DataBank: Reshaping Data Centre Design and Build

Twenty years working in mission-critical infrastructure brings many crucial lessons. Like the importance of people and effective community engagement in any construction project, an understanding of the need for continuous innovation and evolution or that without flexibility modern data centres can very easily fail. 

Tony Qorri has lived this experience over more than two decades in the industry, moving through a career that spans general contract building of enterprise sites for financial firms in downtown Manhattan to his current role as Vice President, Construction at data centre innovator DataBank.

That experience has enabled Tony to play an important role in DataBank's rapid expansion. The company currently operates in 25 markets with 70+ data centres. In 2025 it delivered 75MW of commissioned capacity, a figure it expects to jump to 256MW over 2026. Between 2025 and 2030, DataBank aims to turn on approximately 1GW of capacity – a scale and scope that seemed inconceivable during Tony’s early days at the business, where it was focused on 20 to 40 megawatt developments.

At the heart of this growth is DataBank’s unique approach to data centre construction, centred around standardised and campus-based environments capable of meeting rapidly changing market conditions and the intensifying demand on key infrastructure. 

Leading data centre transformation

Just as DataBank has evolved, so, too, has the industry, spurred by huge demand for AI, the ongoing adoption of cloud computing and shifting expectations around performance, energy use and sustainability. Even without AI demand, the growing volume of human interactions with technology account for most of the demand.

Early in Tony’s career, facilities operated with raised floors, equipment spread across the space, and workloads measured in a couple of kilowatts per cabinet. Today, DataBank’s infrastructure is designed for workloads exceeding 130kW and more, rethinks the traditional approach to density, cooling and energy strategy and provides rapid adaptability for customers. 

While the speed to develop has increased exponentially, Tony says AI is not the sole driver: "There are companies out there really focused on just solely AI development. Conversely, DataBank is very versatile. We do have some AI clients, but a lot of our work is still centred around major enterprise customers, many of which we have worked with for 10 or 15 years.” 

DataBank's USP centres on adaptability and flexibility rather than specialisation. The company’s approach to infrastructure allows it to serve enterprise customers with traditional workloads alongside clients pursuing machine learning and high-density computing strategies. 

This combination requires bespoke infrastructure made in close collaboration with customers that can pivot between different requirements without the need for a rebuild or significant change programme.

"We have really evolved and we have to continue to be versatile," Tony says. "AI has certainly changed some of our approach in terms of infrastructure we deploy, like switchgear as an example. What companies like us may have focused on in the past has evolved because of the growing demand for hybrid solutions. 

“In particular, there is a big focus on density now and shrinking building size. But most importantly, we’re having to focus on future proofing sites – data centres have to be ready for AI or machine learning workloads."

Universal data hall design innovation

Several years ago DataBank changed its design standards, developing an innovative design that it calls a high-performance computing (HPC) ready ‘Universal Data Hall Design’ approach. This shift moved away from traditional design to slab flooring to perimeter cooling – an approach perfect for large hyperscale deployment. The purpose-built solutions deliver the power, cooling and scalability needed in today’s market. 

The Universal Data Hall Design supports higher densities than previous standards but retains flexible, agile and future-ready environments. This enables DataBank to adapt quickly and efficiently, building, commissioning and expanding data centres when customer capacity requirements shift. While ideal for modern AI workloads, the design also supports more traditional enterprise deployments. 

DataBank has optimised the data centre floor space into 15,000 - 20,000 sq. ft. data hall that can easily be converted into traditional raised flooring. The company can transform a facility from 250 watts per square foot to double or greater by swapping in cooling distribution units, installing secondary water loops or deploying mechanical uninterruptible power supplies as pipeline demands become clear. 

"It means that, if we have things like CRAH units doing traditional air cooling we can easily shift to liquid cooling – a requirement that is becoming increasingly common as data centre demand changes," Tony explains. 

Historically workloads ran on air cooling almost exclusively, but liquid cooling is rapidly becoming essential for AI customers, banks and traditional colocation clients who have modified their designs. “As much as 99% of workloads have typically been air cooled in the past,” says Tony, “but liquid cooling is becoming a very real design consideration. 

“Having the ability to be flexible and pivot quickly depending on client need and without drastically affecting timelines or cost, is critical in terms of how we deploy,” he adds. “Our Universal Data Hall Design lets us serve a broad range of customers well and with complete flexibility, rather than having to dial in on one area. It’s fundamental to our strategic growth.”

Growth and campus-based scale

The pace of DataBank's growth illustrates the sector's trajectory. "I started off in 2020 and delivering 20MW in a year was massive, but the scale of the business has grown enormously,” says Tony. “My budgets have doubled year over year since I've started and my team has grown significantly along with all the other cross-functional teams."

DataBank began with smaller network-focused sites like DFW1 in downtown Dallas, a 7MW facility. Growth accelerated into 20MW and 40MW projects before reaching Red Oak, Texas, now the company's largest project at 480MW across a 300-acre campus. 

Atlanta became a focal point about a year ago when the company turned over ATL4, a 40MW site, then expanded by acquiring another 87 acres for an additional 120MW of critical IT capacity. Where DataBank once built speculatively in small tranches of two, four, eight or 10 megawatts, the approach has shifted. For Atlanta’s ATL5 and ATL6 facilities, the company is building the full 120 megawatts at once.

The company has also acquired property in Culpeper, Virginia, for another substantial development of 192MW on approximately 100 acres using the Universal Data Hall Design.

"We're rolling the dice a little more,” Tony says. “In the past, whether it was DataBank or even in my general contracting days, we usually saw very strategic, slow growth. Now the market feels more like ‘go build it all as fast as you can and with the highest quality."

The importance of standardisation

Standardisation underpins DataBank's ability to move this quickly. The company’s approach revolves around an ability to take components from one campus and deploy them quickly at another, enabling teams to shift infrastructure to new locations in response to market or customer demand. 

“Standardisation is 100% the key,” says Tony. “We need to be able to take things from campus A and use them on campus B or C if our team sells more capacity in another market. Having the ability to move infrastructure is critical in our deployment capabilities, particularly when it comes to getting certain capacity ready in tight timelines.

“We also have an entire team focused just on sustainability,” Tony says, discussing how the company integrates this critical aspect of data centre design into its operations. “They work closely with my team, reviewing things like our carbon footprint, water consumption, emissions, material choices, procurement strategy and how we can work to mitigate climate change.”

DataBank is also conscious of its impact on local communities and the cities within which it operates. Tony explains that the company has a strong sense of social responsibility, with his team actively involved with community relations projects and educating the public to dispel common myths about data centres and their environmental impact. 

“You often see pushback when it comes to building projects,” he says. “It’s really important to engage people and set out clearly what we’re trying to achieve. There is a lot of talk about ‘the data centre industry’ as a whole, but it’s more nuanced. At DataBank we live and work in these communities, so we feel a real sense of responsibility.”