We’re entering an unprecedented time for data center development and construction. In a recent article on construction constraints, the 2022 Q2 Market Vacancy report from Data Center Hawk saw the vacancy rate at 4.4%, the lowest ever.
Fast forward to today. The latest Data Center Hawk Market recap report showcased the lowest vacancy rate of the top 10 North American markets, at 2.88%. Despite moderation in hyperscale leasing, demand is still outpacing providers’ ability to deliver new capacity due to long delivery timelines and power procurement delays.
Demand is outpacing supply, and we are trying to build quickly. Despite massive growth, we’re still challenged with supply chains, regulations, and another key variable. People. Our industry needs more professionals who can bring critical infrastructure online faster. Further, these folks need to be trained and help build facilities free of design and architectural errors. Skilled data center builders help alleviate human error when delivering critical infrastructure. When poor designs and builds come into play, human error and outages become a real concern.
IDC estimates that human error costs organizations over $62.4 million every year. A significant part of errors created by humans is because of poorly skilled personnel and non-standardized data center build practices. What does this cost when it all goes down? Quite a bit. According to Gartner, the average cost of IT downtime is $5,600 per minute but can be as much as $540,000 per hour. This is why having the right talent to bring up critical infrastructure safely and quickly is essential. How do we ensure that our talent is operating safely? How can leaders in critical infrastructure get the help they need to stay competitive in this tight market? Most of all, where do you even find skilled talent to build digital infrastructure?
This special report will explore the human element in data center construction and how working with Union Labor and the IBEW can help digital infrastructure revolutionize sourcing key talent.
