Conference Day 2 | July 30, 2025
7:30 am Check-In & Networking
8:00 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Optimizing Speed & Efficiency
8:10 am Leveraging AI & Automation in Data Center Design to Enhance Efficiency & Meet Your & Your End-User’s Sustainability Goals
Synopsis
- Understanding how AI-driven automation can improve facility operations, helping to address labor shortages and mitigate the expertise gap in the U.S. workforce
- Exploring AI technologies used in data center design to optimize spatial planning and enhance energy efficiency, reducing carbon and overall operational costs
- Learning how to design data centers with AI capabilities from the outset, enabling selfoptimization through feedback loops for greater sustainability and efficiency
8:50 am Understanding End User Requirements to Deliver to Expectations & Prevent Rework
Synopsis
- Aligning on strategies to define end-user requirements for equipment, structure, technology and business goals to deliver accurate designs and prevent costly rework
- Defining accurate power usage for your end-user and the precise redundancy required for optimal operations
- Addressing supplier innovations and emerging market disruptors that could impact future equipment availability and their design choices
- Exploring how to manage changes in facility requirements throughout design to deliver value and mitigate the need for rework
10:00 am Morning Refreshments & Innovation Slam
Accelerating Sustainable, Resilient & Efficient Data Centers
11:00 am Fireside Chat: Designing for Sustainable Materials to Build Greener & More Resilient Data Centers
Synopsis
- Exploring how selecting sustainable materials can go beyond reducing environmental impact to enhance the long-term resilience of data centers
- Understanding the challenges and opportunities in sourcing low-carbon, recycled and circular materials while balancing cost, durability, and performance requirements
- Learning how to integrate sustainable material strategies from design through construction, ensuring compliance with green building standards and corporate sustainability goals
11:40 am Fireside Chat: Maximizing Prefabrication in Early Design Decision-Making to Increase Speed & Reduce Costs
Synopsis
- Using data to share how we harnessed prefabrication to accelerate project timelines, reduces costs and drive productivity
- Understanding the key design requirements needed to optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of prefabrication
- Sharing best practices for designing data centers that effectively incorporate prefabricated components: revealing the components and processes that were optimal for prefabrication and where limitations resulted in diverting traditional construction
12:20 pm Networking Lunch
Streamlining Project Progress
1:20 pm Working With Utilities to Communicate Power Requirements & Create Accurate Designs for Optimal Connectivity
Synopsis
- Working with local utilities to understand the optimal site location to tap into available power whilst meeting other facility requirements, creating a realistic energy plan
- Defining how much power is really needed for your facility to evaluate your demands to local utilities
- Establishing how best to communicate, advise and collaborate with utility providers of all standards to expedite connectivity
2:00 pm Audience Discussion: Navigating Regulatory Compliance & Permitting Challenges in Data Center Design
Synopsis
- Evaluating the impact of local compliance requirements including noise regulations, air quality standards and energy infrastructure constraints on data center design and structural decisions
- Learning strategies for accelerating the permitting process by minimizing design changes, improving coordination with AHJs and ensuring timely approvals
- Exploring how evolving energy efficiency regulations, such as power consumption limits per square foot, impact long-term operational planning, equipment upgrades and infrastructure investments: how to get ahead to avoid this happening?
Developing Highly-Skilled Design Teams
2:30 pm Developing your Design Team to Effectively Meet Demands at Speed Without Reducing Quality
Synopsis
- Ensuring yours and your partners’ engineers and designers stay informed on industry advancements to proactively innovate
- Addressing the risks of poor coordination from junior teams in design drawings to prevent future construction issues, delays, and costly change orders
- Discovering strategies for developing and retaining top design talent, fostering a skilled and forward-thinking team to support long-term success