“Scale only works when trust and accountability scale with it.”
According to Russell King, BW Design Group Partner, that key lesson is being reinforced time and again throughout BWDG’s support of Project Stargate, widely considered by industry observers to be among the largest AI data center buildouts in US history. Stargate involves multiple massive sites nationwide, starting in Abilene, Texas, and is aimed at delivering AI infrastructure with unprecedented scale and velocity. More than 600 team members have been involved in BWDG’s support of the buildout that is underway on the Abilene campus, which is roughly the size of NYC’s Central Park.
King oversees BWDG’s partnership with Crusoe, the developer of the Stargate project. His role includes ensuring alignment between the client and BWDG’s internal teams, supporting project leaders, and removing obstacles so everyone can execute at a very high level.
“For most of our professionals, this is the largest and most technically demanding project of their careers. It has accelerated growth, expanded leadership opportunities, and created a shared sense of ownership and pride,” King said.
“Stargate continues to validate our reputation as a leading technology provider for AI data center infrastructure – one of the most capital-intensive and strategically important industries in the world right now. It demonstrates our ability to perform at massive scale,” he added.
Since BWDG’s work on the project began in late 2024, Stargate has helped lift the firm’s AI data center engagements and contributed meaningfully to Barry-Wehmiller's record year of revenue.
Over the past 12 months, more than 600 team members from BWDG’s major offices, including Chennai, India, have contributed to Project Stargate.
BWDG’s work is focused on Stargate’s electrical power monitoring system (EPMS) and the building management system (BMS), which includes cutting-edge technology called direct-to-chip liquid cooling. Teams are providing defined instrumentation and controls (I&C) design, system integration, control panel fabrication, instrumentation procurement, onsite commissioning (verification that all systems are designed, installed, tested, and operated to meet project requirements), and startup support, all within the contracted scope. The work includes more than 62,000 field devices across the eight high-density data center buildings and more than 4,600 control panels that have been fabricated and shipped at an unprecedented rate by the firm’s premier panel shop, ControlTech Automation (CTA).
Many team members work onsite in Abilene for extended durations, coordinating around-the-clock commissioning, often relocating or living in hotels or apartments for months at a time.
Jason Rhodewalt, BW Design Group Managing Partner of System Integration, calls the Stargate project “the Super Bowl of Engineering. Our team has shown creativity and resilience to meet an exceptionally aggressive schedule on a large-scale project.”
BWDG began its work in advanced technology more than fifteen years ago, long before the current AI capital investment phenomenon. That experience, coupled with the firm’s deep expertise with the software and automation technology being used in Stargate, were crucial drivers of Crusoe’s decision to select the firm. “We are increasingly viewed by clients and partners as the preeminent experts in EPMS and BMS systems at data centers. On top of that,” remarked Rhodewalt, “BW Design Group has the size and scale to support multiple projects of this magnitude – something not many of our competitors can do.”
AI data center projects move faster than traditional projects in other industries, with design and construction often overlapping.
“As the project rapidly grew from one building to eight, we built trust by solving problems quickly, adjusting to scope changes, and staying focused on outcomes.”
“Onsite execution and commissioning are where reputations are built, so it was imperative that we empower our onsite teams to make decisions and act quickly,” King shared.
Last month, Crusoe won “North American Data Center Project of the Year” at the 2025 Data Center Dynamics Global Awards.
King praised the firm’s 600-plus team members who have worked on the Stargate project for how well they have partnered to help their client achieve success. “What’s been most impressive is how our team stepped up – engineers relocating temporarily, leaders absorbing expanded scope, and CTA scaling panel fabrication to extraordinary levels, all with the client’s objectives in mind.
“That is what makes this team ‘Game Changers.’ They didn’t just execute – they demonstrated what BWDG is capable of.”
