When a self-proclaimed data center developer claims to have a gigawatt of power secured, the proper response in far too many cases is, "No, you don't," says Mark McComiskey, Founding Partner of AVAIO Digital.

Speaking with Cool Vector on the sidelines of the PTC 2026 event in Honolulu, McComiskey gives an overview of the resource and talent advantages possessed by AVAIO, and explains how the electricity grid constraints in US are far more serious than many digital infrastructure market entrants yet acknowledge.

In the wide-ranging interview, McComiskey explains that, for many data centers, "behind-the-meter" is not net a viable power solution. He says he will be carefully observing the announcements of top hyperscalers for signs of strain in their balance sheets, as an existential struggle for digital infrastructure supremacy has prompted an unprecedented investment wave.

Key takeaways from this Cool Vector episode:

• The power constraint is real, structural, and severely underestimated by the market. "There are very, very few places where you can legitimately deliver a gigawatt of power from the grid at any reasonable timeframe," McComiskey tells Cool Vector. "You'd be looking at more than 10 years from most sites."

• AVAIO's early-mover positioning in the power queue has created a rare and defensible 2027 supply advantage at exactly the moment established players are sold out. Says McComiskey: "There is nothing available in 2027. Everybody is coming to us saying they've got a shortage in 2027 and need to fill it."

• The entire AI infrastructure build-out hinges on whether the large language model companies can convert massive capital deployment into actual profits — and McComiskey is watching that closely as the sector's key risk signal. "The big four alone — Microsoft, Meta, Google, and Amazon — spent $400 billion last year on CapEx. That's more than the entire global oil and gas industry, and that's just four companies."

Watch the full episode on the Cool Vector Subdstack: https://coolvector.substack.com/p/in-data-center-development-real-access

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In Data Center Development, Real Access to Power is the Key Differentiator

Cool Vector

In Data Center Development, Real Access to Power is the Key Differentiator