Originally posted on Data Center POST.

How master planning, power strategy, and early-stage development are reshaping the data center industry

At the infra/STRUCTURE Summit 2025, held October 15–16 at The Wynn Las Vegas, one of the event’s most forward-looking discussions tackled the changing dynamics of the pre-development phase in digital infrastructure.

Moderated by Philbert Shih, Managing Director of Structure Research, the session, “Pre-Development and Evolving Models”, explored how early-stage development has evolved into a strategic discipline of its own. Joining Shih on stage were Nat Sahlstrom, Chief Energy Officer at Tract; Brandon Amber, Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder of Doma Infrastructure Group; and Mark McComiskey, CEO of AVAIO Digital Partners.

Together, these leaders shared how they are navigating challenges around power access, land readiness, and entitlement complexity while shaping new models designed to meet the unprecedented pace of global demand.

Creating a Market Segment Out of Pre-Development

Shih opened the session by framing the conversation around an emerging market reality: pre-development is no longer a supporting activity, it’s becoming its own business model.

“From a research perspective, pre-development has grown into a market segment in and of itself,” Shih noted. “It’s where timelines, capital, and innovation intersect, and where future capacity is truly created.”

McComiskey agreed, explaining that his firm identified early on that the long lead times required to secure land, entitlements, and power were creating bottlenecks that could stall digital growth.

“We saw that power and transmission constraints were going to slow down the digital revolution,” McComiskey said. “Our solution was to think like a utility, secure the land and power first, so when customers are ready, they can move immediately.”

AVAIO Digital Partners is offering “ready-to-build” campuses at scale, helping hyperscalers and operators bypass years of red tape. Which is done through acquiring and master-planning large tracts of land with utilities and infrastructure pre-engineered.

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