Schneider Electric and Compass Datacenters have announced a major partnership to accelerate data center delivery through prefabricated “white space” modules, strengthening both companies’ positions in the fast-growing AI-driven digital infrastructure market.
The collaboration, revealed Sept. 9, centers on a jointly engineered modular solution that combines power, cooling, and IT networking equipment in a ready-to-deploy unit. Known as the EcoStruxure Pod, the design is aimed at minimizing onsite labor requirements, reducing installation risks, and delivering a faster, lower-cost build process.
This latest move comes on the heels of Schneider’s Sept. 3 agreement with AVAIO Digital Partners to supply key equipment to four AI-focused data centers in late-stage development. Together, the announcements underscore Schneider’s expanding role in global digital infrastructure.
“The EcoStruxure Pod is designed to integrate seamlessly with customers’ existing infrastructure, lowering upfront costs and enabling faster deployment,” the companies said. The solution reflects Schneider’s strategy to support the full data center ecosystem “from grid to chip and chip to chiller,” CEO Olivier Blum emphasized in a July update.
Schneider’s data center business has become a key growth driver, delivering nearly a 16% revenue increase in the first half of 2025 within its energy management group. The company projects double-digit growth in the segment through 2027, fueled by AI demand, hyperscale builds, and modular solutions like the Compass collaboration.
Strategic initiatives this year include:
Blum said these moves “will shore up Schneider’s position as a leading data center solutions provider.”
Early assessments suggest the EcoStruxure Pod could significantly reduce capital expenditures compared to traditional builds. The companies estimate operators could begin generating revenue up to three months earlier than with conventional processes.
For Compass, the partnership deepens its supplier base as it expands U.S. operations. The developer controls more than 1 gigawatt of capacity, with major projects such as a 2.4 million-square-foot campus at the former Sears headquarters near Chicago.
Meanwhile, Schneider’s collaboration with AVAIO targets AI-ready infrastructure. “This partnership will enable AVAIO to address the growing demand for large scale AI projects that have unique power and cooling requirements, with a focus on speed to market to meet customers’ increasing need for capacity,” said Joe Hubbard, AVAIO’s Senior Director for Global Design and Delivery.
Schneider will supply switchgears, PDUs, UPS systems, and chillers to AVAIO sites, while also implementing predictive analytics and condition-based maintenance to minimize downtime.
AVAIO CEO Mark McComiskey said initial capacity could come online as soon as next year. He added that AVAIO is investing in “onsite, behind-the-meter utility-scale solar generation at several campuses, responding to the industry focus on powering their AI infrastructure needs directly from renewable sources.”
Originally reported by Brian Martucci in Construction Dive.
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