Traditional data center construction has long followed a linear model from design and procurement through to construction and operation, but the competitive pace of industry delivery today has fundamentally shifted this reality.

In the AI era, speed to capacity has become a defining metric of success, turning industrialized delivery into a critical competitive advantage.

Scott Smyth, founder and CEO at Soben, part of Accenture, has witnessed this transformation unfold firsthand. Under his leadership, Soben has evolved into a trusted advisor to hyperscalers and colocation developers navigating increasingly compressed delivery schedules across the data center market.

Its acquisition by Accenture reflects broader changes across the sector, combining Soben’s expertise in commercial management, project controls, and delivery with Accenture’s digital capabilities and global scale.

“It’s not just about demand anymore – there’s a shift in expectations now in speed to capacity, which is now a board-level KPI,” says Smyth.

In this DCD>Talks episode, Smyth reveals how organizations can redesign their delivery strategies around speed, scalability, and industrialized execution to lead in the next era of infrastructure delivery.

Pressure points in delivery

With data center delivery no longer unfolding in orderly sequence, timelines are compressed, and the race for capacity has intensified. The result is a far more interconnected delivery environment where maintaining alignment across every phase has become significantly more complex.

When all of these phases overlap, the margin for error narrows considerably and unresolved issues can cascade across the project lifecycle, ultimately impacting the quality and performance of the final asset.

Procurement in particular is now exerting greater influence over the entire project lifecycle, as Smyth explains:

“We have to be thinking about what can be procured and what is available within the timeframe required by the schedule. In many cases, procurement is leading the design process.”

At the same time, commissioning has evolved into a critical component of construction, ensuring increasingly complex systems operate seamlessly together before handover. Any disruption at this stage can delay operational readiness, reinforcing the need for a fully integrated, end-to-end view of delivery.

What must not be underestimated is the rate at which regulatory and environmental requirements are coming to the fore, adding to fundamental scheduling risks. Sustainability expectations, permitting processes, and evolving compliance standards are adding complexity to projects already operating at unprecedented speed.

“Certainty matters more than perfection in this environment,” says Smyth. “It’s about repeatability so we’re not wasting time by reinventing decisions and missing governance points, acting quickly if something’s not on track, and getting appropriate commissioning resources assigned to the project early on.”

That shift is driving a stronger case for standardization and modernization – approaches Smyth sees as key to enabling parallel delivery at scale.

The differentiator

Smyth sees a significant opportunity emerging at the intersection of industrialized delivery and digital innovation. Technologies such as AI, simulation, and digital twins are transforming how facilities are designed and delivered, enabling teams to model operational performance before construction is complete.

By resolving issues in the model rather than on site, developers can reduce risk, improve coordination, and accelerate delivery.

Ultimately, the organizations that can deliver consistency at speed, but at an appropriate cost point and quality, will lead in the next era of industrialized data center delivery.

Watch the full DCD>Talks interview with Scott Smyth for deeper insights into how hyperscalers and developers are adapting delivery strategies for the AI era.

For more information on how Accenture is accelerating AI data centers, visit accenture.com.