A hyperscale data center is a large facility designed to support cloud computing, digital services, and the technology people rely on every day. These campuses are built to scale over time and are typically planned years in advance to ensure reliable power, connectivity, and performance.

Timelines vary by project and location, but development typically takes several years from initial planning to full operation. Early site selection, permitting, and infrastructure planning play a major role in how quickly a campus can be delivered.

A powered shell is a data center building that includes the core infrastructure needed to support operations, while allowing customers flexibility to complete interior systems to their specific requirements.

Environmental considerations are addressed early, during site selection and design. This includes planning for efficient energy use, thoughtful water strategies, and minimizing disruption to surrounding land and communities.

In many cases, yes. A large portion of what customers pay for electricity covers fixed costs like power plants, substations, and transmission lines that utilities have already built. When a new, high-demand customer such as a data center connects to a grid that has existing capacity, it can help spread those fixed costs across more total usage. That broader cost sharing can put downward pressure on rates for everyone.

Article 9 is the EU’s highest sustainability standard, reserved for investments with a clear, measurable environmental objective. Rowan’s net-zero commitments are designed to meet that level of rigor by embedding decarbonization into every stage of data center development, from site selection and construction to energy and water sourcing. Through detailed analysis and transparent decision-making, we help partners align ambitious sustainability goals with real, verifiable outcomes.

In data center development, being water positive means using less water than traditional designs and offsetting that use by returning water to the community or environment through replenishment efforts. Rowan achieves this through innovative water sourcing and cooling strategies, including air-cooled and closed-loop systems that dramatically reduce consumption and reuse the same water repeatedly. By pairing efficient design with targeted water restoration initiatives, Rowan aims to physically return more water to local systems than its facilities consume, supporting long-term water resilience in the communities where it builds.

A turnkey data center campus is a multi-building data center site that is fully designed, built, and delivered by a single provider as a complete, ready-to-operate solution—including power, cooling, connectivity, and supporting infrastructure. It allows our customers to deploy capacity at hyperscale immediately.