Data centers are the physical backbone of the digital economy — the buildings, power systems, and cooling infrastructure that keep applications, cloud platforms, and AI workloads running around the clock. This section covers the fundamentals and latest developments in data center design, operations, and management, from power distribution and redundancy standards to facility planning and uptime best practices. Whether you’re evaluating a build, managing an existing facility, or just trying to understand how modern infrastructure works, these articles break down the technical and operational realities behind the world’s most critical buildings.
Local opposition blocked or delayed $130 billion in U.S. data center projects in Q1 2026 alone, and New York just signed the nation’s first statewide moratorium — here’s what buyers need to underwrite now.
The average U.S. data center project now costs $1.18B, up 2.3x in a year. Here’s what’s driving it and how buyers should restructure contracts to avoid eating the overrun.
Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta now report $149B in depreciation against roughly $700B in 2026 AI infrastructure capex. Here is what that $285B-a-year gap means for anyone signing a GPU lease or colocation contract.
A January 2026 BIS rule shifted H200 and MI325X license review to case-by-case, added a 25% export duty, and opened a new UAE carve-out — here’s what the new chip export regime means for where buyers can build and which GPUs they can actually get.
Georgia’s data center tax exemptions will cost $2.5 billion in FY2026 — 664% above projections — as Virginia, Ohio, Arizona and Illinois move to freeze or claw back similar breaks.
Data center ABS issuance is on pace to hit roughly $61B in 2026, up from $15.5B in 2025, after an August SEC exemption eased disclosure rules. Here is what the securitization boom means for anyone signing a long-term lease.
PJM wants FERC’s approval to curtail large data centers before other customers during emergencies — and ERCOT modeling shows flexibility could save $5.5B a year at 40 GW of load. Here’s what buyers need to negotiate.
Ohio and Virginia now lock data centers into 85% minimum-take power contracts for 12-14 years, with Virginia requiring $1.5M per MW in collateral — here’s what it means for your next capacity deal.
Data center construction spending hit $98.5 billion in 2026, but a 499,000-worker shortfall in skilled trades — not power or permits — is now the biggest threat to your delivery date.
Brussels’ energy-efficiency reporting mandate has moved from paperwork to enforcement, with Germany fining non-compliant operators up to €100,000 and new PUE targets reshaping colocation deals — here’s what buyers need to ask for.