Data Center Investment Conference & Expo (DICE): Rockies
Thu Aug 20, 2026
Data Center Investment Conference & Expo (DICE): Rockies
Power Constraints, AI Demand and the Race to Deliver Next-Generation Digital Infrastructure
To Be Hosted in Denver
$305.00
Registration Questions?
**Please note we have pricing tiers based on ticket availability. Ticket prices will increase once we sell out of the current pricing tier. We cannot redeem a lower price once the ticket prices have been raised.
**Bisnow is a cashless, checkless operation. Please only submit payment via credit card.
Speakers and Panels
Will Toor
Eric Blank
Sam Merkel
Gary Hill
Why You Should Attend the Data Center Investment Conference and Expo (DICE): Rockies
Why This Matters
The Data Center Investment Conference and Expo (DICE): Rockies comes at a moment when the Mountain West is shifting from a secondary market into a strategic node in national data center deployment. Operators are no longer underwriting Denver in isolation. They are evaluating a multi-state corridor that includes Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, where power availability, interconnection routes and regulatory frameworks vary widely and directly impact where capital flows.
At the same time, the biggest constraint across the region is not demand, it is execution. Power procurement is becoming increasingly complex, with utilities and co-ops redefining how large-load users secure capacity, structure contracts and absorb costs. That is fundamentally changing timelines, site selection and capital stacks. Layer on top of that the rapid shift toward AI-driven workloads, which are pushing rack densities higher and forcing operators to rethink cooling strategies, water usage and system design, and the margin for error is shrinking quickly.
Denver’s pipeline reflects this tension. A handful of high-visibility projects are shaping the region’s trajectory, but success is being determined by who can actually deliver. Speed to market, connectivity and the ability to phase and scale campuses are now the differentiators that matter. This event brings together the developers, operators, utilities and engineers actively building in the Rockies to break down what is actually getting financed, approved and delivered in today’s environment.
What You Will Learn
- How investors and operators are underwriting the Rockies as a multi-state deployment strategy, not a single market
- What is actually financeable in today’s environment, and which projects are getting prioritized first
- How to secure power in Colorado, including tariff structures, long-term contracts and cost allocation
- What utilities, co-ops and regulators are requiring from developers to unlock megawatt capacity
- How AI workloads are reshaping cooling strategies, including air, liquid and hybrid approaches
- Where water, power and policy constraints are impacting design decisions across the Front Range
- How Denver-area projects are being phased, powered and connected to meet speed-to-market demands
- What is driving construction and delivery risk, and how leading teams are mitigating it
- How connectivity and campus design are influencing leasing velocity and long-term asset value
Are you an end user*?
Email adam.knobloch@bisnow.com to be considered for a complimentary pass. *Hyperscaler, colocation provider (non-sales), investor, private equity, or enterprise tenant.
For questions or interests in becoming a speaker or sponsor, please email our global director, data centers, Adam Knobloch, at adam.knobloch@bisnow.com
To request disability-related accommodations, please contact ally.araco@bisnow.com no later than seven business days prior to the event.
Venue
The Westin Denver Downtown
1672 Lawrence Street
Denver, CO 80202
Ballroom/Floor: Confluence Ballroom + Platte River / Mezzanine floor
Agenda
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
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7:30 AM 8:30 AM |
Registration, Breakfast and Networking
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8:30 AM 9:15 AM |
The State of the Market: Two Corridors, One Strategy and How the Rockies Are Becoming a Scaled Compute Region
Denver is no longer being evaluated as a standalone market. Operators and investors are making coordinated decisions across Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and co-op territories, balancing interconnection advantages, utility frameworks and policy divergence. This session defines what is actually financeable, what gets built first and how the region is being prioritized in national deployment strategies.
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9:15 AM 10:00 AM |
Power, Exposure and Execution Risk: Securing Capacity in Colorado’s Data Center Market
In Colorado, power availability is only part of the equation. The bigger challenge is managing the risk tied to how capacity is allocated, contracted, priced and delivered. Between long interconnection queues, evolving large-load service structures, cost-sharing requirements and uncertainty around project timing, developers are being forced to make higher-stakes decisions earlier in the process. This session examines how market participants are mitigating risk while securing power, structuring commitments and underwriting projects in a region where megawatts are increasingly difficult and expensive to lock in.
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10:00 AM 10:20 AM |
Coffee and Networking Break
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10:20 AM 11:05 AM |
Operating for AI Density: Cooling Strategies, Reliability and Performance in the Rockies
As data centers in the Denver region evolve to support AI and high-performance computing workloads, cooling is no longer just a design consideration—it is a core operational strategy. Operators must balance increasing rack densities with reliability, maintainability and long-term flexibility, all while navigating Colorado’s unique climate, water considerations and power constraints. This session explores how operational teams are integrating air, liquid and hybrid cooling systems, mitigating failure risks and optimizing performance to ensure uptime and scalability across the Front Range.
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11:05 AM 11:50 AM |
Building the Denver Pipeline: Delivering Capacity, Connectivity and Speed to Market
Denver’s data center pipeline is defined by a small number of highly visible projects across Race Street, Aurora, Centennial and Parker. But delivery is not just about construction timelines, it is about how sites are phased, powered and connected into the region’s interconnection ecosystem. This session breaks down how projects are actually being executed, what is driving schedule risk and how connectivity and campus design are shaping leasing and long-term value.
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11:50 AM 12:00 PM |
Post-Event Networking
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