William C Schaumann, PE 

Abstract Title

Evolution of Datacenter Designs
Data centers have transformed dramatically, evolving from modest enterprise and retail colocation facilities into today’s water-cooled hyperscale powerhouses that drive the cloud and AI revolution. This session explores the technology shifts that enabled this evolution, focusing on advances in compute architecture, cooling methods, and power distribution strategies.

We will trace how changes in server design, rack density, and cooling efficiency have redefined the limits of performance and sustainability, and how new approaches to redundancy and power delivery are shaping the next generation of infrastructure. The session will conclude with a look ahead at emerging challenges and technologies that are poised to reshape the data center landscape once again.

Biography

William Schaumann, PE is a leader of the Global Mission Critical Electrical Engineering Practice at Burns & McDonnell, based in the Downtown Chicago office. With more than 29 years of experience in the design and construction of industrial, mission critical, and telecommunications facilities, including power distribution, UPS and DC power systems, lighting design, wiring, and relay coordination studies.
For the past two decades, William has focused his career on data center design, emphasizing energy efficiency, reliability, and flexibility, with expertise in emergency and redundant power systems for mission critical environments. His design philosophy centers on delivering robust, sustainable solutions that meet the demanding operational requirements of today’s digital infrastructure.
William holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois and is a registered Professional Engineer in Illinois and Washington, as well as a former Electrical Contractor in Louisiana. He is an Uptime Institute Accredited Tier Designer (ATD).
William received the Charles Steinmetz Award for Technical Merit from the Consulting Electrical Engineers (CEE) division of the Electrical Association of Chicagoland, recognizing his work on the GM Enterprise Data Center in Warren, Michigan.
William is involved with local and national Data Center and Electrical Associations including the following:
•        7x24 Exchange Lake Michigan Region Chapter Board Member - President
IEEE Member of IAS and PES
•        IEEE I&CPS Datacenter Subcommittee Secretary
•        IEEE IAS/PES Representative for Code Making Panel 3 (CMP3) of the 2026 Edition of NFPA 70
•        IEEE IAS/PES Representative for Code Making Panel 6 (CMP6) of the 2026 Edition of NFPA 70
•        AFCOM Member
•        CEE Member

Contact

wcschaumann@burnsmcd.com