The growth in construction of new data centers – driven in large part by AI’s voracious demand for compute capacity – has ramped up very quickly in the last year, overwhelming the logistics industry, but also offering an advantage to firms that specialize in project cargo and are equipped to handle multi-ton over-dimensional components such as turbines and generators.

“I think it caught everybody by surprise how quickly the need for data center project cargo has grown,” observes Jason Bernick, VP, Crypto Logistics at Logistics Plus, a 3PL handling project cargo for many data center construction projects. “It has exploded for us over the last six months because of our capabilities.” Logistics Plus exemplifies providers that have the right expertise at the right time to take advantage of this promising new segment of the project cargo market.

Jason Bernick, VP, Crypto Logistics, Logistics Plus

“We’ve traditionally done project cargo to support power generation and factories. That’s been a big part of our business for at least 20 years,” explains Danny Yunes, VP, Mission Critical Ops and Strategy at Logistics Plus. “The data center vertical is just an acceleration of that side of the business.”

Data center project cargo includes massive transformers, generators, gas turbines, and cooling towers. Yunes points out that the increase in data center power demand is translating to an increase in the transformer size or number of transformers required per site, further increasing the challenge of this growing project cargo niche. “The sheer size and weight create complexities throughout transport and offload, requiring careful coordination and specialized handling,” Bernick adds.

In addition, Yunes says Logistics Plus expects more data centers to be built closer to metro and suburban areas, which makes it even more difficult to navigate the routes – with narrow streets, tight turns and more adjacent structures – for over-dimensional items.

There is also an issue with obtaining the necessary equipment to support project cargo, in the face of the rapid demand. “The growth has been exponential in 2025, and this has put a constraint on the equipment for project cargo,” Bernick says.

“This is all new demand and not a lot of people have planned for it,” adds Yunes. “So, the companies that build the trailers and equipment used for project cargo are trying to catch up. They don’t have enough equipment to satisfy the demand, so that strains capacity of the carriers and increases pricing.”

Yunes concludes, “We are seeing so much demand, I don’t think this is going to end any time soon.”