Responding to the rapid growth of the advanced technology sector, Chicago-based design-build firm Clayco is launching a new business unit, Clayco Compute, focused exclusively on data center construction and related “hyperscale” projects and offering end-to-end services, which Company leaders say that sets it apart from other builders in the market.
“The launch of Clayco Compute is an important step forward as we position ourselves to meet the growing demand in the hyperscale and data center market,” said the company’s executive chairman, Bob Clark, in a statement.
The new business unit is designed to take advantage of growing demand for quantum computing and advanced data center construction projects, the company said, noting that the hyperscale data center market is expected to grow between a 10% and 20% annually until 2030, according to Colliers. In addition, US private investments in the sector are expected to increase to $1 trillion over the next five years, according to Sean Klimczak, global head of infrastructure investment firm Blackstone.
Clayco says it has completed or is pursuing more than $12.7 billion in advanced technology projects, with 57 active data center projects nationwide.
Anthony Johnson, who was recently named CEO of Clayco, says plans for Clayco Compute have been in the works for some time. “A lot of it is really responding to the needs of our customers,” he says. “They’re looking for experts who specialize in delivery. That’s very different from building a commercial office building. You need expertise, mechanical and electrical experts.”
Johnson says clients are also looking for real estate expertise in terms of energy sites and energy availability. Services offered by Clayco Compute include land acquisition, advanced utility management, design, engineering, equipment procurement, modular off-site solutions, self-pouring concrete and mechanical services, electrical and construction.
The company reported revenue of $3.6 billion from data center projects in 2024, accounting for more than half of its total revenue, and more than double the $1.5 billion it earned from the industry in 2023. It is expected that Clayco Compute revenues exceed $4.5 billion. in revenue by 2026, according to the company.
The new business unit will be led by Ryan McGuire, a 20-year industry veteran, who said in a statement that Clayco Compute will provide solutions for an industry that is “evolving at a remarkable pace.” Clayco has already hired 30 new employees in January 2025 and aims to hire 30 more every month for the rest of 2025.
An example of how the needs of the advanced technology market are changing, even as construction is already underway, is evidenced by Microsoft’s recent decision to halt construction of a $3.3 billion data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, to potentially incorporate design revisions due to changes in technology.
Johnson says these breaks are to be expected.
“We’re involved in dynamic work, whether it’s data centers, advanced manufacturing or technology-related projects,” he says. “For every one of these jobs, there are new tools, new information, new technologies on these projects. That information is never fully known until these projects start. So our organization is structured to be flexible , to accommodate changes and additional information … during the design and construction of these facilities.”
As ENR previously reported, Clayco is the general contractor for the initial construction phase of a 440-acre multimillion-dollar quantum computing campus on Chicago’s southeast side.
