At a glance
- As demand for AI-ready infrastructure continues to accelerate, data center teams are under growing pressure to deliver capacity faster, with less risk and greater predictability
- Together with Compass Datacenters, we set out to answer a question many in the industry have been asking: How much..
# Prefabricated IT Pods Cut Onsite Installation Time by 80 Percent
A new time study from Schneider Electric and Compass Datacenters quantifies the deployment advantages of prefabricated white space modules for high-density, liquid-cooled data halls.
The Problem: Complexity at the Rack
As rack power densities climb, white space infrastructure is becoming more difficult to install. Modern high-density deployments require higher-capacity power distribution, denser cable-support systems, more substantial structural supports, and overhead piping for liquid cooling. These systems must share the same overhead and rack-adjacent space, which increases coordination demands.
In a traditional build, TCS piping, busway, and cable pathways arrive as separate deliveries and are installed onsite through multiple activities. Each system may require its own support arrangement, adding layout, alignment, elevated work, and inspection. The result is a labor-intensive, highly sequenced deployment that is difficult to accelerate.
The Study: Prefabricated Versus Traditional
Schneider Electric and Compass Datacenters analyzed the installation of a prefabricated liquid-cooled IT pod and compared it against a functionally equivalent traditional approach. In the traditional scenario, containment, TCS piping, busway, and cable-support systems were installed onsite.
The prefabricated schedule was based on durations observed during an actual Compass Datacenters deployment. The traditional comparison combined observed containment-installation durations with schedules developed by mechanical, electrical, and plumbing specialists for the additional TCS piping, busway, and cable-support infrastructure. Activities after installation verification and all offsite manufacturing activities were excluded from the comparison.
For the configuration analyzed, onsite installation time dropped from 75.5 hours under the traditional approach to 15 hours with the prefabricated IT pod—an 80 percent reduction.
The time savings did not come from crews performing the same field activities faster. In the traditional comparison, separate TCS, busway, and cable-shelving installation accounted for approximately 37, 13, and 5 hours, respectively. With the prefabricated pod, truss-mounted TCS piping sections were installed before delivery and joined onsite, while busway cages and cable shelving were mounted to the pod frame during assembly. This substantially reduced separate onsite installation activities.
Not every phase was shorter. Receiving and staging larger, preassembled components required more effort up front. The traditional approach involved smaller components that could be unloaded more quickly, but those required additional unpacking, organization, verification, and later installation. The modest increase in front-end handling was offset by the installation work avoided later in the sequence.
Beyond Speed: Repeatability and Quality
The collaboration also highlighted benefits beyond raw deployment speed. Because the prefabricated IT pod design and installation sequence are standardized, teams can refine the same core process across deployments. At Compass Datacenters, the installation analyzed required approximately 15 hours of onsite work, compared with 18 hours for a deployment completed 15 pods earlier. Reusing common designs, assembly processes, and installation sequences can improve predictability while allowing lessons learned to be incorporated into later modules.
The approach also shifts portions of inspection and quality verification into a controlled manufacturing environment. Factory-installed TCS piping sections can be cleaned, passivated, and leak-tested before shipment. The complete TCS loop still requires final flushing, pressure testing, and commissioning onsite, but completing selected activities earlier reduces the amount of integration work required within the data hall.
Standardization does not mean a static design. During the Compass Datacenters deployment, pod configurations evolved as project requirements changed, including changes in cooling and density. Because the prefabricated IT pod had defined structural interfaces and an established installation sequence, refinements could be incorporated into later modules without entirely recoordinating overhead supports, routing, and trade sequencing across the white space.
Operator Implications
The findings give data center operators, developers, and design teams a quantified basis for evaluating whether shifting selected white space work to a manufacturing environment fits their project requirements. For AI-ready infrastructure, where capacity must be delivered faster with less risk and greater predictability, prefabricated IT pods offer a measurable reduction in onsite installation hours and a repeatable path for future deployments.
The full methodology, assumptions, detailed installation activities, and additional findings are available in the white paper, Prefabricated White Space Module Time Study: Lessons from a High-Density Liquid-Cooled Deployment.
MegaWatt Intelligence Desk
Hyperscale & Grid Analyst. `More stories by $MegaWatt Intelligence Desk →`
