Conference Day One
November 18, 2025
7:30 am Registration & Networking
8:00 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Eliminating Redundancy & Driving Sustainability
8:10 am Designing Resiliency into High-Density Facilities Where Size & Power Delays Require Innovative Solutions to Tackling Redundancy
Synopsis
- Evaluating the regional restrictions on back-up power options across eastern states and how that impacts the megawatts you can achieve with reliable power
- Discussing the options for grid independence or co-dependence with the utility and your own energy source: What are the conversations we need to have up front to build this into design?
- Understanding the additional power requirements for campus grids and the steps we can take now to help expedite the imminent transition: What will these step by step transitions look like?
8:50 am Audience Discussion: Understanding Regional Availability of Power Sources to Determine the Most Reliable Solution for Your Project
Synopsis
- Mapping the sub-regional energy landscape across eastern states to examine where different power sources are most viable
- Discussing how federal/state regulations influence availability and approval timelines of grid connections
- Evaluating the reliability of various power options in each sub-region and the supporting back-up infrastructure or grid independence options currently being adopted to enhance this
10:00 am Speed Networking & Morning Refreshments
10:40 am Designing with Power Source Adaptability in Mind to Expedite Upgrades in Facility Improvements & Expansions
Synopsis
- Evaluating the benefit of building these design modifications in from base design vs waiting until systems need upgrading
- Calculating the additional water usage and logistics of new sources ahead of pulling the trigger to ensure you are making the right choice
- Understanding the additional monitoring and breakers you need to install to facilitate a seamless transition from one power source to another, and how that will tie into the existing infrastructure control system
- Discussing how to approach your initial design to account for emerging generation technologies as they roll out to avoid major retrofits
11:20 am Case Study: Evaluating Natural Gas as a Viable Option for Temporary & Permanent Onsite Power to Accommodate Increasing Power Demands, Sustainably
Synopsis
- Determining the role of natural gas as a temporary bridge or permanent pillar of sustainable data center power
- Engaging with suppliers to understand strategies around gas supply and firm pipeline transport capacity
- Walking through the step-by-step deployment of natural gas as a solution on our projects: What were the additional considerations and unforeseen challenges along the way to account for?
- Discussing the options for back-up systems on campus to improve the reliability of natural gas
12:00 pm Lunch Break
Achieving a Faster & More Efficient Design Process
1:00 pm Fireside Chat: Mapping Design-Phase Engagement Strategies to Reduce Community Opposition & Foster a Positive Social License
Synopsis
- Using early community outreach to uncover misconceptions, sensitivities and objections which influence site acquisition and design decisions
- Improving transparency over facility design and the community benefit to enhance buy in
- Exploring aesthetic, sound reduction, access, and environmental design features that can reduce the risk of social pushback
1:40 pm Power Quality and Grid Stability in the Age of Data Centers: Detecting and Mitigating Transients and Oscillations
Synopsis
- Emerging Risks in Data Centers: AI-driven, power-intensive data centers are introducing new grid stability challenges
- Limitations of Traditional Monitoring: Conventional systems fall short in detecting complex dynamics, highlighting the need for continuous waveform monitoring
- Strategic Insights for Reliability: Advanced metering and waveform data improve situational awareness, protect equipment, and support grid diagnostics to maintain reliability
2:10 pm Driving Certainty into the Permitting Process to Mitigate Unexpected Cost & Time Impacts
Synopsis
- Understanding the similarities and differences in permitting matrices across the East Coast: How do you ensure upfront due diligence to prevent land banking from becoming a stranded asset, and drive certainty into capex budgets?
- Exploring how you can build repeatable permit intelligence across portfolios using historic data and shared industry knowledge to reduce reliance on informal discovery
- Confronting how the ambition for larger, more complex data centers and campuses is impacting the permitting timeline
2:50 pm Audience Discussion: Improving Collaboration & Consultation with Your Utility Provider to Find Innovative Solutions to Temporary, Fast & Permanent Power
Synopsis
- Working with utilities in the pre-diligence phase to identify the most promising parcels of land, navigate power access sensitivity, and build early alignment to uncover red flags before site commitment
- Confronting the “regulatory red tape” challenging utilities from accelerating access timelines: What are some of the workarounds we have explored and the roles of each party in making this a reality?
- Ensuring lines of communication remain open regarding long-term grid planning to unlock future potential capacity gains
3:30 pm Afternoon Refreshments
4:00 pm Evaluating the Design Requirements for Different End-Users to Determine Where Greater Standardization is Possible
Synopsis
- Evaluating the biggest discrepancies in design specifications from one end-user to another and what underlying factors are driving those discrepancies
- Exploring how design teams can bridge mass customization requirements with consistency across builds
- Investigating whether CPU and chip manufacturers are collectively working towards standardization to enable a more universal design baseline for designers