MEP Design for AI Data Centers

Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design for AI data centers-power density, cooling capacity, and the engineering gap between designed and installed.

The Heat Nobody Counts - PUE Ends at the Meter

Meta’s Prometheus data center in New Albany, Ohio is scaling to 1.2 GW. To get there, they’re building behind-the-meter natural gas turbines — two 200 MW Socrates generation facilities, supplied by dedicated gas pipelines, isolated from the grid. In Virginia, the same story plays out with diesel generators, enough of them that it became the top legislative concern entering the 2026 session. The industry talks about PUE as if it were a verdict on environmental efficiency. It isn’t. PUE measures one envelope — the data center facility. Total facility power divided by IT equipment power. A PUE of 1.3 means 30% overhead for cooling, lighting, and support systems. That’s the metric everyone optimizes, the number that shows up in sustainability reports, the figure that earns applause at conferences. ...

MEP Providers Are Never in the Postmortem

In 2021, I bought a home in Florida. The closing was in August, so imagine the hot summer days with temperatures over 100 degrees and humidity over 80%. When we selected the builder, I noted 2 things: HVAC with 15 SEER and insulation R-39. My house would be minimally energy efficient. I had no option to upgrade the HVAC, but 15 SEER is “good enough”. First week in the house, my wife realized I was getting bothered every time the compressor kicked in - there was a subtle, almost imperceptible, hit on the lights - nobody realized it, but I did. Battle-proven engineer with experience in thermal and power transiency. What could happen? ...