Choose the right delivery model
| Model | Typical scale | What the provider delivers | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail colocation | Cabinets to roughly 250 kW | Shared data hall, cabinets or cage, managed facility infrastructure | Smaller deployments and network-rich footprints |
| Private suite | 250 kW to 1+ MW | Dedicated room or hall with provider-operated infrastructure | Enterprise control without building a facility |
| Wholesale colocation | 500 kW to 5+ MW | Large dedicated capacity block, often with configurable distribution | Scaled infrastructure and predictable growth |
| Powered shell | 1 to 10+ MW | Building shell and delivered utility capacity; customer completes more fit-out | Teams with data center design and operating capability |
| Build-to-suit | 5+ MW | Purpose-built facility under a long-term commercial structure | Large, specialized and durable requirements |
What changes from 250 kW to 5 MW
Capacity for lease needs a dated delivery path
For operating capacity, verify usable IT kW, room or suite, cooling, electrical topology and the work needed to turn up service. For capacity under construction, document utility status, equipment procurement, commissioning milestones and the provider's contractual delivery obligation. Announced capacity without those details is not a dependable project option.
Commercial terms to normalize
- Committed usable IT kW, metering basis and power overage treatment
- Initial ramp, future ramp and take-or-pay milestones
- Base recurring charge, utility pass-through and PUE treatment
- One-time fit-out, distribution, security and commissioning charges
- Annual escalators, renewal pricing and early termination rights
- Adjacent expansion rights and consequences of a late future phase
- Cross-connect, carrier, cloud and remote-hands costs
- Service levels, maintenance rights and force majeure allocation
Build a wholesale capacity brief
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Compare four major markets
Ashburn
Exceptional network depth with very tight near-term availability and premium pricing.
Dallas
Large development pipeline and strong scale, with interconnection and prelease status to verify.
Atlanta
Rapid growth and East Coast reach, with immediate capacity tighter than long-term generation plans imply.
Chicago
Central geography and dense connectivity, with utility delivery timelines increasing the value of energized capacity.