The global boom in hyperscale and edge data centres is reshaping demand for large, complex construction projects — but it also introduces a unique constellation of risks that owners, contractors and insurers must navigate. With accelerated schedules, tight delivery milestones, new cooling and power technologies, supply-chain bottlenecks, and massive concentration of mechanical-electrical systems, data centre builds carry an unusually high risk of delay, defect or cost overrun.

This panel will examine the technical, financial and operational exposures that make data centre construction distinct — including MEP-intensive work, commissioning failure, heat-load testing risk, equipment lead times and the interplay between construction performance and long-term uptime requirements.

From an insurance and risk-transfer perspective, these projects demand more sophisticated strategies than traditional vertical construction. The insurance market is currently struggling to meet the surging demand for data centre coverage, with capacity constraints and pricing pressures creating tighter terms and conditions. This scarcity is influencing investor appetite, as lenders and equity investors weigh coverage gaps and cost escalation risk when committing capital. Panelists will explore how builders risk, delay-in-startup/advanced loss of profits (DSU/ALOP), professional liability, cyber, pollution, and equipment breakdown coverages are evolving to address data centre-specific challenges amid this constrained market.

Discussion will focus on structuring major project insurance programs, managing risk across global supply chains and specialty trades, balancing owner/contractor indemnification, and deploying performance guarantees and commissioning risk covers that align with rapidly changing technologies. Attendees will walk away with actionable insights on how to structure, transfer and mitigate risk in the sector’s fastest-growing project class — while navigating an insurance market under strain and investor scrutiny.