The Definitive Guide toAI Data Centers
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Substation

The facility transforming and switching power between transmission and the site, a major long-lead build item.

Current numbers

~128–208 wkHV/substation power transformer lead time (standard); constrained markets run longer still — often the schedule's long poleas of 2026-08 · register ↗
0.7–0.9acres per MW of IT on GW-scale AI campuses (full campus incl. substation/cooling yard)as of 2025–2026 · register ↗
IEEE Std 80-2013 (inactive-reserved); P80 revision active PARsubstation grounding standard bounding step/touch voltage against body-current limits and soil resistivityas of 2015-05-15 · register ↗

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