Big names in logistics are increasing their focus on data centers. The emphasis on artificial intelligence across many industries and the need for major data processing explains the desire. Companies will need an increasing amount of computer power and data centers are in the industrial space.

However, news from the technology front raises questions about how devoted investors will be to keep pouring money into projects that may take a decade or more to pay off.

Panattoni Development, which previously mostly focused on warehouses, told the Wall Street Journal that it was now moving into the data center space. The company said it hired a new partner, Adam Kramer, who was formerly executive vice president of strategy for data center company Switch and chief executive of carbon-emissions management platform nZero.