T5: Forever On Insights 2024 Spring Edition

Welcome to the Spring 2024 issue of our newsletter!

New Major 480 MW Data Center Campus in Chicagoland Area

We start this quarter’s newsletter with significant news–we’re expanding our footprint with plans for a new 160-acre data center campus in Grayslake, Illinois, about 40 miles northwest of Chicago. This new campus will support up to 480 MW of critical IT capacity across multiple data center buildings.

Customers can leverage our build-to-suit options, from powered shells to full turnkey delivery integrated with our construction and operations services. Development starts immediately, with the first 60 MW of capacity available in Q4 of 2027. Read more about the announcement.

Denmark Data Center Team Recognized

Andreas Dorscheus Korreborg Nielsen was named the Young Talent of the Year at the prestigious Danish Data Center Industry Awards. 

Andreas, a rising star on the Denmark team, claimed his coveted honor at the award ceremony’s third annual event in Copenhagen.

His exceptional skills and dedication were recognized at the event among fellow industry professionals. Andreas’s well-deserved win overjoys the entire T5 Denmark team and is a testament to the fantastic work being done by our colleagues in supporting world-class data center operations. 

Frederik Bille Knudsen was also shortlisted alongside Andreas in the Young Talent category, as was our Denmark facility management team as a finalist for Operations Team of the Year.

A Triumph in Northern Virginia

In just three months, T5 Data Centers recently completed a $12 million rapid data hall buildout within an existing operational facility in Northern Virginiga’s data center hub. This project involved constructing a massive underground telecom duct bank, installing miles of fiber cabling and building an entirely new raised-floor data hall–all while ensuring zero disruption to the existing customers in the live campus.

Our construction expertise enabled us to tackle this enormous scale and complexity in a condensed time frame. Keys to success included unrivaled data center experience, prior work with a major client, meticulous pre-construction planning and a veteran, skilled workforce. Read more about this project.

T5 Finalist at Illinois Real Estate Journal Awards

T5 has been named as a finalist in not one but three prestigious categories at the 2024 Illinois Real Estate Journal (IREJ) Awards!

Our exceptional work has earned finalist spots for:

• Developer of the Year
• Property Management Company of the Year – Commercial
• General Contractor of the Year – Industrial

The IREJ Awards celebrate the Illinois market’s leading real estate companies and projects. Being a finalist in three major categories is a true testament to our team’s passion, creativity and commitment.

The awards ceremony takes place on June 5, 2024. Regardless of the outcome, congratulations to our team!

Insights from COO Tom Mertz on Data Center Evolution

As AI drives exponential growth in computing demands, T5’s COO Tom Mertz shared his prescient perspectives on how the data center industry must evolve with Silverlinings. Find a few of his insights below.

Power Solutions

With the grid struggling to meet increasing demand, Mertz argued that data centers may need on-site power generation to stay ahead of demand.

“Long-term, the industry is going to have to develop their own power on campuses. I don’t think the grid can keep up,” Mertz said.

Industry Consolidation

The massive capital required for new data center builds could drive consolidation, with smaller players being acquired or seeking private equity investments. “You’re likely to see consolidation as smaller players won’t be able to keep up with demand from a capital perspective.”

Labor Shortages

A need for more skilled labor threatens to hinder data center expansion plans.

“It’s a huge challenge finding qualified people for these facilities. It’s only going to get exponentially worse.”

As AI revolutionizes the needs of the industry, flexible end-to-end infrastructure providers like T5 are best positioned to support this wave of innovation. Read his full interview here to learn more.

Meet with T5

Datacloud Global Congress: June 4-6, Cannes, France

7×24 Exchange Spring 2024 Conference: June 9, Orlando, Florida

7×24 Exchange Regional WiMCO Tech Summit: July 14-16, Texas

Heading to one of these events? Schedule a Meeting with the T5 Team.

Industry Download: News & Trends

• Significant additions of utility-scale solar and wind energy and storage were added in Q1 of 2024, marking a 28% increase in these installations year over year.
• Waste heat reuse solutions are becoming more popular in efforts to maintain energy usage for new AI deployments.
• Exploring what could stop the development of a net-zero data center–and the opportunities present for this sustainability goal.