David Mitchell, Founder & CEO of XYZ Reality, explains how real-time data and advanced construction technologies can improve data centre builds, reducing delays and saving costs.

Data centre construction is notoriously prone to delays and errors. These errors inevitably drive up project costs, shroud sites in uncertainty and cause significant delays in facility activation, compounding the financial strain on capital budgets.

Investors, project stakeholders, general contractors, project planners and on-the-ground engineers alike are keen to keep builds within budget, on-time and error-free. This doesn’t match reality, considering an overwhelming majority of projects are delivered late.

It is not simple to fix, though – at least, it hasn’t always been – but the emergence of precision data, real-time project management and technologically enabled construction are all changing the game.

But let’s step back and address why time to market is so critical in the first place: everything comes down to dollars and cents.

Counting the cost

This is why accelerating data centre construction is now a top priority in many boardrooms. After all, the longer facilities take to become operational, the longer an operator needs to recoup their costs.

The bottom-line consequences are even starker. Failing to meet deadline after deadline rapidly racks up project costs. Delayed operators are quick to seek reparations and the end-users – those relying on the data within facilities – suffer a poorer service and slower business growth.

On the ground, the outcomes rarely fare better. Delayed time to market increases equipment usage time, strains labour capacity, risks reputational harm, reduces liquidity, and causes friction with contractors.

Owners and investors end up spending even more precious capital for the same eventual outcome, shift plans elsewhere, reset market expectations and risk losing potential revenue because the facility takes longer to become operational.

All-in-all, it is imperative for every party involved that data centre builds complete on time and on budget – yet it is almost never the case.

How precise data is shaping the future of data centre construction

Data – somewhat ironically considering it’s the driving force behind the recent boom in data centre construction – is the key to more efficient, effective construction projects.

When harnessed with intent and a clearly defined plan, gathering construction data and visualising progress on-site in real-time and in actionable, accurate formats enables teams to spot errors before they are made.

This is a revolutionary development for mission critical infrastructure that is in demand more now than ever.

Proactively identifying issues before they occur saves precious time and, therefore, money. Minute adjustments to construction before laying down cement and infrastructure can have lasting impacts – often eliminating any knock-on effects further into a project – saving on time wastage, material outlay, and labour.

What once was a dream for engineers – getting things right first time – is rapidly becoming a reality.

Unshrouding the mystery

While 3D BIM are used before the project gets underway, these are commonly reduced to 2D copies on-site. There are plenty of examples of how inefficient and error-prone this can be, leading to discrepancies between plans and the actual build.

Let’s remember that we are 3D creatures who operate in a 3D world, so why are we still operating from archaic 2D drawings on-site? These static guides are cumbersome to update and lead to error after error.

Fortunately, there are now tools with millimetre precision that can capture and apply data in the field, putting accurate insights in the hands of those who need it. This data then allows us to generate 3D models on-site.

Such meticulousness cultivates complete trust and confidence in the project. These benefits should never be understated, especially during long stints of hard work and within multilayered schedules where numerous parties must coordinate effectively.

The proof is in the pudding

There are countless projects where reducing time to market is a critical component to a project’s success.

A prime example of this was a recent $120 million data centre build in Ireland that avoided a hefty six-week delay using precision data.

In this example, the team hadn’t collected and analysed objective data, so they were unaware that the project was due to miss its projected time to market by well over a month – effectively heading towards a disaster without even realising it.

By gathering critical, precise data and visualising it effectively, the teams involved were able to identify issues, rectify errors promptly, and deliver the project on time. This was achieved through efficient resource allocation and workforce activity optimisation, staying ahead of the critical path, preventing errors and rework, and receiving objective insights through precise, real-time data.

As a result of reducing the time to market, they generated an estimated $14 million in operational revenue that would have otherwise been lost to the ether.

The industry is littered with these examples, all of which illustrate the importance of time to market and how critical deadlines can be met through the power of data.

Data centres are critical infrastructure and the demand for these facilities is only going to grow, not only in number but also complexity.

Building smarter is essential for meeting the insatiable demand for data, but equally for the sake of those responsible for constructing digital real estate and the commercial health of their companies.

And I leave you with this perspective. While those in construction are waking up to the pivotal role data can play, there’s an even exciting trend emerging. More innovation is on the horizon with the continued development of AI: we’re already witnessing how the combination of the two is fast becoming a match made in heaven – but that’s a topic for next time.