Speed Drives Demand for Prefabricated Modular Data Centers

The key competitive advantage in today’s data center industry is no longer just technology; it’s the speed of delivery and the repeatability of design. As the market demands megawatts of computing power delivered in months rather than years, prefabricated modular data centers have become the preferred solution.

According to Vedran Brzić, Vice President for Infrastructure Solutions for the EMEA region at Vertiv, the AI boom has radically changed the way data centers are designed and delivered. Vertiv’s Infrastructure Solutions business unit integrates the company’s power, thermal, and IT systems into fully prefabricated, factory-assembled blocks ranging from standalone power modules and cooling skids to full-scale campus deployments like the OneCore solution.

“The message is clear: the key is no longer just technology, it’s the speed of delivery and design repeatability,” says Brzić. “The market demands megawatts of computing power delivered in months, not years.”

Before the acceleration of AI workloads, typical “all-in-one” modular data centers ranged from around 100 kilowatts to several megawatts. Today, that capacity has increased tenfold. What once fit into a 100 kW module now handles roughly one megawatt, and the trend continues upward.

To address these new requirements, Vertiv offers two platform lines designed for different use cases. The Megawatt CoolChip platform targets smaller-scale enterprise applications from universities and banks to healthcare and pharmaceuticals, with typical installations of one to two megawatts. OneCore, on the other hand, is tailored for large-scale AI and high-performance computing (HPC) campuses, with prefabricated blocks of five, ten, or twenty megawatts assembled in serial “AI factory” configurations.

At the core of this approach are standardized, prefabricated building elements. Power systems arrive as modular skids that integrate medium- and low-voltage equipment, UPS systems, and batteries within a single frame to distribute energy across data halls. The cooling side includes factory-built, pre-tested chiller assemblies with hydronic modules and buffer tanks that maintain thermal inertia, providing several minutes of cooling continuity in the event of a power interruption.

The advantage of repeatable blocks lies not only in quality control but also in the ability to mass-produce identical units, dramatically shortening delivery timelines and simplifying logistics. Vertiv manages infrastructure projects end-to-end, from technical design and engineering to factory assembly and on-site commissioning.

This integrated approach allows Vertiv to control the entire value chain, reducing on-site construction time by more than half compared to traditional builds and enabling earlier procurement of long-lead equipment. In practical terms, Brzić explains, “If there’s an existing structure, whether a warehouse shell or a purpose-built facility, Vertiv can deliver equipment to the site in about six months, followed by two to three months of testing and commissioning. That means 10 to 20 megawatts of IT load can go live in roughly nine months, provided local permitting doesn’t delay the process.”

Vertiv adapts its engineering and manufacturing footprint to project location and block type. Within the EMEA region, it operates three key prefabrication hubs, including a strong engineering base in Croatia. Additional capacity is located in Ireland, close to switchgear and busbar production, and in the United Arab Emirates, also near key electrical equipment factories. This global network enables parallel production of multiple blocks for deployment across different sites, allowing large campuses to be built in phases and monetized faster.

Prefabricated data centers have evolved from a niche solution for markets lacking skilled labor into a mainstream choice across EMEA. While the U.S. led the early adoption, demand has now expanded rapidly to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The customer base has diversified, too, with new “neo-cloud” players emerging alongside traditional colocation and hyperscale operators. These clients rely on Vertiv’s domain expertise to turn reference designs into operational facilities within extremely tight timelines.

In Southern Europe and the Middle East, activity is surging, while Nordic countries are attracting AI campuses with low-cost hydropower, available land, and naturally cold climates. One such project is the fully modular AI data center for client Polar in Norway, now entering final testing. The initial 12 MW phase, designed for the latest Nvidia architectures, will later scale up to 40 MW with higher rack densities. Leveraging the cold climate and highly efficient cooling architecture, the facility targets a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) below 1.2, meaning just 15–20% of dissipated heat is used to power the cooling systems. Prefabrication minimizes on-site complexity and logistics in this remote location.

A critical element of Vertiv’s approach is the use of digital twins. “We coordinate all stakeholders from the client’s civil and architectural teams to Vertiv’s internal power and thermal divisions within a single coherent model,” says Brzić. “This eliminates design collisions before they reach the construction site, ensures geometric and functional alignment of modules, and simplifies future expansions. Whether it’s a new concrete structure or a repurposed warehouse, the real intelligence and value lie in the prefabricated energy, cooling, and IT blocks and how they are orchestrated.”

Vertiv’s strategy is also aligned with Nvidia’s GPU roadmap. As each new generation brings higher density and heat dissipation, reference designs continuously adapt power distribution, hydronics, and thermal control to maintain platform flexibility.

Cooling flexibility is particularly crucial. Vertiv’s systems are designed to support air, hybrid, or direct liquid cooling depending on the application and target workload, allowing customers to avoid costly retrofits if requirements change.

The philosophy behind this model can be summed up in three words: standardize, prefabricate, scale. Standardization enables reference topologies and fast procurement. Prefabrication shifts risk-sensitive activities into controlled factory environments for faster, more reliable delivery. And scalability ensures phased construction and faster return on investment.

“In an industry where AI model performance grows exponentially, physical infrastructure must evolve just as fast,” concludes Brzić. “Vertiv has proven that it’s possible when power, cooling, IT white space, and project management are treated as one integrated system. Prefabricated megawatt-class modules and campus-scale OneCore solutions are becoming the new normal measured not only in megawatts, but in months to production.”