Addressing Transformer Delays as the New Strategic Risk in Campus Delivery

Across discussions with data center operators, technology partners, and on-site generation specialists, one priority has risen above all others: transformers. Once considered a routine piece of infrastructure, they are now a decisive bottleneck. With lead times stretching 18 to 36 months, transformer availability determines whether AI campuses can be energised on schedule—or whether servers sit idle, racked and waiting, while power cannot flow.

This is not just a supply challenge. AI campuses expand in sudden surges, not steady increments, and transformers must withstand step-changes in load that were never envisaged in legacy designs. Reliability, scalability, and resilience are now as important as procurement timelines. Operators must find solutions that both accelerate delivery and guarantee operational stability.

Conference Solutions to Explore:

• How operators are forecasting transformer demand  earlier in project lifecycles
• Forward contracting models with global OEMs to  de-risk supply queues
• Regional case studies where procurement strategy  prevented energisation delays
• Innovative supply lock-in models: joint  procurement, anchor buyer agreements, and strategic stockpiling
• Engineering upgrades to withstand sudden  AI-driven load shocks
• Testing regimes and predictive modelling for transformer resilience

The transformer challenge has become a defining test of leadership in the age of AI infrastructure. It touches procurement, engineering, finance, and operations in equal measure—and it will determine who delivers campuses on time and who falls behind. This conference provides a rare forum to confront the issue head-on: to benchmark strategies, share tested workarounds, and engage directly with OEMs, utilities, and peers shaping the path forward.