Powering Hyperscale Growth: Inside T5’s Integrated Approach to Execution

Hyperscale clients move fast—and they expect their data center partners to move faster. For T5 Data Centers, meeting the demands of a hyperscale client at their Elk Grove Village facility required more than just infrastructure upgrades. It required total operational alignment, from development and construction to live operations and client support.

At the heart of T5’s successful expansion from 17MW to 30MW was a unified, in-house team. Rather than outsourcing to multiple contractors and vendors, T5 relied on its internal capabilities to manage everything from architectural design and construction to power upgrades and ongoing operations. This model created a single source of accountability, eliminating delays and miscommunications that can often plague large-scale projects. Licensed as a general contractor in 48 states, T5 Construction is more than 200 projects deep when it comes to experience. 

When the hyperscale client entered the project with evolving and aggressive scaling requirements, T5 responded by implementing a concurrent design and construction process. This allowed the team to build in phases while adapting plans in real-time. It also helped accelerate timelines and mitigate risks typically associated with mid-project scope changes.

T5’s in-house operations team also played a critical role. While construction crews worked to expand capacity, operations ensured that existing clients, such as a global banking firm with a 6MW footprint, experienced no service disruptions. This dual-track execution required detailed planning, careful staging of infrastructure upgrades, and real-time coordination between departments.

For the hyperscale client, the benefits of this integrated approach were clear. T5 offered tailored operational support, adapting procedures to align with the client’s internal workflows. Equipment procurement, installation, and commissioning were all managed internally, allowing for smoother onboarding and faster delivery. The hyperscale client also benefited from T5’s ability to support varied rack densities and implement a robust air-cooled system without needing to pivot to external expertise.

Coordination extended beyond T5’s own teams. Regular meetings with utility provider ComEd ensured external power upgrades stayed on schedule. Vendor relationships were carefully managed to maintain quality and minimize delays. The result was a 24-month expansion delivered on time and within budget.

Ultimately, this project proved that hyperscale success is about more than meeting technical specs: it’s about executing with precision and unity. By keeping everything under one roof, T5 could pivot quickly, solve problems fast, and deliver an outcome that satisfied both the new hyperscale tenant and the existing client base.

When speed, flexibility, and reliability are non-negotiable, a unified team structure can be the competitive edge that drives hyperscale success.

Learn more about this impressive project at https://info.t5datacenters.com/t5-construction-case-study-2025