assessment

Before initiating the construction, it’s crucial to decide whether the Data Center will be custom-built or a spec build. This decision impacts everything from site selection to design, as a privately built Data Center must align with the company’s long-term objectives. Key considerations for site selection include land availability, zoning, soil testing, existing structures, topography, power and water supply, fiber connectivity, staffing, accessibility, and natural disaster risks.

Phase Two: Planning

Planning often occurs alongside, or even before, design and site selection. It involves outlining various parameters such as Power Usage Efficiency (PUE), redundancies, use cases, renewable energy, security, staffing, and permits. Common planning mistakes include focusing solely on initial costs rather than Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), underestimating construction costs, overcomplicating designs, and not adequately considering the cost-time impact of design choices.

Phase Three: Design

This stage addresses specific questions related to the Data Center’s viability, including sustainability certification, rack density goals, and the number of floors. The design phase requires coordination between electrical, mechanical, and architectural teams, heavily influenced by decisions made in the previous phases.

Phase Four: Construction and Commissioning

Here, the actual building of the Data Center takes place. The complexity of the project can vary significantly, from a simple powered-shell design taking a few months to a complex Hyperscale Data Center requiring up to two years. This phase tests the ability to maintain data integrity without relying on a Colocation facility, especially with the increasing demand for Cloud computing.

Phase Five: Operation

Operations commence post-construction and commissioning, focusing on deploying resources and monitoring server performance. Inconsistencies in data utilization and performance must be identified and addressed, potentially requiring revisions in previous phases and additional investments.

Building a Data Center is a complex, multi-phase process that requires careful consideration at each step. While it offers benefits like enhanced security and control, the decision to build should align with the organization’s goals and readiness to manage each phase effectively.