With build costs for a data centre usually ranging from around £ 25 –£ 40 million , this delay in payback is serious . These high downtime costs are created in part because it is an extremely competitive sector .

Data centre owners prioritise projects in regions with low capacity but strong signals of demand . In the race to gain market share , even one day delay on a project can lead to another data centre business potentially gaining geographical data traffic , alongside the aforementioned loss of income .

With the growth in cloud-based computing and services , streaming and IoT-connected devices demanding more from data centres than ever before , keeping up with their construction is vital . The further the data centre from the user , the slower the download speed . New locations are essential if companies want to provide high-quality service , meet demand and maintain their competitive edge .

Supply chain woes

One of the main causes of delay for these projects is supply chain issues . Data centres have a limited number of high-quality suppliers for non-construction equipment , like HVAC equipment , power generators and servers . Despite many data centre businesses being household names , they still have up to a two-year lead time for these products . If the supplier pushes the deadline even by a small percentage of the overall time , this can have significant revenue implications .

As with many construction projects , another cause of delay is the limited availability of labour . Data centres require a large range of highly specialised workers when it comes to the fit-out , including specialist electricians , mechanical tradespeople and technicians . Aligning these people on the specific day they are needed can be a logistical challenge , especially with supply issues .

The AI solution

With every day so valuable , data centre owners are turning to technology to help them manage projects and remove risk so that they can have the confidence that their projects will meet deadlines .

One of these systems is ALICE Technologies . It is the world ’ s first Artificial Intelligence-powered construction simulation platform . It works by users uploading a 3D model or logic diagram for their project before adding information relating to labour , materials , equipment and construction methodology . In ALICE , this information is combined in what is called ‘ Recipes ’, and ALICE uses this information to create multiple scheduling options .

By adding various constraints , including specific challenges or potential delays , owners can test different scenarios to see how they will influence the project delivery date and costs . “ ALICE allows data centre owners and their teams to proactively create a plan of action to address challenges before it is too late . By their nature , these projects often need intervention ,” said Kushal Dagli at ALICE Technologies .

“ For example , we have seen projects where the design and planning stage has

gone on longer than expected . By the time site preparation works were ready to begin , technology had progressed , meaning that the next generation of IT equipment would be needed to facilitate greater data loads .

“ That has a knock-on effect for equipment suppliers and specialist labour . Previously there was no way to test the impact of this change at project inception , or easily adjust schedules once projects were in progress . As ALICE is parametric , this is no longer a problem .”

Owners can also use technology to help them forecast risks . If something goes wrong , general contractors commonly ask owners what course of action they would like to proceed with . In most situations , owners take the best guess and hope that the cost of that decision is minimal . Instead , owners can use technology like ALICE to understand the implications of decisions and make more informed choices .

The benefit of all this work is that the Recipes , optimum schedules and agreed risk management strategy can be taken forward for use in the construction of future data centres . With many projects sharing similar approaches , ALICE helps owners to build consistently , saving them time and money . �

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