Posted
by , and

By one count, worldwide there were some 11,800 data centers in early 2024. Within that census are facilities so small that they fit in office building closets, while others are among the largest manmade structures on the planet. How are we to make sense of this diverse population?

Data centers house servers, storage devices and network devices to store, process and disseminate large quantities of data of organizations and their customers and supply chains. The size and complexity of these facilities vary with their functions in the business ecosystem. Much like the well-known depictions of the evolution of horses from tiny brush creatures to mighty stallions, the overall category cries out to be broken down along multiple dimensions.

This post provides a naturalist’s field guide to data center types and features.

Continue Reading ›

Posted
by

In our latest roundup, hybrid work creates hope for the office sector, Texas lawmakers ease office-to-residential conversations, service-based tenants are expected to lease more retail space, and more!

Continue Reading ›

Posted
by , and

As we covered previously, President Trump has made clear that the U.S. is focused on increasing investments into building, scaling and speeding the development of AI infrastructure and data centers in the U.S., and Big Tech is responding in kind.

Continue Reading ›

Posted
by

In our latest roundup, tech giants invest in new data centers, senators introduce bill aimed at price-setting algorithms, DoD stops PLA requirements, and more!

Continue Reading ›

Posted
by and

The possibility of a second Trump administration heralding significant regulatory and tax policy changes for the ultrawealthy and their family offices is, to put it mildly, substantial.

For decades, family offices have operated within an opaque legal framework marked by limited guidance, oversight, or public disclosure. They also have navigated a labyrinthine tax code riddled with uncertainties. Trump 2.0 could fundamentally alter this landscape, even if Congress takes little to no legislative action.

Continue Reading ›

Posted
by

In our latest roundup, Southern California wildfires impact supply chain, higher material prices threaten future project demand, commercial real estate distress strains regional banks, and more!

Continue Reading ›

Posted
by

In DOGE Puts GSA Leases in the Doghouse,  colleagues Matt Carter, Michael R. Rizzo, Andrew J. Weiner, Christian A. Buerger, David L. Miller, Dinesh C. Dharmadasa and Allan C. Van Vliet explain why, even as the Trump administration may be utilizing early exit provisions in the GSA lease cancellations and terminations reported to date, prudent contractors should prepare for other potential tactics to end leases the administration deems unfavorable.

Posted
by

In our latest roundup, construction technology funding stabilizes, office vacancies hit new high, builders outline recommendations to Trump, and more!

Continue Reading ›

Posted
by , and

https://www.gravel2gavel.com/files/2025/01/Seal_of_the_President_of_the_United_States.svg_-300x300.pngLast week, on one of his final days in office, President Biden signed an executive order aimed at boosting the development of energy facilities and data centers for artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Executive Order 14141 directs the secretaries of Defense, Energy and the Interior to lease sites on federal land to private sector companies for the purpose of building data centers and energy generation and transmission facilities. Noting that AI technology has become, and is expected to remain, a “defining technology of our era,” and that both economic and national security risks could arise if the United States falls behind in the race to build AI infrastructure, the Order seeks to reduce regulatory barriers to these projects by speeding the permitting process, and ambitiously seeks to enable construction at these federal sites to commence by January 1, 2026.

Continue Reading ›

Posted
by and

Critical materials—the collective term for metals and minerals essential for all kinds of advanced technology and clean energy—are vital to the growth of artificial intelligence (AI), which has become pervasive in everyday life. AI hardware relies on familiar elements like aluminum, silicon and copper, and unfamiliar elements like gallium, germanium, palladium and neodymium to support the computational power, data transmission, and cooling systems required to process vast amounts of data at high speeds.

Continue Reading ›