Construction Stages & Equipment Installation

Our Approach

Aterio tracks every U.S. and Canadian data center project at the individual building level using satellite imagery, permit filings, county records, and local media. Each building is assigned a construction completion percentage based on visual benchmarks verified by our analysts. This document focuses on when and how equipment installation becomes visible during the construction lifecycle - the stages most relevant to estimating activation timelines.

Site Preparation (5%-15%)

5% - Site clearing - vegetation and existing structures removed
10% - Land grading and leveling in progress
15% - Foundation work underway (concrete footings and pads)

Structural Construction (20%-40%)

20% - Vertical construction begins - initial steel framing rising
30% - Structural steel framing completed
40% - Roof installation begins

Exterior & Mechanical Fit-Out (50%-60%)

50% - Roof installation completed
60% - Roof fully installed; mechanical equipment being placed

Equipment Installation (70%-95%)

70% - External building prep begins (equipment pads, trenching, facade work)
85% - Generator pads populated; substation equipment connected
90% - Semis visible at loading bays - IT hardware being moved in
95% - Full mechanical and electrical commissioning underway

KEY INSIGHT

Above 70%, external equipment becomes visible via satellite: cooling towers, generators, and transformer yards. At 85–90%, semi-trailers at loading docks signal IT hardware delivery.

Equipment Installation Timeline

What becomes visible at each stage as observed via satellite imagery.

External Equipment Appears (70%)

Cooling towers, chillers, and backup generator units begin appearing on dedicated concrete pads adjacent to and on top of the building. Transformer yards and switchgear enclosures become visible near the substation interconnect.

Generator Installation Ramps Up (85%)

Diesel backup generators (typically 2–3 MW units such as Cat C175-16) are installed on pre-cast pads. Generator count becomes countable from satellite, enabling Aterio’s ML model to estimate facility power capacity.

IT Hardware Delivery Begins (90%)

Semi-trailers appear at loading bays, indicating servers, networking gear, and rack infrastructure are being moved into the building. This is a strong signal that the facility is approaching commissioning and initial power-on.

Final Commissioning (95%)

Building structure and all core equipment fully installed. Final site work, testing, and punch-list items underway. Facility is near-ready for activation.

Early & Mid Construction

Stages: 15%-40%

Multiple buildings at varying stages of early construction. The top structure shows partial roof installation over completed steel framing (~40%). The middle building has foundations and early vertical steel (~20%). The bottom structure shows foundation pads and footings being poured (~15%). No external equipment is visible at these stages.

Equipment Installation Begins

Stages: 70%-85%

Roof fully completed on both buildings. Initial cooling towers are being installed on the rooftop. The generator yard between the structures is staged with concrete pads but no generators have arrived yet. Medium voltage transformer systems are installed, preparing the electrical infrastructure for generator connection in the next phase.

Fully Equipped & Near-Activation

Stages: 90%-95%

Buildings are fully equipped. Dense arrays of cooling units cover the rooftop and perimeter. All backup generators are installed and countable. Semi-trailers are visible at loading bays, indicating IT hardware (servers, networking equipment, racks) is being moved into the facility. The site is paved with completed access roads - a strong signal the facility is approaching activation.

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