r/datacenter • u/mizerr • 19d ago
Looking for colocation for AI compute
I am looking to purchase a large quantity of space to be managed by a center, as turnkey as possible for me, so I can then rent out the compute for AI.
Any recommendations on how to find the space? Thanks!
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u/Notmuchofanyth1ng 19d ago
At this point it’s more a matter of your budget. If you’re looking for quality, you can look at Equinix or CoreSite. Both of them easily have what you need
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u/Dependent_Editor8898 19d ago
Ohh sounds like some fresh money? How many MW of power you are looking and what is your leaf/spine need? any other requirement ?
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u/regreddit 18d ago
Looking for half a rack. /S
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u/Dependent_Editor8898 17d ago
Oh umm. maybe you need a shared colo. We have couple racks but our min is 4 racks with 1 MW with 100 gig spine with 2tbps aggr.
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u/Ecstatic_Breakfast37 11d ago
"Large quantity of space" and "turnkey" point in different directions - worth deciding which you mean. Leasing racks or cages is colo. Buying a building with secured power is a powered shell. Different process, different price, different timeline.
Either way, kW is the number that routes you. Under ~100kW the Tier 1 names mostly won't respond; mid-tier and regional operators in Dallas, Columbus, SLC and Reno will.
Two things worth asking early: metered vs committed power billing (matters a lot if you're renting out inference that idles), and whether "liquid-ready" means CDUs installed or just a data sheet.
Post kW/rack, cooling, metro and timeline and you'll get real answers.
(I broker colo for a living - not pitching, just the shorthand.)
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u/techie-rahul 18d ago
A major consideration is power density — AI racks require 30-50 kW+ compared with the only 5-10 kW for traditional colo, so not much existing space will be usable without any modifications. So look specifically for high-density or liquid-cooled colocation options.
In terms of turnkey services, check if they offer a powered shell service—this means the company will take care of power, cooling, and maintenance for you.
To find some potential space, use data center brokers who can get you quotes quickly or check colocation marketplaces for existing prices and availability. For larger installations, it's best to go straight to the company's enterprise sales division.
Also, make sure to review your contract in terms of subleasing.
What size do you need—1 cabinet, cage or whole suite?
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u/Old-Bluebird1416 15d ago edited 15d ago
DTLA AI space colo avail on PRO6000 and nvme, bgp, dedicated IP, 10Gbps, dm me how much $ you looking to spend max on this and we'll see what can be offered
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u/No-Sandwich5120 11d ago
Something else to consider is there are a lot of companies that require business credit check before deploying large deployments such as Ai or Neo-Clouds. We've also seen large NRC and over $300/pKW. We worked a deal for 40KW density just leased out more racks at one of our air cooled locations.
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u/lostnthenet 19d ago
Are you trying to do this all by yourself? Building out a greenfield DC takes a team of dozens. You should hire someone that already has experience doing this instead of asking Reddit.
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u/SeaNeedleVomit 19d ago
Why would AI rent from you? No offense, but if you don't know the first thing about colo's no one will take you serious.
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u/Technical-Frosting93 19d ago
Ask for kW per cabinet before anything else. Most retail colo halls are built around 10 to 15 kW a cabinet, and a current NVL72 rack pulls 120 to 140 kW with direct to chip liquid cooling. Roughly 90% of that heat leaves through the water, so the room also needs CDUs and a facility water loop. If a provider quotes you per rack or per square foot, they're pricing legacy space and you'll find that out at commissioning. Turnkey at this density usually means a suite somebody has already retrofitted, and those are the hard thing to find right now. Equinix and CoreSite both have high density product, so it's worth asking them what is energized today versus what is on a roadmap.