JLL says it's expanding its energy advisory team to help large commercial and industrial energy users such as data centers in their search for reliable power sources as demand, fueled largely by the explosion in artificial intelligence, grows quickly.
The real estate services firm said it hired Craig Both as senior vice president of power origination on its energy advisory team. In his new role, he will expand JLL’s power origination and commercial energy services by supporting corporations and investors "as they navigate increasing energy demand, grid constraints and evolving clean energy markets," the firm said.
JLL Energy Advisory works with clients to address growing interim power challenges through on-site generation, battery storage and hybrid models.
Both, who joined JLL from Madison Energy Infrastructure and is based in New York, said he made the move to JLL as energy access, reliability and cost "have become mission-critical issues for real estate owners and occupiers." He has more than 15 years of experience in renewable energy origination and distributed energy development.
"This is particularly evident in the data center and large commercial and industrial sectors, where facilities are driving unprecedented energy demand when grid capacity is already stretched thin," he said in an email. "Energy infrastructure is becoming a defining factor for the site selection and operations of these industries."
JLL is expanding its energy advisory group as hospitals, manufacturers, data center operators and other organizations seek new energy sources. Power companies across the country are struggling to keep up with demand as AI, chip manufacturing and other industries grow and use extremely large amounts of power.
In fact, according to a JLL report, longer wait times to hook up data centers to the electrical grid are increasingly forcing property developers to get creative in finding ways to speed up the process to meet soaring demand, according to a new JLL report. About 57% of data center projects worldwide last year experienced a delay of at least three months, according to JLL's 2026 Global Data Center Outlook report issued last week. Many of those delays were because of a lack of power supply for the new data centers.
JLL said Both will focus on assisting large commercial and industrial energy users, data center clients and real estate portfolios facing growing power and infrastructure challenges.
“Craig’s appointment strengthens our ability to help clients secure and structure energy solutions in an increasingly constrained and complex market,” said Brian Rappaport, managing director of commercial energy solutions at JLL Energy Advisory.