8:00 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Enhancing Supply Chain Agility
8:10 am Maintaining an Agile & Resilient Supply Chain to Mitigate Componentry Delays & Shorten Lead Times
Synopsis
- Building an inventory database of the capacity, capabilities and expansion of current suppliers to inform design decision-making
- Achieve Just-in-Time delivery: Exploring the benefits of procuring materials and equipment early and stock-piling prior to construction to overcome long lead times
- Training employees to ensure they are aligned on the best in-house processes
- Harnessing lessons learned when dealing with unexpected delays caused by current market volatility to drive greater stability in your supply chain
8:50 am Starting Procurement Early to Improve Cost & Schedule Certainty to Cope With Market Volatility
Synopsis
- Aligning all teams on what level of price and schedule fluctuations are possible during design for more accurate cost estimates
- Integrating known and unknown costs into the budget to prepare for price fluctuations, yet remain competitive
- Choosing the right trade partners and suppliers to set your project up for success
- Collaborating with suppliers during design to negotiate reasonable estimates and schedules to secure risk against market volatility
9:30 am Diversifying Your Supply Chain to Prevent Overreliance on Individual Suppliers
Synopsis
- Leveraging established cross-industry supply chains to ensure variation of suppliers when demand exceeds supply
- Dividing investments between suppliers in different locations across the US to prevent over-reliance and improve competition
- Aligning suppliers on your values, KPIs and company pillars so that they can perform at your standards
10:10 am Speed Networking & Morning Refreshments
Maximizing Productivity
10:50 am Panel: Reducing Barriers to Entry & Working with Inexperienced Construction Partners to Meet the Industry Backlog
Synopsis
- Discovering why companies should collectively promote trade schools, apprenticeships and internships to overcome challenges associated with a reduced workforce
- Setting up a mentoring program to retain employees, learn new skills and improve the involvement of underrepresented groups
- Rethinking how the retired workforce can train younger generations and involve themselves in less intensive tasks
- Supporting inexperienced project partners and educating them on data center specific construction processes to improve competency of all stakeholders
11:30 am Delivering Sustainable High Intensity Compute at Scale Using Modular Infrastructure
Synopsis
- Discover how modular construction decreases costs, increases sustainability measures, and promotes scalability
- The speakers will discuss the safety benefits to building in a manufacturing facility versus onsite
- Discussed will be how to develop a worldwide design with solution-driven engineering in order to solve problems faster and with more flexibility
12:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm Reviewing How Technology Can Increase Productivity & Efficiency of Construction Workflows Despite Industry Labor Shortages
Synopsis
- Exploring how automation will reduce manual tasks to maximize efficiency with fewer laborers
- Reviewing whether advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and laser scanning, are at a level of maturity to be widely adopted for improved productivity
- Understanding how robotics and drones can minimize onsite tasks and ensure workers remain safe
1:40 pm Role Play: Understanding Eyrus from a General Contractor’s Perspective
Synopsis
– Exploring how the onboarding of meaningful technology can transform data center construction
– De-bunking the preconceived issues associated with the adoption of new technology
1:50 pm Panel: Evaluating the Best Tools & Construction Methods to Improve Onsite Safety Without Affecting Productivity Rates
Synopsis
- Communicating effectively from the top-down – site leadership to craftworkers – to drive a safety-first culture
- Providing regular safety training to prevent workers getting complacent in their safety mindset
- Uncovering how data collection and analysis can predict future workflows to act proactively rather than reactively on safety methods
2:30 pm Afternoon Refreshments
3:05 pm
Driving Market Sustainability
3:10 pm Panel: Discussing Ways to Further De-Carbonize the Data Center Construction Industry Whilst Keeping Costs Low
Synopsis
- Communicating ESG policies to all project teams to ensure everyone is aligned on the owner’s goals
- Discovering how to offset carbon efficiently to meet corporate initiative goals whilst minimizing excess costs
- Assessing whether alternative equipment and batteries with a lower carbon footprint will be as reliable and cost effective as current systems
3:50 pm Exploring Next-Generation Cooling Systems to Improve Efficiency & Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Synopsis
- Determining what the best solution is to meet your sustainability goals: Liquid cooling vs air cooling vs water cooling
- Working with owners to have robust commissioning and preventative measures plans to run data centers as efficiently and easily as possible
- Understanding options to reduce the amount of cooling required whilst maintaining high levels of efficiency
- Reusing heat from data centers for district energy systems to maximize use of energy created
4:30 pm Exploring How to Improve the Retrofitting of De-Commissioned Data Centers & Other Buildings to Reuse Waste & Help Fill the Demand Gap
Synopsis
- Uncovering how the challenges associated with the availability and competition for new facilities can be solved with the retrofitting of data centers
- Conducting a feasibility study to determine whether a retrofit project is a viable option
- Harnessing lessons learned from previous projects: What could be done differently to further improve this approach?