What this is, and who it's for#
You've been handed a project.
Maybe it's a data center lease that's about to expire. A cloud bill that stopped making sense. A rack count and a power number someone needs answered by next quarter.
Whether you own the business or lead the technology, this is for you.
It answers the questions that come up along the way, in plain language. And when you're ready to move, Clectiv AI is your workspace for the whole thing, built to make your life easier.
Where this comes from#
20+ years helping companies like yours get this done.
Right now your project might feel like a mountain. It isn't. Companies just like yours have already climbed it, and we helped them do it.
That experience is what you're getting:
- 20+ years in this market. We know how providers price, where they'll move, and what a great deal looks like for you.
- 124 providers and 2,200+ buildings. Far more options than most buyers ever see.
- Public, private and proprietary data. Brought together, verified, and ready to work on your project.
You don't start from scratch. You start where others finished.
Build your workspace in Clectiv AI and it all goes to work for you, so you move fast and you get it right.
How buyers win now#
The market changed. Here's how buyers get data center providers competing for their project.
- How buyers win now
The old way of buying data center space is dead
Why calling data center providers for capacity reports fails at record-low vacancy, how space really frees up, and why bidding every provider at once wins now.
- How buyers win now
Make providers compete
Why buying data center space one provider at a time is slow and leaves you no leverage. What the sales runaround looks like, and how to get providers competing at once for a better price, in days, not months.
Where we cover: United States#
152 markets worldwide, and a short guide to each US region.
- Markets we cover
Markets we cover
All 152 markets on one page, grouped by region. Find yours in ten seconds, then get the providers there competing for your project.
- Regional guide · Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
Northeast & Mid-Atlantic data centers
The world's most connected data center market lives here, and it's short on power. Getting connected is the slow part.
- Regional guide · Southeast
Southeast data centers
Lower power costs, Atlanta's carrier hub and Miami's door to Latin America. Your big call is inland or coast.
- Regional guide · Central
Central US data centers
Reach the whole country at lower power costs than either coast. Watch the strained grids in Ohio and Colorado.
- Regional guide · Southwest
Southwest data centers
Power at a third to half of California's price. The catch: cheap power isn't the same as available power.
- Regional guide · Northwest
Northwest data centers
Silicon Valley's network reach, or cheap inland power and room to grow. The Northwest's power-cost gap decides it.
Where we cover: Global#
Canada, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa: what matters most in each.
- Regional guide · Canada
Canada data centers
Quebec hydro is some of the cheapest data center power in North America. Quebec, BC and Alberta all ration big new connections.
- Regional guide · Europe
Europe data centers
Power, more than price, is Europe's bottleneck. Dublin, Amsterdam, London and Frankfurt have all restricted new grid connections.
- Regional guide · Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific data centers
Singapore rations new capacity in fixed, green-gated rounds. Johor, across the border, takes the overflow, and it's tightening too.
- Regional guide · Latin America
Latin America data centers
São Paulo anchors the region. Querétaro grows fastest, and it's running into power and water limits.
- Regional guide · Middle East & Africa
Middle East & Africa data centers
Here the first question is whether the grid stays on. Dubai's rarely blinks; Lagos runs on backup.
Metro deep dives#
Who runs data centers in the busiest US markets, and which kind of buyer each one fits.
- Metro guide · Phoenix
Phoenix data centers
Who runs data centers in metro Phoenix, including providers most shortlists miss. Which buyer each one fits, what the power squeeze means for you, and two big names that aren't here at all.
- Metro guide · Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia (Ashburn) data centers
The world's biggest data center market, mapped by the town each building is really in: Ashburn, Sterling, Reston, Manassas and Herndon. Who's there, where the cloud connects, and what Loudoun's power squeeze means for you.
- Metro guide · Dallas–Fort Worth
Dallas data centers
Who runs data centers across Dallas–Fort Worth, including the mid-size providers in Plano, Richardson and Allen that rarely make a shortlist. The Infomart's three competing providers, confirmed connections, and which capacity isn't built yet.
- Metro guide · Southern California
Los Angeles data centers
Data center space in Los Angeles, built around One Wilshire. Who runs what across downtown, the South Bay and Orange County, what's confirmed about cloud connections, and where our verified list stops.
How buying data center space works#
The parts of the deal no provider will explain plainly.
- Who's on your side
Why directories aren't neutral
Provider websites, data center directories, AI answers and salespeople each lean a predictable way. Here's what each gets wrong, real examples from our own directory, and what a view on your side looks like.
- Process
How to run a data center bid
How to build your plan for data center space first, invite the right providers, and get quotes you can actually compare.
- Buying data center space
How much power to plan for
How to turn a rack count into a kW number for data center space (colocation). Measured draw versus the label, what power per rack changes, and why power sets your price.
- Buying data center space
Racks vs cage vs suite vs hall
The four ways data center space (colocation) is sold: racks, a cage, a private suite, or a whole hall. What separates them, what "retail" and "wholesale" mean, and how to tell which you need.
- Buying data center space
What your contract should include
The checklist for a data center (colocation) contract: term and renewal, the annual increase, connection fees, on-site support rates, and what an SLA has to say to mean anything. Structure only, no prices.
- Buying data center space
Carrier-neutral vs carrier-specific
What a carrier-neutral data center really means, why almost every provider claims it, how to check which networks are in your building, and how connection fees work.
- Buying data center space
Planning your data center move
A step-by-step plan for moving into data center space (colocation): what to settle before you sign, why running both sites beats a single cutover, and realistic timelines.
- Buying data center space
How to get data center pricing
Why no data center provider publishes a price list, why you shouldn't trust a price you find online, and how to get comparable quotes without the sales-call runaround.
- Buying data center space
How to negotiate data center space
What's actually negotiable in a data center (colocation) deal, why the first quote is only an opening number, and why competition, not a tougher tone, is your leverage.
- Buying data center space
How to compare data center quotes
How to line up data center (colocation) quotes that arrive in different shapes: per kW or per cabinet, term, yearly increases, connection fees and power billing. Plus what really lowers your cost.
Beyond the big names#
The providers that fit you best are often ones you've never heard of.
- Beyond the big names
Beyond Equinix & Digital Realty
Equinix, Digital Realty, QTS and CyrusOne are the four data center names everyone hears. We track 124 providers. The one that fits you best is often one you've never heard of.
- Beyond the default answer
What AI answers can't tell you
AI answers about data center space already name mid-size providers and directories. What they can't tell you is who has space or what it costs today. Here's what they give you, and how to get the rest.
Reference#
Plain definitions, written to be quoted.