Three challenges facing data center developers right now – and the one you can actually solve 

The data center sector is booming – McKinsey projects global demand for data center capacity could nearly triple by 2030, driven by AI, cloud infrastructure and digital services. Developers are moving faster than ever to address the growing pressure – and hitting the same three roadblocks. 

These challenges were front and center at Bisnow’s 2026 DICE conference in Fort Worth: power shortage, community opposition and talent capacity. They’re not new – but at this scale and pace, they’re hitting harder than ever before. 

Here’s what each one looks like on the ground – and where the leverage is. 

1. Power shortage 

The era of flat power demand is over. 

For decades, the US electric grid was built around growth of less than 1% per year. That baseline no longer holds. Grid delays now stretch four to five years, with data centers driving 55% of US electricity demand growth. 

Aging infrastructure adds another layer: 

• Most of the US electric grid was built in the 1960s and ‘70s, nearing the end of its 50 to 80-year design lifespan. 

• Grid infrastructure projects typically take 5 to 15 years to complete, while a hyperscale data center can be planned and built in 18-36 months. 

• In established markets, interconnection queues can stretch for years – and long lead times for critical equipment like transformers can delay projects before construction even begins. 

• Projects increasingly depend on on-site generation as a bridge, adding cost and complexity that wasn’t in the original scope. 

• An estimated $1 trillion in grid investment is expected over the next decade – but that won’t resolve near-term delivery constraints. 

That last point is where the delivery pressure becomes most visible. Because grid capacity can’t be unlocked quickly, power availability has become the primary driver of site selection – and developers are already adjusting. Northern Virginia, the world’s largest data center market, now faces such acute constraints that projects are moving to secondary markets in Indiana, Louisiana and the Carolinas just to find available capacity. It’s not a future risk. For firms operating in saturated primary markets, it’s the current reality. 

This is a long-cycle infrastructure problem. There’s no shortcut. 

2. NIMBYism 

Local resistance to data center development is a real and growing friction point. Substations, cooling towers, noise, visual bulk and water consumption are all flashpoints – and local governments are increasingly responsive. 

In Q2 2025 alone, an estimated $98 billion in data center projects were blocked or delayed due to community opposition. That’s a material delivery risk, not a minor planning variable. 

Earlier stakeholder engagement and proactive community relations help at the margins. But the underlying tension between infrastructure scale and community impact won’t resolve quickly. It’s a sustained, industry-wide effort measured in years. 

3. Talent capacity 

This is where the conversation shifts. 

In Deloitte’s 2025 AI Infrastructure Survey, 63% of data center executives cited a shortage of skilled labor as their number one obstacle. The US construction industry was short approximately 439,000 workers as of late 2025 – and data center roles often pay 30% above standard construction rates just to attract the limited supply. 

For AEC firms specifically, the problem isn’t just volume – it’s specificity: 

• Estimators with hyperscale project experience 

• Architects and engineers who understand mission-critical facility requirements 

• Documentation specialists who can maintain pace with fast-moving design schedules 

These people are hard to find, harder to retain and expensive when you do. 

As of January 2026, local hiring takes 63-68 days from brief to start – assuming the right candidate exists in your market. Fully loaded costs for a mid-level architectural technician typically run between $125,000 and $145,000. And when the pipeline spikes or contracts, local headcount is inflexible in both directions. 

The “right project” to finally sort the resourcing model never arrives. Firms that wait typically absorb 12 to 18 months of overwork, missed deadlines and elevated costs – then face the same problem again when the next pipeline surge hits. 

Working inside the reality we have (or the constraint you can actually control) 

Two of these challenges require industry-wide solutions that are years away. Talent doesn’t. 

Away Digital works with AEC firms delivering data center projects to build dedicated remote teams – embedded into the firm’s tools, workflows and delivery standards. We are a dedicated team – not freelancers, not a shared resource pool – that operates as a direct extension of your business, backed by industry leadership and over a decade of delivery with tier one practices across the US. 

The model is designed to start small and prove value fast. Firms that engage typically find their remote team in full delivery rhythm within weeks. As the pipeline grows, capacity scales with it – without the lag, cost and risk of repeated local hiring cycles. 

Documentation, BIM coordination, estimating support, visualization – the tasks that consume senior team time and create bottlenecks on fast-moving projects. A dedicated remote team carries that load, freeing your experienced people for the work that actually requires them. 

Power constraints and NIMBYism will take years to resolve at the industry level. Your resourcing model doesn’t have to wait. See how the model works.