Traditional, fragmented approaches to project delivery are not viable for data centres. In this high-stakes environment, a digital-first approach is not just an advantage; it is a critical success factor.
That’s the key message from David Philp, chief value officer at Bentley Systems and chair of CIOB’s Innovation and Digital Advisory Panel, in a white paper written by him and published by Bentley.
The paper breaks down why a digital-first strategy, which leverages connected data and digital twins from the earliest stages of site selection and feasibility, is no longer an option, but a critical necessity. Such an approach optimises and de-risks the entire process, argues Philp, accelerating approvals and ensuring a competitive edge.
“The demand story has changed. AI is not simply increasing the volume of data centre capacity. It is changing the facility itself through higher compute density, more demanding thermal profiles, faster technology refresh cycles and deeper dependence on power, water, connectivity and grid resilience,” Philp tells CM Digital.
“Construction speed still matters, but projects are increasingly won or lost before ground is broken. Site viability, power strategy, water resilience, permitting, investor confidence and community trust now determine whether capacity can be delivered at all. A data centre is not an isolated box. It is a node in a connected system of energy, transmission, distribution, storage, cooling, water, digital connectivity, transport, land and community infrastructure. Optimising one element in isolation can simply move risk elsewhere.
“Digital twins, connected data environments, geospatial context, subsurface intelligence, engineering simulation and 4D rehearsal allow teams to test options before capital, procurement and construction choices harden. This replaces assumption with evidence and makes uncertainty visible, quantifiable and manageable.”
Data centres need standardisation
“Digital twins, connected data environments, geospatial context, subsurface intelligence, engineering simulation and 4D rehearsal allow teams to test options before capital, procurement and construction choices harden.”
As already evidenced in the sector, data centre design and delivery clearly favours standardisation. Philp says: “The delivery model must become repeatable. Standardised designs, modular packages and repeatable workflows only create value when the underlying decisions, data, assurance and lessons are also reusable. The aim is not just a successful project, but a delivery system that improves with every facility at a programme level.”
He describes in more detail some of the key challenges the next generation of data centres face and how a digital-first approach can help overcome those challenges. First is real estate selection through bankable site intelligence. “Proceeding without a complete and defensible characterisation of the subsurface, from unknown geotechnical conditions and legacy contamination to abandoned utilities, is a high-stakes gamble that savvy investors are unwilling to take,” Philp says.
“Without a convincing, data-backed picture of these foundational elements, funding conversations can quickly stall. Getting this critical stage wrong has a dual and devastating impact: it not only leads to crippling delays and spiralling costs from the very start, derailing timelines and shattering budgets before a single slab is poured, but it also dissolves investor confidence, stopping projects before they can even truly begin.”
Addressing stakeholders’ concerns
Efficient information management and digital construction play a key role when communicating to stakeholders. Philp says: “Proactive and transparent communication is essential to address concerns before they escalate into roadblocks. Without a robust system to control this vital information flow, the entire approval process becomes opaque.
“This lack of transparency erodes trust and fuels ’not in my backyard’ feelings, particularly when stakeholders are forced to interpret multiple, often conflicting, flat 2D drawings that fail to tell a clear story. This confusion and suspicion can stall projects indefinitely, making effective, transparent information management a critical component of not just regulatory compliance, but of securing the all-important social licence to operate.”
Instead, data centre delivery teams should focus on virtual tours to assuage stakeholders’ concerns. Philp states: “Immersive and compelling visualisations enable stakeholders to:
- take a virtual tour of the proposed facility from any vantage point;
- see the project’s visual impact from a neighbouring property, a local road or a public viewpoint;
- understand the scale of the project in relation to existing landmarks and topography;
- visualise environmental mitigations, such as landscape screening, noise barriers, or the placement of water retention ponds.
“Such immersive visualisations transform the approvals process from a series of static submissions into a dynamic, transparent dialogue. A digital-first strategy is the essential shift, empowering you to master these critical early stages, de-risk the entire project lifecycle, and ultimately win the race to market by building the right data centre, faster with increased investability and better access to capital.”
Robust operation from day one
It is important to data centre clients that a data centre is not only operational as soon as possible, but resiliently so. “For a data centre, performance is measured in uptime, reliability, and the absolute avoidance of failure, where the financial and reputational cost of an outage is catastrophic. This value driver is focused on ensuring the facility performs at peak capability from the moment it goes live, not months after handover,” Philp explains.
“Day one readiness is achieved when design intent, construction quality and operational requirements are fully aligned before the first server is powered on.”
“A digital‑first approach enables resilience to be engineered deliberately through robust, redundant power and cooling architectures, validated load paths, and stress‑tested operating scenarios that directly address the power imperative. Day one readiness is achieved when design intent, construction quality and operational requirements are fully aligned before the first server is powered on.”
Philp notes that digital twins do not need to be perfect. “A perfect, end-to-end digital replica of the entire build [is not necessary]. Rather, it involves selectively modelling and rehearsing the most critical and risk-intensive aspects of delivery, combining reality data, 3D design and 4D to provide a flight simulator for key elements of the construction process. This enables teams to test sequencing strategies, optimise logistics and validate complex installations before physical work begins.
“Crucially, the value extends beyond early-stage simulation. Leading programmes are increasingly using digital models continuously throughout construction to monitor progress, identify points of friction and improve execution in real-time. As demonstrated on large-scale projects such as DPR Construction’s work in Abilene, Texas, digital workflows are used to refine sequencing, resolve bottlenecks, and iteratively improve performance, creating a delivery model that becomes faster and more predictable over time.”
