Shumate Engineering

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Shumate Engineering Listen. Design. Create. Shumate Engineering is led by Daren Shumate.

Bringing over 30 years of highly technical architectural engineering, Daren has spent the last 20 years focused on mission-critical, data center environments. A licensed electrical engineer, Daren has designed data centers and mission-critical spaces for Fannie Mae, eBay, Digital Realty, CyrusOne, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Vantage, Equinix, and NTT. While at Sverdrup in the late 1990s, Daren managed the RFP solicitation package for the design/build contract for the Pentagon Remote Delivery Facility, the first of several high-profile highly successful design/build projects at the Pentagon. Utilizing his architectural engineering project executive background, he led the engineering and architecture teams for two one-million square foot, 100MW data centers - one in Atlanta, the other in Dallas. Daren continues his industry leadership serving on the Board of Directors of the 7x24 DC chapter. Giving back to his community, Daren serves on the Fairfax County Board of Code Appeals and is a Commissioner on the Fairfax County Small Business Commission. As an appointee of Fairfax County Supervisor, Penny Gross, Daren led the Lincolnia Area Re-zoning Task Force - a 2-1/2 year commitment that culminated in approvals from Fairfax County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.

Our Hybrid-Dry/Adiabatic-Cooling (HD/AC) system is now fully protected.The United States Patent and Trademark Office has...
10/14/2026

Our Hybrid-Dry/Adiabatic-Cooling (HD/AC) system is now fully protected.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Shumate Engineering a utility patent covering how the system works: one closed loop delivering 68°F water to air-cooled CRAC systems and 90°F water to direct-to-chip liquid cooling, at the same time. It builds on the design patent we received in July 2025.

Compared to conventional cooling, HD/AC delivers:
💧 93% less water use
⚡ 50% less cooling power
🔌 15% less total connected power, worth roughly $1B on an 800 MW AI data center

Congratulations to co-inventors Stephen Spinazzola, PE and Justin Penrod, PE, and thank you to Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox for guiding us through the process.

Read the full below announcement: https://shumateengineering.com/2026/10/07/shumate-engineering-secures-critical-functionality-patent-for-game-changing-hd-ac-data-center-technology/

10/06/2026

In recognizing National Day last week, to Shumate Engineering’s open house, where Daren Shumate and The Parklawn Ramblers brought the night to life with their bluegrass sound.

Thank you again to The Parklawn Ramblers for setting the perfect tone!

Nearly $1 billion. That's the electrical savings R Stephen Spinazzola, PE showed at for an 800 MW campus using hybrid ...
09/30/2026

Nearly $1 billion. That's the electrical savings R Stephen Spinazzola, PE showed at for an 800 MW campus using hybrid dry/adiabatic cooling instead of air-cooled chillers.

With AI cabinets pulling 25–100 kW (vs. 15–20 kW in traditional builds), every megawatt kept out of cooling is a megawatt available for IT.

Thanks to everyone who joined his session, "Balancing On-Site & Off-Site Water Use to Optimize PUE & Maximize Available IT Power."

Water, thermal waste, carbon intensity: problems to engineer around, not trade-offs to accept.That was Justin Penrod's c...
09/30/2026

Water, thermal waste, carbon intensity: problems to engineer around, not trade-offs to accept.

That was Justin Penrod's case at Data Center World Power's Spark Session this week, where he presented his patented hybrid dry/adiabatic cooling (HD/AC) approach, cutting both water and power use without giving up performance.

Congratulations, Justin, on another win!

Join Stephen Spinazzola for “Balancing On-Site & Off-Site Water Use to Optimize PUE & Maximize Available IT Power” at Ad...
09/21/2026

Join Stephen Spinazzola for “Balancing On-Site & Off-Site Water Use to Optimize PUE & Maximize Available IT Power” at Advancing Data Center Cooling Innovation East 2026 on September 23 at 11:30 a.m.

