Beyond the Data Center Boom: Building Better, Not Just More
- Sahil Harwani
- October 2, 2026
- Blog
- 0 Comments
Beyond the Data Center Boom: Building Better, Not Just More
I’ve been researching #DataCenters a lot these days.
And the data center boom is honestly outstanding.
Every other report seems to have another trillion-dollar number, a massive demand projection, or a 2050 scenario.
I’ve probably read 15+ reports since last week on data centers, #SovereignAI, grid buildouts, AI infrastructure, and another trillion dollar projection every other day .
From a consulting perspective, I’m actually looking at this as a huge opportunity for ER&D companies. There is going to be an enormous amount of infrastructure to design, build, operate and optimise.
But there’s another thought I can’t seem to shake off.
My last project was with an ESG reporting company, where I spent a lot of time looking at how people think about environmentally friendly products and whether they are actually willing to pay for them.
Maybe it’s my Sociology background, but I tend to think about the people and communities behind the market numbers too.
Last month, I watched a video about the impact of a data center project somewhere in the US. I don’t remember all the details now, but what stayed with me was how the development was affecting the local community, particularly around water.
And it made me think about the data center boom differently.
We talk about chips, cooling, land, power, grids, sovereign AI and trillions of dollars of investment and almost never about what happens to the town next door.
If we are going to build this much data-center infrastructure, can we build it differently?
I think the opportunity is bigger than just building more. Perhaps there’s another angle here for ER&D companies to think about.
It’s about who can build data centers well enough, for the grid, the water table and the communities around them, to still be building ten years from now.
Maybe there’s a second opportunity sitting inside the first one:
Not just building more data centers. Building better ones.
#ERandD #SustainableInfrastructure #AIInfrastructure
