By Dr. Atif Ansar

Last week I had the privilege of joining leaders across Europe at Platform Global in Antibes, while the rest of our Foresight team was in Las Vegas at Yotta. Two very different venues, but the conversations converged on a common theme: constraints.

In Europe, frustration is mounting over why data center development is falling behind. Land is scarce. Energy is expensive. Permitting cycles can drag on for years. In many conversations, the contrast to the United States was clear: in the U.S., permitting remains challenging, but relatively more straightforward. The result is a widening gap in capacity growth.

In Las Vegas, meanwhile, the concern shifted to regulation. Many CEOs and investors see regulatory risk as the single greatest threat to our industry in the year ahead. Whether in Europe or North America, the message is the same: our ability to deliver infrastructure is increasingly constrained not just by capital or technology, but by governance.

This is not a new story. Around the world, every sector building long-lived infrastructure faces the same tension. Just last week Deloitte published a report on Indonesia’s proposed Giant Sea Wall — a megaproject designed to protect the North Java coastline, home to 50 million people and more than 20% of the nation’s GDP. I was asked to contribute to the report, specifically on how AI-enabled delivery platforms can be leveraged to accelerate execution and improve coordination.

In the report, we emphasized how Foresight’s AI-based tools can transform historical project data into strategic analysis, helping governments and investors generate adaptive, logic-linked schedules in weeks rather than months. For megaprojects like the Sea Wall — and for global data center build-outs — this ability to move from reactive tracking to proactive, foresight-driven planning is a critical enabler of operational excellence.

The broader recommendations from the Sea Wall research are universal:

1. Tailor with precision: Like any major construction project, the Giant Sea Wall carries significant impacts on communities, ecosystems, infrastructure, and cost. A highly tailored approach — adjusting strategy to local context rather than applying uniform solutions — is imperative. The same is true for data centers: success requires disciplined, site-specific planning that anticipates both risk and opportunity.
2. Broaden the narrative: Infrastructure must serve more than its immediate technical function. For the Giant Sea Wall, the rationale extends beyond flood defense to safeguarding Indonesia’s economic heartland and improving livelihoods. Likewise, data centers are not simply measured in megawatts delivered; they enable economic growth, digital innovation, and societal resilience. Positioning infrastructure within this broader narrative is essential for legitimacy and long-term value.
3. Coordinate for delivery: To move from vision to execution, complex coordination is required. For the Sea Wall, this means aligning national and local governments and engaging coastal communities; in our industry, it means uniting contractors, owners, regulators, and investors. Delivery at scale depends on a shared masterplan and the ability to execute quickly and accurately — exactly the kind of coordination Foresight’s platform approach enables.

I was reminded of this again in London at DCD Connect, where I joined a debate on whether short-term design is the way forward for data center construction. The case for speed is strong: digital demand is surging, and operators must deliver capacity faster than ever. Prefabrication, modular design, and short-term strategies offer clear advantages. But as with sea walls, the question is not only whether we can build fast — it is whether we can build well, resiliently, and legitimately.

Operational excellence is not just about efficiency. It is about navigating constraints with foresight. It is about designing systems — whether sea walls or server halls — that endure beyond their immediate purpose, and that create value while preserving resilience.

As I reflect on these events, I see a common thread: the industries that will thrive are those that treat constraints not as barriers, but as catalysts for discipline, creativity, and long-term vision. That is what operational excellence requires.

Introducing the Foresight Risk Register & QSRA

Operational excellence also depends on the tools we use day to day. One of the most persistent challenges in project delivery is risk: not only the rare catastrophes, but also the everyday variability in how long activities actually take. Managing this uncertainty requires structure, discipline, and foresight.

That is why I am pleased to share two important new capabilities within the Foresight platform: the Risk Register and Quantitative Schedule Risk Analysis (QSRA). Together, they create a step-change in how project teams can anticipate, quantify, and respond to uncertainty.

The Risk Register provides a single, shared source of truth for all risks, with each risk clearly defined by its probability, potential impact, and ownership. From there, risks can be linked directly to schedule activities and analyzed through in-app Monte Carlo simulations. The result is not just a deterministic finish date, but a probabilistic understanding of outcomes — complete with visibility into the key drivers of risk.

These new tools are not about prediction for its own sake. They are about enabling delivery teams to replace guesswork with foresight — to manage projects not only with speed, but with clarity and discipline. That is the foundation of operational excellence.

So What Else Is Going On?

Of course, operational excellence isn’t only an industry-wide challenge — it’s something we strive for within Foresight as well. A couple of updates I’m excited to share:

A New Look for Foresight

Like any well-designed building, a website should be both functional and inviting — a structure that puts its purpose on display. Our new website is just that. It’s a small but important change as we work to make it easier for anyone — customers, partners, or investors building and investing in some of the world’s most critical infrastructure — to quickly find the information they need, whether it’s our product capabilities or the thought-leadership we’re producing.

The new site is designed to make it clear what our platform does, what problems we solve, and who we serve. You’ll find eight pages of detailed product content (we couldn’t help ourselves), along with new thought-leadership, customer stories, and updates on functionality. Think of it as a gateway — one place to explore how Foresight helps deliver some of the world’s most critical projects. Take a look and let us know what you think.

Continuing the Conversation

The questions I raised earlier about demand, speed, and resilience aren’t abstract — they’re being debated and tested across the industry right now. In the weeks ahead, you can find me and the Foresight team at these gatherings:

Project Controls Expo (Nationals Park, Washington DC, October 6–8) — where Foresight’s Andrew Bruhn and David Levin will be looking forward to engaging in high-level discussions on the evolving project controls landscape. More than 800 project professionals, decision-makers, and thought leaders will gather for dynamic discussions, emerging technologies, innovative strategies, and trends surrounding successful project delivery. Go here to schedule a meeting with Andrew.

Advancing Data Center Construction (Atlanta, October 27–29) — where CEO Igor Shifrin and Andrew Bruhn will join hyperscalers, co-locaters, contractors and other industry leaders shaping the future of data center infrastructure. Attendees will focus on the latest trends in delivering cutting-edge, energy-efficient data centers at speed and scale to meet surging AI demands.

DCD Connect, Virginia (Leesburg, November 3–4) where I’ll join a DCD Debate Panel, “The True Cost of Data Center Delays - Can We Afford the Price of Progress?” at 10 a.m. ET on Nov. 3rd. We’ll have a chance to spar on these key industry issues, so it should be fun and entertaining. Each year, DCD Virginia brings together 2,000 senior leaders to discuss the greatest challenges and opportunities across the digital infrastructure industry. During the event, more than 180+ experts will share insights on the cloud & colocation ecosystem and innovative ways to bring data centers to the next level.

If you’re attending any of these events, drop me a note and let’s connect.

– Atif