Daniel Farris and Rachel Conrad Author Article on How Powered Land Is Reshaping Data Center Development

Foley & Lardner LLP attorneys Daniel Farris and Rachel Conrad authored the Environment + Energy Leader article, “How Powered Land Is Changing Data Center Site Selection,” analyzing the central role of power availability in the evolving process of data center site selection.

“In the modern-day gold-rush to identify and procure the best sites to support the AI infrastructure boom, the most valuable data center asset is not land — it’s land with power or grid interconnect already attached,” the authors write.

Farris and Conrad examine how power constraints are reshaping data center development, highlighting the increasing value of powered land, the competitive advantage of early interconnection, the rise of behind-the-meter and colocated generation solutions, and the expansion into emerging markets with available energy infrastructure.

“In this new paradigm, successful data center development hinges on seeing sites not just as parcels of land, but as nodes in an evolving energy ecosystem.” The authors conclude, “As the industry adapts, power will continue to redefine value, drive innovation, and redraw the data center map.”