Kaufman & Company has announced BUILD 2030, a national development initiative that unites its housing, real estate, construction, technology, and AI infrastructure operations under a single coordinated investment and development strategy. The initiative, revealed in September 2026, reflects the company's belief that the next wave of American infrastructure will be defined not only by traditional projects like roads and bridges but also by two critical needs: housing and computing capacity for an AI-driven economy.
"Everyone is talking about the AI infrastructure boom, but infrastructure cannot only be about machines. If we're going to build infrastructure for AI, we should be equally serious about building infrastructure for people," said Daniel Kaufman, Founder and Principal of Kaufman & Company. This philosophy underpins BUILD 2030, which aims to leverage the company's 25-plus years of development experience, encompassing over $2 billion in project value and more than 10,000 housing units developed.
Central to the initiative is the concept of "infrastructure convergence." Kaufman notes that both housing and AI infrastructure require similar foundational elements: land, power, transportation, entitlement expertise, construction capacity, and capital. By integrating these disciplines, the company seeks to gain a competitive advantage. "The real estate industry still tends to put everything into separate boxes: multifamily, build-to-rent, affordable housing, data centers, technology. We don't see it that way. We see land, infrastructure, housing, technology and capital increasingly colliding. BUILD 2030 is our response to that," Kaufman explained.
The initiative also emphasizes community impact. Kaufman & Company plans to evaluate AI infrastructure locations with an eye toward broader economic development, including workforce housing, community improvements, and local employment. "We don't want to be the developer that arrives in a community, consumes power and leaves behind a box. The better model is to ask what else our investment can unlock for the people who already live there," Kaufman said.
BUILD 2030 will coordinate across Kaufman's existing platform, which includes residential and mixed-use development, workforce and affordable housing, build-to-rent communities, hospitality, AI infrastructure, and a venture portfolio focused on real estate technology. The strategy is designed to serve as a connective framework for future projects and partnerships.
This announcement matters for business and technology leaders because it signals a potential shift in how infrastructure is developed. By merging housing and AI infrastructure, Kaufman & Company is betting that the companies able to understand both physical and digital infrastructure will lead in the coming decade. As AI continues to permeate the economy, the demand for data centers and computing power will grow, but so will the need for housing to support the workforce that builds and maintains these systems. BUILD 2030 could serve as a model for integrating these often-siloed sectors, potentially influencing how investors, developers, and policymakers approach large-scale projects.
For more information on Kaufman & Company's initiatives, visit https://www.kaufmanandco.com. The company's venture capital arm focuses on technology for the real estate industry, further highlighting its commitment to innovation at the intersection of real estate and tech.
As the first major initiative of its kind, BUILD 2030 underscores the growing recognition that infrastructure must serve both people and technology. Its success could pave the way for more holistic development strategies, ultimately impacting how communities are planned and how AI infrastructure is deployed across the United States.
