Data Center Facility Layer
The data center facility layer encompasses the entire data hall and its supporting systems inside a single building. It is here that IT clusters interface with power, cooling, water, fire protection, and security infrastructure. The facility ensures continuous operation under high power densities and extreme cooling demands, making it the backbone of modern AI data centers.
Architecture & Design Trends
- Power Scaling: Facilities now provision 50–150 MW per hall, driven by AI workloads consuming >40 kW per rack.
- Liquid Cooling Plants: Chillers, CRAHs/CRACs, and immersion facilities are replacing air-only approaches.
- Resiliency Standards: Tier III/Tier IV redundancy models remain standard, though hyperscalers sometimes design to custom reliability metrics.
- Water Use Optimization: Facilities are adopting cooling towers, water recycling, and dry coolers to reduce fresh water draw.
- Prefabrication: Entire electrical/mechanical skids and modular data halls are built in factories and deployed onsite for speed.
- Integration with Microgrids: Onsite substations and BESS systems are increasingly tied into renewables or CHP.
AI Facilities vs Enterprise Facilities
| Dimension | AI Facility | Enterprise Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Power Provisioning | 50–200 MW per site, often with onsite substations | 1–10 MW typical |
| Cooling | Liquid plants, immersion support, water reuse | CRAC/CRAH air systems |
| Density | 40–80 kW per rack | 5–15 kW per rack |
| Redundancy | Custom designs, sometimes beyond Tier IV | Tier II/III common |
| Prefabrication | Factory-built halls and skids standardizing builds | Mostly stick-built on site |
| Cost | $500M–$2B+ per hyperscale AI facility | $50M–$200M typical enterprise facility |
Construction Vendors
Vendors at the facility layer fall into three categories: OEMs that manufacture the core infrastructure equipment, EPC firms that design and build full facilities, and prefabricators that deliver factory-built modules. Together they enable hyperscale and AI data centers to scale reliably.
Critical Infrastructure OEMs
| Vendor | Product / Solution | Domain | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schneider Electric | EcoStruxure Data Center | Power & Cooling | Switchgear, UPS, liquid cooling, DCIM |
| Vertiv | Liebert Systems | Cooling & Power | CRAHs/CRACs, UPS, power distribution |
| Eaton | Power Xpert / PDUs | Electrical | MV switchgear, UPS, rack-level PDUs |
| Stulz | Precision Cooling & CDUs | Cooling | Liquid cooling units, CDU systems |
| Rittal | RiMatrix / LCP | Rack & Facility Cooling | Rear-door HX, modular liquid cooling |
| Cummins | Diesel & Gas Generators | Backup Power | Gensets for facility-wide redundancy |
| Trane | Chillers & HVAC | Cooling | Facility-scale thermal management |
System Integrators/EPC Firms
| Firm | Expertise | Notable Projects |
|---|---|---|
| Turner Construction | Data center construction, hyperscale build-outs | Multiple U.S. hyperscaler campuses |
| DPR Construction | Mission-critical data center facilities | AI/Cloud campuses in Virginia, Texas |
| Jacobs | EPC + systems engineering | Large-scale tech & energy campuses |
| Black & Veatch | Power and critical infrastructure EPC | Data centers with integrated energy systems |
| AECOM | Global EPC projects, sustainability focus | Data centers and energy campuses |
| Fluor | Large-scale industrial EPC | Energy-intensive facilities including data centers |
Prefabricators & Modular Specialists
| Vendor | Solution | Domain | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compass Datacenters | Modular data halls | Prefabrication | Factory-built modules shipped to site |
| Modular Power Solutions (MPS) | Electrical skids | Power | Pre-built switchgear and UPS skids |
| Flex | Modular integration services | Factory Prefab | Large-scale prefabrication capabilities |
| Quanta Services | Grid & utility integration modules | Power & Infrastructure | Specialist in grid tie-ins, substations |
| Schneider Electric | EcoStruxure Prefabricated Data Center | Modular Facilities | Containerized halls and skid systems |
DC Facility BOM
| Domain | Examples | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Compute & IT | Pods and clusters across multiple halls | Delivers aggregate compute capacity |
| Storage | Centralized storage arrays, object storage systems | Facility-wide persistence |
| Networking | End-of-row (EOR) switches, aggregation/core routers, fiber backbone | Connects racks to campus and metro backbones |
| Power | Switchgear, UPS systems, diesel generators, static transfer switches | Provides conditioned, redundant power |
| Cooling | Chillers, CRAHs/CRACs, immersion cooling plants | Removes facility-scale heat loads |
| Water Systems | Cooling towers, water treatment, condensate reuse | Manages supply and discharge |
| Fire & Safety | Clean-agent suppression, VESDA, water mist systems | Protects facility and occupants |
| Physical Security | Biometrics, mantraps, CCTV, intrusion detection | Controls facility access |
| Monitoring & Controls | BMS, DCIM, SCADA integration | Provides real-time operational visibility |
| Prefabrication | Factory-built MEP skids, modular data halls | Accelerates deployment |
Key Challenges
- Energy Intensity: AI facilities are stretching grid capacity with requests of 50–200 MW per site.
- Cooling Scale: High water consumption is a sustainability and permitting challenge; dry cooling and reuse systems are critical.
- Space Planning: Floor loading, cable tray congestion, and CDU placement must be balanced across halls.
- Redundancy vs Cost: Balancing Tier IV-style resilience with efficiency and capex constraints is a constant tradeoff.
- Integration: Coordinating electrical, mechanical, and IT systems requires digital twin modeling for accuracy.
Future Outlook
- Microgrid Integration: Facilities will increasingly co-locate with renewables and BESS for energy autonomy.
- Immersion Mainstreaming: Facility-scale immersion plants will move from pilots to standard deployments.
- Automation: AI-driven DCIM and digital twins will optimize operations in real time.
- Sustainability: Water reuse, district energy integration, and low-GWP refrigerants will define new builds.
- Geographic Shift: Expect new facility clusters in regions with abundant renewable power (Nordics, US Southwest, Middle East).
FAQ
- How large is a typical AI facility? Modern hyperscale facilities are built in the 50–200 MW range per building.
- How much water does a facility consume? Consumption can exceed millions of gallons per day without reuse; advanced sites recycle 80–90%.
- What distinguishes AI facilities from enterprise data centers? Density, liquid cooling, and scale are the main differentiators.
- Are facilities prefabricated? Increasingly yes—electrical and mechanical skids, and even modular halls, are factory-built.
- What resiliency models are used? Uptime Tier III and Tier IV remain common, though hyperscalers often define custom SLAs.