Explore the Agenda
7:00 am Registration & Networking Breakfast
7:50 am Advancing Data Centers Opening Remarks
8:00 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Choosing the Fastest Path to Capacity
8:10 am Owner Case Study: Evaluating Retrofits Against New Build to Optimize Cost & Deliver Faster Capacity Expansion
- Looking at how JLL compared retrofit and new build strategies across deployment speed, power availability and time-to-capacity to identify the fastest route to supporting AI-scale growth
- Assessing how JLL evaluated retrofit options to accelerate customer onboarding, AI deployment readiness and earlier revenue-generating capacity versus ground-up development
- Reviewing how JLL measured ROI between retrofit projects and new construction to support more informed, financially sound expansion decisions
8:40 am Panel: Exploring the Key Drivers Behind Why Owner/Operators Harness Retrofit Projects to Accelerate Capacity Delivery
- Identifying the operational, capacity and infrastructure warning signs that indicate when retrofit investments become the fastest path to delivering additional compute capacity
- Examining how AI workloads, higher rack densities and evolving technology demands are pushing existing power, cooling and structural systems beyond their original design limits
- Evaluating how retrofit strategies can accelerate capacity deployment, extend facility utilization and bring AI infrastructure online faster than greenfield development
9:50 am Speed Networking
10:20 am Morning Refreshments
Strengthening Planning Through Early Alignment
10:50 am Understanding Operations Requirements & Priorities to Embed Their Needs into Execution Planning
- Discovering how operations teams define acceptable risk, downtime windows, and risk tolerance levels to determine project schedules
- Aligning technical delivery requirements with contractual and SLA obligations to ensure operational teams can support work without breaching service commitments
- Evaluating how digital operational tools, facility data and real-time system visibility improve retrofit planning accuracy and reduce execution risk in live environments
- Gaining deeper insight into operations team priorities to reduce friction between construction and facility teams and enable more efficient project planning
11:50 am Panel: Strengthening Initial Project Planning Across Design, Construction & Operations Teams to Improve Early Decision Making & De-Risk Projects
- Investigating how to develop integrated project delivery approaches that bring project teams together early to identify feasibility issues before design begins
- Learning how to align stakeholders by understanding the different priorities and responsibilities between operations, construction and design teams to reduce delays and scope creep from the start
- Discussing best practices for planning and communication to reduce misalignment and ensure retrofit projects are sequenced, reviewed and agreed collaboratively
12:30 pm Networking Lunch
Evaluating Power & Cooling for Retrofit Feasibility
1:30 pm Assessing Existing Power & Electrical Topologies to Determine Readiness for AI-Scale Demand
- Gauging whether existing electrical infrastructure, distribution systems and backup power configurations can support higher densities without compromising resiliency
- Exploring strategies for expanding power capacity while maintaining live operations to minimize disruption to customers
- Identifying available or underused power in existing or nearby sites to repurpose for data center use
- Collaborating with utility providers to assess available grid capacity and long-term power availability needed to support higher-density AI workloads
2:30 pm Panel: Understanding Current Cooling Infrastructure Constraints & Capacity to Support AI Driven Thermal Demands
- Understanding the limitations of current cooling performance for higher heat loads to identify areas for retrofit
- Understanding routing and operational limitations that can impact cooling system upgrades and complicate installation in live environments
- Exploring differences between standardization vs customisation in liquid cooling retrofits
3:00 pm Afternoon Refreshments & Networking Break
Designing Within Constraints to Enable Successful Integration of Equipment
3:40 pm Panel: Evaluating Existing Space Constraints to Ensure New Equipment Integrates with Legacy Infrastructure Layouts
- Creating retrofit layouts that maximize available space while accommodating new equipment, cooling systems and routing requirements within existing facility constraints
- Coordinating equipment sizing, access pathways and installation sequencing early to reduce fitment issues and prevent deployment delays
- Assessing how legacy building layouts, freight access limitations and confined space impact equipment selection, installation flexibility and long-term maintainability
4:40 pm Evaluating Structural Capacity & Limitations to Support New Equipment & Systems
- Determining if existing floor loading, roof structures and support systems can sufficiently accommodate modern equipment
- Investigating structural reinforcement strategies that enable refit viability while minimizing operational disruption and construction complexity
- Recognizing when existing structural limitations make retrofit projects economically and commercially unfeasible