Data Center Hub—Where Innovation Meets Infrastructure
Welcome to the Perkins Coie Data Center Hub—a comprehensive resource designed for everyone involved in the development, operation, and maintenance of data centers.
As demand for digital infrastructure accelerates, the legal and regulatory landscape grows more complex. This Hub offers practical insights across every phase of the data center life cycle. Here, you'll find legal updates and tools curated to support industry participants navigating today's most pressing data center challenges. Whether you're a developer, operator, investor, or in-house counsel, this Hub is built to keep you informed and support your success at each stage.
Data Center Life Cycle: The Three Critical Phases
Key Components of a High-Performance Data Center
Articles
The Importance of Data Centers to Today’s Economy
Types of Data Center Customers
Key Legal Issues of Data Center Development
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Megawatts to Megabits: Strategic Data Center Siting
Data centers are essential in the digital age, but their rapid growth, fueled by artificial intelligence, presents major challenges. "Megawatts to Megabits: Strategic Data Center Siting" addresses key issues like site selection, development, reliable power supply, high energy consumption, and the need for sustainable practices.
Trends in the Growth of Investment in US Data Centers Under the New Administration
The announcement of the Stargate joint venture demonstrates, international stakeholders have been increasing their engagement in the U.S. data center industry.
CPUC Closes Years-Long Microgrids Proceeding, Limiting Off-Grid Distributed Energy Resources That Could Support Data Centers and Industrial Decarbonization
Key Contacts
Partner
- Firmwide Lead, Energy Infrastructure & Clean Technology
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Partner
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- Firmwide Chair, Technology Transactions & Privacy Practice
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Counsel
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Glossary
Representative Experience
Energy
- Represented a hyperscaler in its negotiation for procurement of cutting-edge green materials, and developed form agreements addressing novel issues related to this ongoing procurement.
- Negotiated a complex precedent agreement for the expansion of an existing energy supply and the purchase of resulting net-new supply, in which the customer agreed to backstop certain economic downside risk to incentivize the developer’s expansion.
- Represented a major technology leader in the negotiation of a strategic partnership with a clean energy developer for the development of industrial parks with gigawatts of data center capacity across the United States, co-located with new clean energy and storage resources to power them.
- Represented a major hyperscaler in the negotiation of contracts to procure multiple gigawatts of solar, wind, and hydro resources in markets across the United States, including CAISO, MISO, PJM, SPP, and NYISO.
- Represented a multinational technology company in the acquisition of sites in Texas with power infrastructure sufficient to support gigawatts of data center load, in some cases co-located with clean energy resources via a private use network structure.
- Advised a leading global technology firm on federal and state energy regulatory policy related to district energy structures, transmission planning, and interconnection reform.
- Represented a renowned technology company in the procurement of several hundred MWs of stand-alone battery storage resources located in MISO and SPP.
- Represented a multinational data center services provider in complex transaction structures to sleeve firmed and shaped renewable energy to large customer loads.
- Represented a leading technology giant in the negotiation of virtual power purchase agreements with developers of renewable resources in CAISO and NYISO.
- Represented a major technology company regarding the development of form procurement contracts specifically designed to significantly reduce the typical time required to negotiate procurement contracts with suppliers.
- Represented a hyperscaler in its negotiation of transactions for early-stage investment in advanced nuclear, enhanced geothermal, and carbon capture and sequestration technologies in the United States.
- Negotiated on behalf of a major technology leader bespoke agreements that provide a pathway to clean energy offtake and tax equity investment, enabling an efficient pipeline of individual renewable projects with developer partners over medium- to long-term planning horizons.
- Negotiated on behalf of a prominent hyperscaler an innovative, first-of-its-kind framework agreement to spur development of distributed solar in low- to moderate-income (LMI) communities in PJM.
Real Estate & Land Development
- Primary outside counsel for a global software corporation for its acquisition of multiple parcels throughout the United States. The transactions involve, when necessary, drafting and negotiating separate purchase and sale agreements, performing title and survey review, preparing due diligence summaries, letters of intent to purchase, and hazardous material remediation requirements, together with closing documents; and managing the closing process.
- Advised an owner and operator of over 40 carrier-neutral data centers in North America, Europe, and Asia regarding land use, real estate, and construction matters for its data center developments, particularly those in the southwest United States. We have helped the company acquire data center projects in Arizona and Washington, advising on land use, permitting, and zoning processes and addressing dispute resolution issues with permitting agencies and neighbors.
- Lead outside counsel on Oregon and Washington data center development for global online consumer services company. We serve as strategic advisor for the regulatory approvals and agreements required to finance, acquire, construct, and operate the client’s data center projects.
- Represented the owner of a master planned community in connection with a joint venture for the development of a large scale data center project.
- Represented client in connection with two sales of property for the development of data centers including certain development issues relevant to the development of the two sites and the adjoining land.
Technology Transactions & Privacy
- Represented multiple clients advising and negotiating over $200 billion in annual spend for data center hardware, equipment, and services procurement.
- Advised global data center hyperscalers, including in the United Kingdom, Japan, the United States, and Brazil, on developing global procurement agreement frameworks and governance policies.
- Negotiated agreements to secure a $100 billion server GPU procurement contract over five years on behalf of a major hyperscaler.
- Structured and negotiated a large-scale outsourced facilities management arrangement with a major service provider for the operation of over 100 data center facilities in 20-plus countries.
- Structured long-term supply and manufacturing agreements for server hardware, racks, and integrated rack systems and other physical infrastructure components with global original design manufacturer (ODM) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners.
- Facilitated advanced procurement arrangements for critical infrastructure, including power management systems, cooling solutions, generators, transformers, power distribution units (PDUs), with tier-one manufacturers.
- Structured procurement agreements for ongoing data center operations, including preventative and corrective maintenance, fuel delivery, water treatment, facilities services, and other mission-critical services.
- Supported clients in semiconductor procurement and licensing from major foundries, design houses, test and packaging houses, EDA vendors, and system integrators to secure IP, manufacturing capacity, and priority access for custom silicon development.
- Negotiated and drafted patent and IP license agreements for hard and soft silicon IP, as well as agreements covering foundry, design, packaging, testing, and other services.
- Advised on patent and IP issues arising from supply agreements for custom silicon. Advised clients on innovative technologies, including AI accelerators, quantum computing, advanced storage solutions, and edge computing infrastructure.
- Represented a major technology company in developing blockchain-based supply chain management technologies and multiparty platform agreements for the supply of integrated circuits for data centers, computers, and consumer electronics.
- Represented a developer and manufacturer of aerospace and defense industry communications, electronics, and navigation technologies in a seven-year outsourcing of its global information technology infrastructure and data center operations, help desk, and desktop support.