Understanding The Water Considerations That Influence Different Site Planning Outcomes

Over the course of our consultation process, we spoke to a broad cross-section of developers.

That included developers building the next generation of large-scale AI campuses, traditional data center developers that have historically focused on power, land, fibre and tax incentives, colocation developers increasingly responding to customer expectations around sustainability and resilience, speculative land developers evaluating future site opportunities, and international developers entering North America only recently or for the first time.

What became immediately apparent is that there is no such thing as a single "developer view" on water.

A developer evaluating a multi-phase AI campus in Texas may be asking very different questions from a colocation developer in Northern Virginia, a speculative developer securing future land positions in Arizona, or an international investor trying to understand how water governance operates across the United States.

However, despite these differences, one message came through consistently: water is increasingly becoming part of every major development conversation. Shaping decisions around site viability, long-term expansion, investment confidence and overall development risk.

The conference has therefore been designed to reflect those different perspectives, helping attendees understand not only the challenges emerging around water, but also the practical approaches, lessons and planning frameworks that are helping projects move forward more confidently.

Sessions throughout the event will help attendees better understand how water considerations are influencing investment decisions today, what due diligence questions should be asked earlier in the process, and how leading organisations are evaluating long-term development opportunities from a site selection perspective.

Understanding What Creates Trust Around Water Use 

Perhaps one of the most revealing findings from our research was that communities rarely oppose data centres simply because they are data centres.

Today, water-related concerns emerge around 

· future growth assumptions, 

· usage projections, 

· drought resilience, 

· infrastructure capacity and 

· transparency around long-term plans

Speakers and discussions will explore practical approaches to community engagement, customer expectations and stakeholder communication, helping developers understand what builds trust, what creates resistance and what lessons can be learned from projects that have successfully navigated these challenges.

Understanding The Evidence Needed To Demonstrate Water Resilience 

One of the strongest themes to emerge from our research was the growing importance of long-term water confidence.

Developers told us that the question is no longer simply whether water is available today.

The real challenge is understanding whether water availability, infrastructure capacity and regulatory frameworks will remain dependable throughout the 20- to 30-year lifespan of a major facility. This is also what communities, utilities and regulators care about.

The conference will therefore explore what long-term water resilience actually looks like in practice, the evidence increasingly required by regulators and communities, and the planning approaches that are helping developers support future growth with greater certainty.

Integrating Water Into Site Selection, Infrastructure Planning & Future Growth

Historically, site selection conversations were dominated by questions around power availability, land, fibre connectivity and tax incentives.

Water was important, but often considered later in the process.

Developers increasingly told us that this is changing.

Sessions throughout the programme will explore how water planning is being integrated much earlier into site selection, helping organisations evaluate future expansion potential, wastewater infrastructure availability, utility capacity and long-term resilience before major investment decisions are made.

Learning What Successful Utility Partnerships Have In Common 

One of the clearest messages from developers was that many future water challenges will be solved through better utility coordination rather than technology alone.

Across North America, utilities, wastewater providers, planners and developers are increasingly being required to work together in ways that have not historically existed.

The agenda explores emerging partnership models, commercial structures, governance approaches and investment frameworks that are helping align infrastructure planning with future growth requirements.

Separating The Hype From The Reality Around Reclaimed & Treated Waste-Water 

The industry's conversation around reclaimed water is evolving rapidly.

What was once viewed primarily as a sustainability initiative is increasingly becoming part of wider discussions around resilience, future growth and long-term infrastructure planning.

The conference will examine the practical realities behind reclaimed water projects for different types of AI-scale data centers, including commercial models, infrastructure requirements, utility partnerships and lessons from organisations already implementing these approaches.

Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of where reclaimed water is proving viable, where challenges remain, and what developers need to know before pursuing these strategies themselves.

Cooling Technologies, Water Trade-Offs & Practical Deployment Lessons

Developers consistently told us that they are faced with a growing number of claims around cooling technologies, water efficiency and future infrastructure requirements.

The challenge is often distinguishing between theoretical performance and operational reality.

Sessions will focus on practical deployment experiences, implementation lessons and the trade-offs between water consumption, power demand, scalability and future flexibility.

The objective is to help attendees better understand where different approaches are proving successful and where important questions remain unanswered.

Practical Lessons For Building AI Infrastructure In A Water-Constrained Future 

Texas remains the anchor market for this event because it combines scale, growth, urgency and some of the most important infrastructure questions facing the industry today.

However, the challenges and opportunities surrounding water resilience extend far beyond Texas.

By bringing together experiences from developers, utilities, infrastructure providers and policymakers across North America and internationally, the conference aims to provide practical insight into the decisions, partnerships and planning approaches that will increasingly shape the future of AI infrastructure development.

Ultimately, this event is designed to help developers move beyond uncertainty, better understand emerging risks and opportunities, and build more resilient, scalable and future-ready development strategies.

We look forward to welcoming you this October.