Conceptual estimating of technical facilities, including data centers, have traditionally fallen short as they’ve followed the commercial building $/sq. ft. cost model. In the last several years, leaders in the industry have proven that a cost model associated with cost per KW of IT load is a more viable way to plan and develop conceptual estimate for funding a data center project. However, the industry has continued to evolve with the cost of developing a new data center dependent on an array for factors. General cost have greatly reduced for many reasons, ranging from efficiency in the delivery of A/E and construction services to the commoditization of the data center by large aggregators of data center space (specifically the co-location providers).
Gone are the days of reliability as the only criteria for conceptual estimating of complex data centers. A one tier fits all metric is too simple. The industry is yearning for a new set of more sophisticated metrics that reflect the current conditions of the data center market. A better approach includes balancing reliability with a modular approach to deployment and other key design strategies like energy efficiency (PUE), water usage, and rapid scalability of the infrastructure systems with an MEP infrastructure that can be incrementally commissionable. Many data center owners want to understand the choices they have regarding these design strategies and their total cost of ownership during the design process. PlanNet provides conceptual cost metrics that help data centers owners make decisions as they conceptualize their needs and balance their options. Decisions based on real data will result in a better outcome.