The rapid deployment of AI-driven data centers is fundamentally reshaping both mechanical and electrical system design. Traditional data centers typically operate at 15–20 kW per cabinet, while AI environments demand 25–100 kW per cabinet — dramatically increasing cooling and power requirements.

Key Mechanical Considerations
- Determining off-site water use for the utility company’s power generation
- Calculating on-site water and energy use for air-cooled, adiabatic, and hybrid adiabatic systems
- Comparing the three systems for total water and energy use, and the additional IT power for the hybrid system

Stephen will also address the limitations of air-cooled chillers in AI environments and explore alternative cooling strategies better suited to high-density deployments.

Learn more and register here: https://advancing-data-center-cooling-innovation-east.com/

What if water consumption and power draw weren't a data center trade-off, but a design problem waiting to be solved?That...
09/18/2026

What if water consumption and power draw weren't a data center trade-off, but a design problem waiting to be solved?

That's the case we're making at Data Center World & AFCOM Power's Spark Session. Daren Shumate will walk you through Shumate Engineering's patented hybrid-dry/adiabatic cooling (HD/AC) approach and what it means for water and energy use at scale.

5 days out. Register here: https://schedule.dcwpower.com/session/spark-session-three-emerging-innovators-challenging-data-centers-power-and-cooling-status-quo/920712.

09/08/2026

Ask any building owner what they think about last, and fire protection is usually near the top of that list. It shouldn't be.

Meet Brandon Cash, Shumate's inaugural Director of Fire Protection Engineering. His path here wasn't traditional: an ASPE-certified plumbing designer by training, he's worked alongside fire marshals, earned his PE specifically in fire protection, and picked up an interdisciplinary perspective most FPEs don't have.

Fire protection is becoming more prominent in complex spaces like data centers, where questions like lithium-ion battery risk and modular sprinkler design are pushing the industry to rethink fire protection from the ground up.

Based in Central Virginia and active across the Mid-Atlantic, Brandon's work reminds us that the details people overlook are often the ones that matter most.

To learn more about our fire protection services, visit https://shumateengineering.com/services/plumbing-and-fire-protection/.

Big news to share: Shumate Engineering has been named to the 2026 Giants 400 Report by Building Design+Construction — th...
08/24/2026

Big news to share: Shumate Engineering has been named to the 2026 Giants 400 Report by Building Design+Construction — the industry's benchmark ranking of the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms.

This recognition is a reflection of the hard work, expertise, and dedication our team brings to every project. To our clients, partners, and team members, thank you for being part of this milestone with us.

Here's to continued growth and to shaping what's next in the built environment. https://www.bdcnetwork.com/giants-400/article/55396695/coming-soon-2026-giants-400-report-ranking-the-nations-largest-architecture-engineering-and-construction-firms

Time to celebrate! Shumate Engineering is No. 554 on this year’s list. For an engineering firm, making the Inc. 5000 i...
08/11/2026

Time to celebrate! Shumate Engineering is No. 554 on this year’s list.

For an engineering firm, making the Inc. 5000 is a powerful validation of our technical excellence, demonstrating market demand for our specialized MEP services and our ability to successfully scale complex operations.

In addition to placing 554 on the overall list (up 1,229 spots from last year), Shumate Engineering is also:

- The 4th fastest-growing engineering firm in the U.S.
- The 15th fastest-growing company in Virginia
- The 19th fastest-growing company in the Washington D.C. Metro Area

See the full list here: inc.com/inc5000

Happy to our shining star intern team. 🌟Meet the talented interns making an impact at Shumate Engineering this summer....
07/30/2026

Happy to our shining star intern team. 🌟

Meet the talented interns making an impact at Shumate Engineering this summer. From the classroom to the office, they've jumped in, asked great questions, and contributed to real projects that matter.

We're proud to help shape the next generation of engineers and grateful for everything they bring to our team.

Thank you for all you do! 👏

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1577 Spring Hill Road, Suite 260
Tysons Corner, VA
22182

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