Data Center Energy Solutions

Enabling data center owners to secure power faster and operate more efficiently — and meet long-term energy and carbon goals

Aerial view of extensive solar panel arrays arranged in rows across open farmland, illuminated by sunset light.


Data center development is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, driven by artificial intelligence, cloud computing and the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure. As power densities increase and timelines compress, access to reliable, affordable and scalable energy has emerged as one of the most critical constraints — and sources of risk — for owners and investors.

Data center energy solutions address this challenge, as energy strategy is no longer a downstream consideration but a primary determinant of where data centers can be sited, how quickly they can be delivered and how effectively they can operate over their full lifecycle while meeting resilience, cost and sustainability objectives.

Jacobs delivers integrated data center energy management solutions by unifying site due diligence, permitting and regulatory strategy, advisory services, engineering and design and capital planning into a single, coordinated delivery model.  

By aligning early‑stage energy and infrastructure decisions with execution and long‑term investment strategy, we support clients to accelerate access to grid‑connected or on‑site power, reduce development and operational risk, and deploy resilient, scalable energy systems that support rapid growth and evolving technologies that perform in the long term.

5,000+ megawatts

Delivered or in design for hyperscale and AI data centers globally over the past decade.

30 million Square Feet

Data center space delivered since 2016.

30+ Years

Leading mission-critical and data center delivery across cloud, colocation and AI workloads.

Powering data center delivery from site to scale

From early site assessment to commissioning, we empower clients to move faster while managing risk, cost and energy performance.

man with laptop

Site Due Diligence

Assessing grid capacity, connectivity constraints, environmental concerns, water availability, permitting risk matrices and expansion potential to support clients in evaluating whether a site can support long‑term objectives. Early insights reduce uncertainty and support confident site selection, avoiding costly delays.

Environmental-Permitting

Permitting

Guiding clients through complex permitting and regulatory processes that affect energy and data center delivery. We coordinate environmental reviews, utility approvals and energy infrastructure requirements to keep delivery aligned with project schedules.

people

Consulting and Advisory

Supporting early decision-making with independent energy and power consulting. Our services include power market studies, energy strategy, delivery model optimization and carbon pathway assessments. This enables clients to balance speed, cost, resilience and sustainability.

focused on work

Design and Engineering

Delivering integrated design and engineering for data center energy and infrastructure systems. We coordinate planning across power, cooling, electrical and site systems, improving performance and optimizing higher power density while reducing overall risk.

Construction and Commissioning

Construction and Commissioning

Supporting clients through delivery of energy and power asset deployment with site-based construction management, contractor oversight, safety, quality and schedule risk management. As part of asset handover, we validate and test energy systems to enable on-time compute power.

Capital Allocation and Capital Expenditure

Capital Allocation and Capital Expenditure

Working with clients to plan and prioritize energy investments across the data center lifecycle. Our capital planning services support phased delivery, cost control and evaluation of total cost of ownership — aligning energy infrastructure spending with growth, performance and long-term energy goals.

Common questions about data center energy solutions

Straightforward answers to understand power availability, energy strategy and delivery challenges for data centers.

Get in touch

Energy solutions for data centers include the systems and strategies used to supply reliable power at scale. This can involve grid connections, on-site power generation, energy storage and low-carbon energy sources. The goal is to ensure continuous operations, support rapid growth, manage costs and meet environmental and regulatory requirements.

Power availability has become a defining challenge for data center development as demand continues to outpace grid capacity. AI‑driven workloads significantly increase power density, while the infrastructure required to deliver new capacity — generation, transmission, interconnection and permitting — often takes years to plan and deliver. As a result, access to timely, scalable power has become a primary factor shaping how quickly data centers can be brought online in many markets.

Data center owners secure power faster by integrating early‑stage energy planning and supply strategies. This approach may include phased grid interconnections and on‑site or behind‑the‑meter generation alongside energy storage to bridge timing and capacity constraints. Proactive coordination with utilities and regulators — combined with integrated engineering, design and permitting — reduces schedule risk and aligns power delivery with project timelines.

Low‑carbon energy strategies play a critical role in enabling data center owners to meet corporate sustainability commitments and regulatory requirements. Many operators now require clean or carbon‑free power to support net‑zero and 24/7 carbon‑free energy objectives. As a result, access to renewable or carbon‑managed energy is increasingly influencing site selection and long‑term operating economics, as well as project approval decisions across global markets.

On‑site power generation provides a flexible solution to supplement or offset constrained grid capacity. It enhances reliability and mitigates exposure to interconnection and transmission delays, while supporting the high‑density demands of AI‑driven workloads. When designed with carbon‑management strategies and future fuel transitions in mind, on‑site generation also enables a clear pathway toward long‑term sustainability and evolving decarbonization goals. 

Delivering energy solutions for data centers requires close coordination among owners and developers, utilities, power producers, regulators and engineering partners. Effective alignment across these stakeholders is essential to synchronize site selection, permitting, power delivery, construction and long‑term operations — particularly for large‑scale, capital‑intensive energy infrastructure. A coordinated, full lifecycle approach keeps complex programs moving forward.

Energy decisions directly influence capital investment, operating costs, delivery schedules and long‑term risk for data center developments. Delays in securing power can defer revenue and disrupt growth plans, while inefficient or inflexible systems increase lifecycle operating expenses. Selecting the right energy mix mitigates exposure to price volatility and future capacity constraints, improving both near‑term performance and long‑term investment certainty.

A full lifecycle energy strategy aligns power availability with data center growth plans from the outset. By integrating site assessment, design, permitting, construction and operations into a single, coordinated framework, it reduces development risk, improves performance and ensures energy systems remain flexible. This approach enables infrastructure to adapt as demand scales, technologies evolve and regulatory requirements continue to change.

electrical poles

Transmission and Distribution

Supporting utilities, grid operators and energy developers with transmission and distribution (T&D) infrastructure through advisory, engineering, environmental, digital and program delivery expertise. This enables grid modernization and storage and renewable integration alongside improved system performance where reliability matters most.

nuclear

Nuclear

Delivering continuous, high-density power with zero operational carbon emissions. Nuclear offers a long-term solution for large data center campuses, particularly where land is constrained.

solar panels

Hybrid Renewables and Energy Storage

Managing carbon exposure and long-term energy costs through hybrid renewables and energy storage. This improves reliability and supports sustainability goals. It requires careful planning to align scale, storage duration and delivery timelines.

people walking in a city against a sunny background

Natural Gas Power Generation with Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS)

Providing reliable, large-scale power when speed to market is critical, supporting near-term capacity needs while reducing emissions and managing carbon risk. This is a practical option where gigawatt-scale power is needed before fully carbon-free alternatives are available.

  • Delivering Europe’s largest and most sustainable data center

    Powered entirely by renewable energy and using seawater for cooling, SINES Data Campus by Start Campus is putting sustainability at the heart of AI-scale data center design

    Description: Strategically located in Sines, Portugal, at Europe’s westernmost edge, the $9.4 billion (€8.5 billion) campus will connect all the world’s continents through high-speed subsea cables, capitalizing on Portugal’s unique position as the only country with direct submarine cable connections to around 60 countries.

    istock

Meet the team