Price the whole
deployment.

What drives modular data center cost?

There is no single useful cost per MW without a configuration and a delivery boundary. A quote for a container enclosure cannot be compared directly with a commissioned facility that includes GPU hardware.

Start with the workload, IT capacity, rack design, cooling requirements and uptime needs. Then establish what the site already provides. Reusing a suitable electrical connection can change the scope considerably; an incompatible transformer or insufficient network connection can add work even at an energized property.

How much does a modular data center cost?

Published modular data center prices are rare, and a single figure is rarely comparable with another. QIT does not publish a price list either. The same 1 MW request can produce very different quotes because suppliers price different things.

• Scope boundary: an enclosure, a fitted module with power and cooling, and a commissioned site are different purchases.
• Compute: GPU servers, networking and storage may or may not be included, and can be the largest line.
• Density and cooling: liquid-cooled GPU racks need CDUs, piping and heat rejection that a low-density module does not.
• Resilience: redundancy in power and cooling changes equipment counts.
• Site condition: the setup cost depends on what already exists, from the utility connection and transformer to the slab, fiber and permits.
• Timing: long-lead equipment and a fixed delivery date can change both price and contingency.

To get a usable modular data center price, request a quote that states the IT load, the included equipment, the exclusions, the site works assumed and the acceptance tests. Ask for the setup cost of site works separately from the module, and for recurring costs after handover. The packages below give a consistent structure for that request.

Separate the budget into six packages

Assign each line to a supplier or site owner. A blank responsibility is a budget risk even when the equipment price is known.

An illustrative 1 MW energy calculation

Annual facility energy can be estimated as IT load × PUE × operating hours. With a constant 1 MW IT load, an assumed PUE of 1.20 and 8,760 hours, the facility would consume 10,512 MWh per year.

These are sensitivity scenarios, not current Texas tariffs or QIT quotes. They exclude demand and transmission charges, taxes, maintenance, financing and GPU costs. Actual IT demand and cooling overhead vary with the workload and weather, so a project model should use the expected load profile.

Compare bids on the same basis

Ask every supplier to identify the IT-load boundary, redundancy, GPU configuration, cooling conditions and acceptance tests behind the price. Record exclusions and work supplied by others beside the headline number.

• Is capacity expressed as IT MW or facility MW?
• Does the price include compute equipment?
• Are utility works and external cooling included?
• Which delivery dates are committed, and what starts the clock?
• Are commissioning, spare parts and training included?
• Which recurring charges remain after handover?

Keep contingency tied to unresolved items. For example, equipment condition at an existing site should be assessed before treating reused infrastructure as a confirmed saving.

Inputs for a QIT project budget

Bring a site address, usable electrical capacity, target IT load, preferred GPU platform, resilience requirements and operating date. Include available drawings and any supplier proposals so the scope can be compared consistently.

Use the GPU container guide, liquid-cooling guide and ownership comparison to prepare your brief. Then discuss a project.