The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) brings an equal increase in data center demand across North America. Some construction companies have pivoted their traditional offerings to include data center projects, while other new companies have emerged with a data center specialty. In this article, we’ll explore the biggest data center construction companies, including Hensel Phelps, AECOM, Fortis, and HITT, and how they innovate in the space.
1. DPR Construction
- Market cap/revenue: $10.8 billion
- Employees: 11,000
- CEO: George Pfeffer
- Founded: 1990
DPR Construction is consistently ranked among the top mission-critical data center facility builders in the U.S. Founded in 1990, DPR has extensive experience with complex construction projects for the tech industry and provides support from commissioning through preconstruction and design.
The company uses AI to manage its project planning, as its multi-phase operations are increasingly complex in meeting technical requirements for new builds. DPR prides itself on delivering critical speed-to-market, particularly for AI cloud rollouts.
2. HITT Contracting
- Market cap/revenue: $8.7 billion
- Employees: 1,835
- CEO: Kim Roy
- Founded: 1937
HITT Contracting recently launched a dedicated Mission Critical & Data Center Firm as part of its offering. The offshoot offers upgrades, new construction, and fit-outs for facilities of all sizes. Having already completed millions of square feet of data center space, the company is best suited for mission-critical and hyperscale data centers.
The company has been around since 1937 and has extensive experience handling challenging site conditions, including soil remediation and high water tables. Data Center magazine and Engineering News-Record have recognized HITT as one of the top data center builders in the U.S.
3. Turner Construction
- Market cap/revenue: $20.24 billion
- Employees: 11,000
- CEO: Peter J. Davoren
- Founded: 1902
Data center development has become a recent focal point of their offering, and Turner Construction has ample experience in enterprise, hyperscale, and colocation facilities. As of 2025, 30% of their project backlog is in the data center and advanced technology market.
Turner has worked with clients like Vantage and Meta and has delivered on expanding existing sites. The company is also involved in projects that bring sustainability and renewable energy to the forefront of the design.
4. Jacobs Solutions Inc
- Market cap/revenue: $18.72 billion
- Employees: 45,000
- CEO: Bob Pragada
- Founded: 1947
Jacobs Solutions builds data center projects through its integrated planning, architecture, engineering, and construction management offering. The company offers a full suite of AI data center services, from design to construction project management. It’s been consistently ranked as a top engineering firm, boasting clients like Amazon AWS, Microsoft, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Jacobs is focused on building the next generation of data centers, including initiatives such as digital twin blueprints. The company also focuses on sustainable construction, incorporating advanced cooling systems powered by renewable energy.
5. Hensel Phelps
- Market cap/revenue: $7.1 billion
- Employees: 5,000
- CEO: Michael J. Choutka
- Founded: 1937
Hensel Philips also has extensive experience in complex tech and data centers. The company has constructed similar facilities, including command centers and other mission-critical facilities. Hensel has also built new centers for Meta and is well-versed in projects with particularly stringent security and reliability standards.
The company offers expansions, renovations, facility management, and new data center construction.
6. Balfour Beatty US
- Market cap/revenue: $3.24 billion
- Employees: 27,000
- CEO: Philip Hoare
- Founded: 1909
The nationally ranked Balfour Beatty specializes in mission-critical facilities and offers services spanning planning through preconstruction for clients primarily in the U.S. and the U.K. With over 20 years of experience in the advanced tech sector, the company is now well known for delivering projects that require precision, speed, and high security. Balfour uses building information modeling (BIM) and model-based estimating as part of its core offering.
Balfour has already completed over 77 mission-critical projects and is known for delivering on time and on budget. In the U.K., the company has strong relationships with planning authorities and holds government security clearances to build in the most security-sensitive areas of any district.
7. Skanska USA
- Market cap/revenue: $105 billion
- Employees: 23,000
- CEO: Richard Kennedy
- Founded: 1887
Originally founded in Sweden, Skanska USA specializes in the design, construction, and fit-out of data centers. Handling everything from design and preconstruction to final installation, Skanska has recently expanded its data center offering to Finland and Norway.
The company has also expanded into a specific “advanced technology” unit to handle these high-tech AI data center builds. Data center construction now represents a large portion of their order backlog, and the team has no plans to slow down.
8. Fortis Construction Inc.
- Market cap/revenue: $36.11 billion
- Employees: 700
- CEO: Rob Fallow
- Founded: 2003
Fortis Construction is another top-rated data center in the U.S. and has worked on large-scale projects for years. Having applied advanced techniques such as Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), the company has worked on projects for several high-end media companies, including Meta.
Fortis’s data center projects focus on specialized mechanical systems, highly efficient infrastructure, and state-of-the-art security. The company also prides itself on international expansion work and stringent safety measures.
9. AECOM
- Market cap/revenue: $17.66 billion
- Employees: 51,000
- CEO: Troy Rudd
- Founded: 1910
The well-known tech giant AECOM also provides a full range of data center construction services, from advisory and design to engineering. The company offers its services in-house and specializes in cooling, power, and sustainability. Because the AECOM offering is full-suite, many clients come to them to simplify operations with a single point of contact.
AECOM has a history of working on high-tech projects. Notable clients include Sentinel Data Centers, which have since expanded their facilities multiple times over. The company is regarded as a top global data center provider and will remain a key player in the industry.
10. Whiting-Turner Contracting
- Market cap/revenue: $8.8 billion
- Employees: 4,227
- CEO: Timothy Regan
- Founded: 1909
Whiting-Turner is another big player for data center constuction companies. With clients like Google and IBM signed on, the contractor has refined their offering to specialize in BIM, VDC, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems. Recently, Whiting-Turner was selected to take on a 290,000-square-foot, $600 million Google data center in Oregon.
The Whiting-Turner offering spans initial cost and lifecycle cost analysis, expandability, and output efficiency. It is widely known as a key global player in the industry and is regarded as highly reliable and scalable.
Like this and want more like it? Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest in data center and AI tech in AEC.
