Podcast: FTI Experts’ Hub: Data Centers Are in Their Build-at-All-Costs Era
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October 03, 2025
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Listen to the Podcast | Read the Full Feature
In the FTI Experts’ Hub podcast hosted by Commercial Property Executive, Senior Editor Laura Valean speaks with McRae Thompson, Senior Managing Director, Leader of Real Estate Tax Advisory, about the current data center development landscape. He discusses why demand for data centers remains high despite tariffs and public pushback, the role of municipal incentives and how foreign investment is shaping the sector. He also explores future considerations around taxing digital services and maximizing tax advantages for these rapidly growing facilities.
Time Breakdown:
- Tariffs and financial feasibility (0:59)
- State and local taxes (2:55)
- Effective economic incentives (5:35)
- Flexibility in incentive negotiations (6:51)
- Quantifying the value of incentives (9:10)
- Do incentives actually move the needle? (10:14)
- PILOT programs (11:15)
- Are energy-efficiency incentives still relevant? (13:20)
- Maximizing tax advantages (14:37)
- Foreign investment in U.S. data centers (16:29)
- Common challenges (18:58)
- What’s next (20:05)
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Published
October 03, 2025
Key Contacts
Senior Managing Director, Leader of Real Estate Tax Advisory