Utilization Downtime and the Fiction of On or Off Operations

Data centers do not operate in a simple on or off world, even though most discussions pretend they do.

This report dismantles the assumption of binary operations by distinguishing between technical uptime, contractual uptime, and economic uptime. It explains minimum operating thresholds, redundancy economics, partial energization, and why downtime is often a pricing and allocation issue rather than a failure condition. You’ll see how facilities can be partially built, partially powered, partially leased, and partially monetized for extended periods.

If your models assume clean transitions from idle to fully operational, this report explains why reality is messier and more expensive.