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What does it take to build the infrastructure behind AI when demand is accelerating, projects are growing and traditional construction methods are being pushed to their limits?
In this episode of Kapitol Conversations, Andrew Deveson and Kapitol co-founder and Director David Caputo are joined by NEXTDC Chief Development Officer Simon Cooper to discuss the future of data centres and what the construction industry must do differently to meet the scale of demand ahead.
Simon reflects on NEXTDC’s growth from a small team with its first two-megawatt facility to one of Australia’s leading data centre operators. He explores how AI is increasing pressure to deliver capacity faster, while maintaining safety, quality and reliability.
The conversation covers the shift from air-cooled to liquid-cooled data centres, the role of modular construction and off-site manufacturing, and why these approaches must be considered from the beginning of the design process.
Simon, Andrew and Dave also examine construction’s productivity challenge. They discuss how incomplete design, rework, poor coordination and limited workforce planning contribute to waste, and why simply adding more people rarely makes a project faster.
Throughout the episode, the discussion considers:
- How is AI changing the scale and speed of data centre development?
- Why is liquid cooling becoming critical?
- When do modular construction and off-site manufacturing create value?
- Why can larger workforces lead to lower productivity?
- How can better planning and measurement reduce rework and waste?
- What role could AI play in construction programming?
- How can clients, builders and subcontractors better align around productivity?
- What responsibilities come with data centres becoming more visible and important to Australia’s future?
This episode is a candid discussion about the infrastructure required to support the AI era and the changes needed to deliver it. The message is clear: meeting future demand will require the industry to plan earlier, measure more effectively and rethink how projects are designed and built.
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