Data Center World has always been a reliable gauge of where our industry’s head is at. But DCW 2026 felt different — not because of any single announcement, but because of a theme that ran through nearly every conversation we had: the growing recognition that most important innovations in this industry aren’t coming from any one company working alone. They’re coming from supply chain partners who have built deep, co-development relationships over time.
This isn’t a new idea at Compass. It’s how we’ve operated for years. But seeing it reflected so broadly across the conference — in sessions, in hallway conversations, in what peers are now calling best practices — suggests the industry is moving in the same direction.
The clearest examples came from two sessions where Compass partners presented the results of joint development work. My panel with Schneider Electric’s Jim Simonelli, RK Industries’ Marc Paolicelli and Siemens’ Shahab Ahmed reframed industrialized construction through a systems thinking lens, specifically how people and culture, not components, are the true drivers of innovation. The proof is in the products Compass has been able to develop with our closely coupled partners: Schneider Electric’s Prefabricated Modular EcoStruxure™ Pod, the first-of-its-kind liquid cooling piping assemblies and water treatment system skids with RK, and Siemens’ Ring Main Unit (RMU) skids. All developed with the principles of industrialized construction but realized through the alignment of our teams and cultures.
Another example was Vertiv’s Scott Armul, who covered the need to address current demand for liquid cooling, with built-in flexibility by presenting the CoolPhase Flex, a product that grew directly out of our collaboration with their team. None of these products would exist in their current form without the kind of close, iterative partnership that lets two organizations build on each other’s expertise rather than working in parallel.
What struck me at this year’s conference was seeing how many of the approaches Compass and our partners developed — industrialized construction, prefabrication, sustainable construction methods — are now being discussed as industry best practices more broadly. That cross-pollination matters. It’s an indication that closely coupled supply chain relationships don’t just benefit the companies involved; they raise the bar for the whole industry.
Internally, we’ve paired this partner model with kaizen principles for continuous improvement — a manufacturing mindset and discipline that turns incremental daily gains into meaningful long-term advantages.
I also want to take a moment to recognize the Data Center World and Informa organizing teams, including the advisory committee I’m fortunate to be part of. Creating an environment where this kind of productive exchange actually happens is harder than it looks, and the DCW team does it well. The conversations that are only possible in that setting — candid, cross-organizational and focused on real problems — are genuinely valuable, and I’m grateful for the work that makes them possible.
