Power is the deal. We negotiate it like one.
Craft Commercial provides site selection and tenant representation for data center users statewide across Texas — DFW, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and beyond — colocation, wholesale, and powered shell. Same rule as everything else we do: tenant-side only, never the operator's broker, never the developer's broker.
Power availability decides the shortlist before square footage does.
A data center site search runs on different criteria than an industrial one. We lead with the constraints that actually determine whether a site works — then narrow to the buildings and parcels that pass.
- Power-first screening — utility service size, substation capacity, and interconnection queue before anything else
- Statewide submarket comparison — DFW, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston evaluated side by side, not assumed
- Land and building survey near substations for colocation, wholesale, and powered-shell / build-to-suit options
- Comparison matrix covering power timeline, redundancy tier, connectivity, and total cost — not just rent per kW
Three ways to occupy data center capacity — and very different exposure.
Which structure fits depends on load size, growth trajectory, and how much infrastructure risk you want to own.
Colocation
Cabinets, cages, or suites inside a shared, operator-run facility. Power, cooling, and physical security included. Fastest to deploy, least infrastructure risk, least control over the mechanical and electrical plant.
Wholesale
A dedicated data hall at scale — typically 1 MW and up — inside an operator-run building. More control over layout, equipment, and access than colocation. Still leaning on the landlord's power and cooling infrastructure.
Powered shell & build-to-suit
You lease the building envelope and contracted utility power, then design, build, and operate the mechanical and electrical plant yourself. Maximum control and customization — and you own the infrastructure risk and schedule.
Rent per kW is the headline. The contract terms are the deal.
This is what tenant representation means in a data center context: negotiating on your side of the table only, against the same levers as any commercial lease — plus a set of power- and uptime-specific terms most tenants never think to ask for until they need them.
- Committed power reservation with a clear path to expand it
- Uptime SLA with meaningful, enforceable service credits — not symbolic ones
- Interconnection rights, cross-connect pricing, and carrier-neutral access
- Right-to-grow options on adjacent capacity, tied to a real power commitment
- Renewal and relocation provisions built around migration risk, not just rent
- Exit and decommissioning obligations spelled out before you sign, not discovered at term end
Texas is one of the largest data center states in the country — and still growing.
An independent statewide power grid, multiple metro hubs with dense fiber routes, available land near substations, low exposure to hurricanes and seismic risk, and a business-friendly regulatory environment have made Texas a magnet for colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise data center demand — from DFW and Austin to San Antonio and Houston.
- ERCOT — Texas runs its own power grid, independent of the Eastern and Western Interconnections
- Deep interconnection and carrier density concentrated around multiple metro hubs
- Multiple utility and power-delivery options across metros and submarkets
- Land available near substations for build-to-suit and powered shell, statewide
- Texas offers tax incentives for qualifying large data center projects — a factor worth evaluating alongside lease terms with your tax and legal advisors
Common questions about data center tenant representation.
Does Craft Commercial represent data center landlords or developers?
No. We represent data center tenants and end users exclusively — colocation customers, hyperscale and enterprise users, and powered-shell occupiers. We don't hold listing agreements or sit on retainer for developers, so our incentives never conflict with yours.
What's the difference between colocation, wholesale, and powered shell?
Colocation leases cabinets, cages, or suites inside a shared operator-run facility with power, cooling, and staff included. Wholesale leases a dedicated data hall at scale (typically 1 MW and up) with more control over layout and equipment, still inside an operator-run building. Powered shell leases the building envelope and utility power itself, with the tenant building out and operating all mechanical and electrical infrastructure — the most control, and the most responsibility.
Why is Texas a strong data center market?
Texas combines an independent power grid (ERCOT), multiple metro hubs with dense fiber connectivity — Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston — available land close to substations, low natural disaster exposure relative to coastal markets, and a business-friendly regulatory and tax environment. That combination has made Texas one of the largest and fastest-growing data center states in the country, with DFW as the anchor market.
How early should a data center requirement start the site search?
Earlier than most tenants expect. Power availability is the binding constraint in most submarkets — utility interconnection studies and substation upgrades can take a year or more. For any requirement above a few hundred kW, we recommend starting the power and site conversation 12–24 months ahead of your target occupancy date.
Can Craft Commercial help with land or build-to-suit data center projects, not just leasing?
Yes. For requirements the existing market can't fill, we run developer and utility selection, evaluate powered land and substation capacity, and structure build-to-suit or powered-shell deals — the same competitive process we use for industrial build-to-suit, adapted for power-driven site criteria.