When Edward Galvin founded DC Byte in 2017, he set out to solve a problem he had observed firsthand: the data center industry was growing rapidly, but the information that supported it was inconsistent, inaccessible, and often incomplete.
Galvin, who previously held roles at AOS Studley International and CBRE after graduating from Cambridge, described the early days of launching DC Byte as a steep learning curve. But what drove him was clear: improving the way data was gathered, structured, and shared across the digital infrastructure ecosystem.
“At the time, the flow of market-critical information such as demand, activity, and pricing was fragmented,” Galvin reflects. “While parallels existed with broader commercial property sectors, data center information lacked transparency.”
This insight became the foundation of DC Byte’s proposition: to build the most comprehensive, verifiable dataset on data center markets globally. And at the heart of this ambition was a recognition that many decisions in the industry were still based on informal networks and siloed knowledge.
This mindset, Galvin notes, reflects a deeper pattern in the industry — one that DC Byte is well positioned to solve. “There’s a prevailing belief in the industry that, because it’s a relatively small and well-connected community, critical information can be accessed by simply calling the right person,” he says. “That might work in some cases, but it’s not scalable, and it’s not always reliable.”
As technology evolves, the assumptions behind how we access information are being tested. Galvin warns against an overreliance on AI tools that attempt to extract insights from the web without validation. “Even if AI can scrape the internet, the principle still applies: if the inputs aren’t accurate, the outputs won’t be either.”
For the team at DC Byte, “there’s no substitute for firsthand data gathering. It’s about doing the hard yards: building a human intelligence network and validating sites through planning applications.”
Building a Global Research Team
Eight years on, DC Byte has grown into a global operation with 50 team members, with half of the team being analysts embedded in key regional markets. Galvin believes that this means DC Byte now has more analysts than all their competitors combined and that “we are able to cover the ground that is necessary to give the best possible picture of what is going on within our industry”.
At the core of DC Byte’s philosophy is the belief that well-informed decisions lead to better outcomes—especially in an industry where speed and accuracy are essential.
“Whether you’re a hyperscaler deciding on a market like Kuala Lumpur, or a developer trying to identify the right site, the ability to act quickly with confidence can be the difference between success and delay,” he explains. “That’s where we add value—by giving clients a head start.”
Transparency underpins the company’s approach to research. Rather than presenting conclusions in isolation, DC Byte ensures that clients understand how those conclusions were reached.
“We’re open about our methodology. We provide the supporting evidence, whether it’s planning documentation, site imagery, or local permits, so clients can see our rationale and engage with it.”
On this basis, Galvin points to what he considers one of DC Byte’s biggest achievements: the ability to provide consistency across markets, regardless of geography. “Standardizing our research approach means clients don’t have to relearn our framework for each market. They can compare regions directly, using a shared vocabulary.”
Evolving with the Industry
DC Byte’s approach to comparative solutions starts with a clear understanding of customer needs. As the company holds the data that helps customers benchmark or spot the right-fit opportunities, it has built tools that simplify market evaluation. “We recently launched our market classification system,” says Galvin. “It allows customers to quickly see how large a market is and how fast it’s growing.”
Galvin indicates that there is a wide variation in ‘data literacy’ across the industry. Data centers, he notes, have unique characteristics compared to other asset classes: “Some features are shared, but many are entirely unique to data centers. By offering a standard methodology and a shared language to describe these features, we’ve made it easier for clients to explore our research and datasets on their own.”
DC Byte’s solutions are shaped by continuous engagement with its user base—a practice Galvin refers to as the feedback loop. “We’re not operators or investors ourselves. Our role is to listen carefully to the market and understand what’s truly useful. We prioritize what’s going to have the greatest impact.”
That mindset has proven crucial in a landscape where industry needs are evolving rapidly. Topics like AI, data sovereignty and power availability have become top priorities, driven by both demand growth and regulatory change. “Power is a great example. In one country, you might have access to detailed data, but for our global clients, that’s not enough. They need consistency across regions.”
This global-first thinking has resulted in the production of the Global Index. “Our Global Index was conceived as a ‘state of the industry’ report. It’s a piece only we could produce because of our global coverage and depth of data. It’s a great example of how we approach solutions: it had to strike a balance between telling a meaningful story and being clear, concise and practical. That meant working closely with a wide range of stakeholders to get it right.”
Galvin also highlights the development of Supplier Analytics, designed to reflect the increasingly complex ecosystems supporting data centers. Each operator relies on dozens of suppliers, so visibility into these networks has become a strategic necessity.
“It’s not just about operators anymore. For suppliers considering market expansion, it’s critical to know where they have the best chances of success. Our tool helps identify the patterns, such as which suppliers are consistently selected by certain operators, so resources can be allocated more effectively.”
Broadening the Impact of Infrastructure Intelligence
While DC Byte’s solutions are built to address core questions in the data center sector, they’re increasingly attracting interest from adjacent industries with their own questions to answer.
“We’ve had inquiries from metals traders who are using our data as a leading indicator of market activity. That kind of application wasn’t something we initially envisioned, but it shows how wide-reaching the implications of our insights can be.”
As the digital economy continues to grow, the decisions underpinning its infrastructure are becoming more complex, with higher stakes and more variables. Galvin is clear: in this environment, access to structured, validated information is no longer optional—it’s fundamental.
“Data centers aren’t just about technology anymore. They’re a critical component of global business strategy. Our job is to help clients navigate that with clarity, speed, and confidence.”
DC Byte will be sponsoring the Sydney Cloud & Datacenter Convention to be held at the Sydney International Convention Centre on 21 August 2025 from 8AM to 8:30PM. To catch up with them there, please submit your registration to attend: https://clouddatacenter.events/events/sydney-cloud-datacenter-convention-2025/