AFRY appoints Stefan Cartling to advance resilient data center development
AFRY has appointed Stefan Cartling as Head of Data Centers to bring together the expertise clients need to address these interconnected challenges throughout the project lifecycle.
As demand for data centers grows, decisions made at the start of a project increasingly determine its long-term viability and impact: where power is available, how grid connection and permitting can be secured, and how facilities can be designed to operate reliably while using energy, water and other resources efficiently.
AFRY has long supported data center clients from strategy, market assessment and site selection through power studies, permitting, design and engineering, project management and operations.
This integrated perspective matters because data center projects often involve dependencies that are easy to underestimate at the start. A site may appear promising before the power situation is clear, or a design choice may create permitting or delivery challenges later. AFRY helps clients identify these links across disciplines, so key risks and trade-offs are visible before the project moves too far ahead.
"Clients are no longer only asking how to design a data center. They are asking how power is available, how permits can be secured, how the grid connection will work, and how the facility can remain efficient and resilient over time. These questions need to be clarified together before they become constraints later in the project."
Stefan Cartling, Head of Data Centers at AFRY
Experience where complexity matters
Stefan brings long experience from AFRY, combined with a strong track record from complex buildings, infrastructure and data center projects, including assignments for Microsoft, Amazon AWS, Northvolt, Ericsson, RED and other clients. His background spans data center design, high-voltage systems, R&D facilities and infrastructure development - areas that are often central when data center projects move from ambition to delivery.
Clarity before commitments are locked in
Whether entering a new market, evaluating a site, planning an expansion or improving an existing facility, data center clients need a clear view of what is feasible before critical choices are made. For clients, the value lies in reducing surprises from ambition, through approval, design and delivery, while improving the facility’s long-term resilience, efficiency and environmental performance.
In his new role, Stefan will connect AFRY’s expertise across energy-market analysis, power systems, architecture and engineering, environmental services, project management and advisory. This integrated approach will help clients move from early commercial and technical analysis to implementation and operation with clearer decisions and better-informed trade-offs.
