News & Insights

From AI-driven energy management to immersive learning environments, colleges and universities are racing to implement the latest campus technology. These upgrades promise smarter classrooms, more efficient operations, and enhanced student experiences, but they also place new demands on physical infrastructure that many institutions aren’t yet prepared for.

Technology moves fast. Infrastructure doesn’t. And when the two aren’t in sync, even the most innovative systems can underperform.

This article explores what’s changing, what’s needed, and how facilities teams can take the lead in enabling their institutions to compete, deliver, and grow.

1. The tech transformation is accelerating (but infrastructure isn’t)

Colleges are no strangers to digital transformation. But as AI and data-intensive applications move from pilot to standard practice, the strain on legacy infrastructure is becoming more visible.

The push for technology-enabled experiences, whether in the classroom, lab, or residence hall, has dramatically increased network traffic, power demand, and expectations for uptime. Students expect connectivity everywhere often running multiple devices at once. Researchers need environments that support massive computing loads. And administrators are leaning on analytics and automation to optimize everything from energy use to space allocation.

The result is a growing gap between what users need and what buildings can deliver. Yet many campuses still rely on outdated assumptions about what their facilities can support ignoring slow load times as a one-off, or worse, normal.

2. The thing that gets missed in technology expansion

One of the biggest challenges behind the scenes? Power and cooling capacity—especially in research-intensive environments.

Servers using Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) demand far more electricity and generate far more heat than previous generations. A single AI-enabled server can draw as much power as an entire rack used to and generate just as much heat.

While many campuses have strong chilled water systems that offer room to expand, the electrical side often becomes the bottleneck. Upgrading power systems or substations takes time (from months to years) and must be planned well in advance of equipment purchases.

Failing to plan for these needs can delay projects, limit what departments can install, and result in short-term fixes that undermine long-term goals.

Even if space appears available, capacity may not be. Campuses need forward-looking power models that align with their strategic technology goals.

3. Wi-Fi must move from “good enough” to engineered for performance

The number one user complaint on campus? Inconsistent or slow wireless.

As an essential utility, students, faculty, staff, and visitors rely on Wi-Fi for everything from learning management systems and virtual labs to streaming content and managing building systems. Yet most campus Wi-Fi networks were designed for far lower device densities and user expectations.

Adding access points (APs) isn’t enough. True wireless design involves predictive modeling, testing, and coordination with architectural features. Walls, materials, and even furniture layouts affect signal strength and quality. And simply copying vendor-supplied layouts often leads to avoidable gaps and interference.

For example, an auditorium may require fine-tuned signal shaping to avoid overlapping APs from competing. In residence halls, AP placement must account for multi-device use per student, streaming, and gaming.

Modern wireless design considers:

• Primary and secondary signal strength
• Signal-to-noise ratio
• Channel overlap and interference
• Airtime utilization (capacity)
• Real-world testing and field validation

By treating Wi-Fi as a critical system, colleges can deliver the seamless, reliable connectivity their students, staff, and faculty expect.

4. Hybrid learning is evolving

The emergency shift to remote learning during COVID pushed campuses to think differently about teaching spaces. While most institutions have returned to in-person instruction, the expectation of flexibility remains.

Instead of investing in elaborate studio-style lecture halls, campuses are now building smaller, tech-enabled rooms that support video collaboration, hybrid study groups, and quiet digital meetings.

These “huddle rooms” provide:

• Privacy and acoustic treatment
• Integrated video conferencing tools
• Simple lighting and AV setups
• Flexible furniture layouts

They also support a wider variety of pedagogical and research needs particularly when teams are distributed across campuses, institutions, or time zones.

The focus has shifted from broadcasting lectures to enabling collaboration wherever it needs to happen.

5. Quick wins with high impact

While some infrastructure upgrades require multi-year capital plans, others can start immediately without new construction or major expense.

Two smart moves:

• Decommission unused equipment. Many campus data rooms house servers or devices that are no longer in use, taking up space and drawing power. A site-wide audit of abandoned equipment can free up capacity for new projects and reduce energy waste.
• Standardize technology platforms. When departments choose their own systems independently, support becomes more complex and costly. By standardizing across hardware and AV platforms, campuses gain efficiencies in maintenance, procurement, and troubleshooting with lower total cost of ownership.

Another overlooked opportunity: reorganizing existing IT spaces to better accommodate thermal and cable management. In many cases, small upgrades like hot/cold aisle containment, rack replacements, or blanking panels can dramatically improve conditions without requiring full renovations.

6. Want to future-proof? Start with the fiber

While no system is truly “future-proof,” some infrastructure investments stand the test of time. Single-mode fiber optic cable is one of them.

Many institutions already have significant fiber and conduit capacity in place, but it’s not always mapped or managed as a strategic asset. By treating Layer 1 infrastructure as a foundation colleges can:

• Improve connectivity between buildings and campuses
• Accelerate deployment of new systems or services
• Minimize reliance on leased or commercial networks
• Scale faster as bandwidth needs grow

Fiber gives campuses flexibility. As electronics improve, the same physical cables can support exponentially more traffic. The value of this “invisible infrastructure” only increases with time.

And thanks to favorable agreements with utility internet providers, colleges often benefit from high-bandwidth, low-cost connections making the fiber backbone even more valuable when combined with cloud-based services and remote collaboration tools.

How Salas O’Brien can help college campuses upgrade infrastructure

The need for reliable, scalable infrastructure is universal, and we can help you bridge the gap between aspiration and execution by translating big-picture goals into infrastructure that performs.

Our approach is rooted in three key strengths:

1. Depth of experience. We’ve supported hundreds of projects giving us a broad perspective on what works (and what doesn’t) in research, teaching, and residential environments.
2. Technical and cross-disciplinary expertise. From power distribution and chilled water modeling to wireless system design and AV integration, we bring together engineers, technologists, and systems thinkers who collaborate across MEP, IT, and academic stakeholders.
3. Advocacy and coordination. We often serve as a connector translating between facilities, IT, and academic users to make sure no voice is left out. Whether helping draft new standards or validating complex layouts, we act as a partner from planning through implementation.

It’s tempting to focus on front-end systems: the software, screens, and sensors that make a campus feel high-tech. But without the right foundation in place—resilient networks, scalable power and cooling, intelligent wireless—those systems can’t deliver.

Want to talk about your campus? Reach out to one of our contributors below.

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