Report for ARPA-E MEITNER Program..

The power problem.This situation is unlikely to change.

DCs and the wider data infrastructure are increasingly being seen as critical national infrastructure, alongside energy, telecommunications, water and waste systems..The hunger for reliable power is driving a move towards on-site power generation and the diversification of power-sellers and other companies to invest directly in distribution infrastructure.The hope is they can do it more quickly than state-run projects..

Available, reliable power is certainly a key driver in finding locations for DCs.But added to this is the issue of data-sovereignty and cost.

Countries and companies are sensitive about where their data is stored and the implications of having it stolen or data flows disrupted.

The UK and US are reducing regulations to stay competitive in the market, whereas the EU is maintaining a high regulatory stance, and, as such, this market seems to be stagnating.. How does all this impact project development?.Generalised software designed for generalised users produces generalised processes, activities and results.. There’s a place for that approach to automating construction, but it’s not why we’re here.

We want to create the change our industry needs – and do it from within our industry.We don’t want to be disrupted by big tech, caught out like the music industry was by iTunes….

Architects are important, but haven’t always been very good at making it obvious how important we are, and why.Over the last decades, the profession has been fragmented and whittled away – losing influence and impact and getting tied up in bureaucratic systems and approaches that have more to do with easing procurement and dispersing risk than with getting the best results for clients.. We believe that the role of the architect is – or should be – pivotal to the success of built environment projects.