Insights from the Data Centre Real Estate Summit

On 19 June, over 350 developers, consultants, and suppliers converged at Doltone House in Sydney for the Data Centre Real Estate Summit, a key industry event exploring the future of digital infrastructure in Australia. As the demand for AI and cloud-driven computing continues to surge, this year’s summit was dominated by conversations around speed to market, evolving delivery models, and the transformative role of technology in data centre construction.

A standout moment of the day was the fireside chat titled “Building at the Speed of Demand”, featuring Tim Trimble (Construction Manager, Kapitol), Angus Barron (Head of Engineering, NEXTDC), and Alex Lamond (Data Centre Sector Lead, WT), facilitated by Adam Gangi of Base Services.

Reflecting on the increasing complexity and pace of data centre builds, Tim Trimble highlighted how the industry is adapting:
“Speed to market is no longer just about moving fast—it’s about flexibility, precision, and collaboration. When we’re entering the construction phase with only 30% of the design complete, success depends on trust, alignment, and real-time responsiveness.”

Tim spoke on Kapitol’s adoption of AI and digital tools to improve delivery outcomes, including the use of document ingestion for faster specification reviews, drone-assisted progress tracking, and augmented reality overlays to assess site conditions and run rates. These innovations are integrated with BIM models to de-risk procurement, improve planning accuracy, and streamline collaboration across all stakeholders.

“AI is helping us reduce time on repetitive admin tasks and focus our teams on higher-value decisions,” Tim noted. “It’s giving our clients deeper visibility and confidence during fast-moving delivery programs.”

Prefabrication and modularisation also took centre stage. Kapitol’s use of prefabbed HACs, switch rooms, and services corridors was discussed as a key enabler of program acceleration—helping overcome skilled labour shortages and compressing timelines without compromising on quality.

The future of data centre delivery, as highlighted by the panel and throughout the summit, lies in scalable, adaptable solutions—driven by early contractor involvement, integrated design thinking, and intelligent technologies like AI and BIM. As one attendee noted, “It’s not just about building data centres. It’s about building them better, faster, and smarter.”

Following lunch, over 50 attendees gathered for a roundtable discussion led by Tim and Alex, delving deeper into practical methods for ensuring defect-free delivery, cost certainty, and building strong, transparent relationships with trade partners. This open forum offered a rare opportunity for candid discussion on the tools, strategies, and cultural shifts required to meet the sector’s rising expectations.

Key takeaways from other conference sessions included:

• 90% of the worlds data (by volume) has been created in the last two years
• Liquid to chip will be approximately a third of data centres within the next 5 years, but standard CPU processing is still a huge demand so they will not stop anytime soon.
• Large data centres supporting AI are being called AI Factories and they will not necessarily be located in the cities as they are not as reliant on latency. 6% of power loss through transmission lines means huge DCs will be built close to power sources near Hydro or Large Power Station – similar to the US.
• We are working on more and more prefabrication in the data centre space, but so is the rest of the world, right down to prefab data hall fitouts. Building DCs solely from prefab components is the way of the future.

As the data centre sector continues to evolve, Kapitol remains committed to staying ahead—embracing innovation, challenging traditional methods, and working in true partnership with clients and consultants to meet the demands of a digital-first future.