Voices of Fabrication: The Future of Data Center Infrastructure for Manufacturers

Every year, the Open Compute Project (OCP) Global Summit brings together the people shaping the next wave of data center innovation. In 2025, one thing was very clear: AI isn’t just influencing rack and power strategies, it’s redefining them.

At the summit, Maysteel Engineers Erich Hamilton and Andy Smith observed these changes firsthand. Their insights set the stage for this Voices of Fabrication edition, where we break down standout themes, explore their impact, and reveal how these lessons will shape the future of fabrication in next-generation data center infrastructure.

Bigger Equipment, Bigger Server Racks, and the Rise of Meta’s ORW

Meta’s ORW rack, double the width of a standard data center rack, was a major focus which signaled where computing demands are headed. 

Why it matters for fabrication:

• Custom rack design will need to account for increased width, weight and structure.
• Standard footprints are changing, and flexibility in engineering and manufacturing is becoming essential.
• Larger racks demand rethinking mobility, cabling, thermal strategy and structural support.

More Power Means More Heat: Liquid Takes Center Stage in Data Center Cooling Strategies

AI’s power draw is forcing the industry to rethink thermal management. As Andy noted, “with lots of power comes lots of heat,” and cooling innovators are responding with new approaches, including the rise of liquid-cooled busbars.

What this means for OEMs and construction partners: 

• Cooling is no longer an afterthought; it’s an integrated design requirement.
• Fabrication partners must design with liquid-cooling paths, structural mounting, piping support, and maintainability in mind.
• Expect more hybrid data center cooling strategies: air + liquid + containment frameworks working together.

Containment Is Evolving into Structural Infrastructure

Traditional data center aisle containment, previously used as a basic airflow barrier, is transforming into a structural system that supports cabling, cooling systems, and heavier equipment.

Erich shared a glimpse into this shift, “Aisle containment has now morphed into a structural framework… you’re mounting not only your cabling, but now the liquid cooling on top of that.”

This evolution means that containment and rack systems will be more interconnected.

• Modular structural systems, assembled sections that can be combined into larger supporting framework and may replace mobile “rack-and-roll” deployment in high-density environments.
• Fabricators must think holistically: not just enclosures or racks, but the full ecosystem they operate within.

Mobility Is Dropping as Weight Loads Skyrocket

The industry is quietly moving away from casters as AI hardware grows heavier.

The server racks shown at the OCP Global Summit had no casters at all, driven by extreme point loads and evolving aisle configurations.

What this means for design:

• Stationary systems may replace traditional mobile racks.
• Aisle infrastructure, containment, shelving and cooling distribution will become the anchor.
• Fabricators must engineer for seismic compliance (meeting safety standards during earthquakes), load distribution (spreading weight to prevent floor damage) and precise floor integration (ensuring systems fit established building layouts).

Construction Timelines Will Shift Around Cooling

Data center construction is already complex, and liquid cooling adds another layer. Andy explained that the industry is still determining how to distribute liquid, centralized cooling units vs. direct plumbing to each rack. Both options impact construction timelines and workflows.

Fabrication teams must prepare for:

• Earlier involvement in project planning
• Tighter coordination with mechanical & electrical teams
• More integrated, site-ready system designs

The Power of Community: OCP’s “Unity” Moment

Attendance surged this year, growing from roughly 8,000 to over 11,000 participants. Erich described 2025’s summit in one word: unity.

The message was clear, no single company can solve AI-era data center challenges alone. Collaboration between equipment manufacturers, rack designers, power system engineers and fabricators is now essential. The OCP community is not just expanding but, more importantly, converging.

Why This Matters for Fabrication

For OEMs, integrators and GCs: Data center infrastructure is evolving faster than traditional product cycles, requiring adaptable fabrication partners.

That means:

• Engineering support that understands OCP and emerging AI requirements
• Flexibility to design beyond standard rack footprints
• Experience with structural systems, heavy-duty loads and integrated cooling
• Manufacturing capacity to scale with your demand

This is exactly where fabrication partners like Maysteel step in, not just to build your designs, but to help you design what’s coming next.

Final Thoughts: A New Era for Data Center Racks & Infrastructure

The 2025 OCP Summit showed that we are entering a new era, defined by power density, cooling innovation, structural integration and collaboration. OCP 2025 was exciting, and it signals major opportunities for how the industry will build the next generation of data center systems. If you’re preparing for the next generation of data center infrastructure, Maysteel’s engineering and fabrication teams can help you design with future requirements in mind. Let’s build what’s next, together.