SAN FRANCISCO / AGILITYPR.NEWS / January 07, 2026 / In a recent article for The Information, digital infrastructure reporter Anissa Gardizy predicted that data center delays will be one of the defining themes of 2026. Reportedly, builders say projects are running behind “because of the complexity of delivering infrastructure at this scale and speed.”

Some of the reported concerns relating to projects for Nvidia, Microsoft, OpenAI, Alphabet, Oracle and others include access to power, equipment delivery, labor shortage, permitting problems and NIMBY resistance. While these are all valid concerns, the underlying issue comes down to ONE all-encompassing bottleneck: Construction.

Without construction there are no data centers, no means to power them, and no networks to connect them.

Yet, according to a widely-sourced report by McKinsey & Company 98% of projects over $1B are late (by an average of 20 months) and over budget (by an average of 80%).

Todd Zabelle laid all of this all out in his 2024 book, “BUILT to FAIL: Why Construction Projects Take So Long, Cost Too Much, And How to Fix It” (www.B2FBook.com; Forbes Publishing).

“AI is colliding with a physical reality that Wall Street and Silicon Valley must recognize and address,” Zabelle warns. “Companies think they have a technology problem…a power problem… a transmission problem… a labor problem… a permit problem… BUT it’s really a construction problem – all roads lead to construction.”

In an interview, Zabelle can break down:

• Why the accepted (100-year-old) approach doesn’t work
• Where the true bottlenecks are in AI and data center buildouts
• Why millions of CPUs and chips will likely die in storage before anyone sees a dime from them
• How tech giants and hyperscalers can actually reach revenue targets sooner “if they figure out how to build stuff.”
• What boards and investors should look for in company reports to get to the root of the problem
• Why modular construction is not the “easy button” solution everyone thinks it is

When would you like to schedule an interview with Todd Zabelle?