As the data center industry enters the AI era in earnest, incremental upgrades are no longer enough. That was the central message of the Data Center Frontier Trends Summit 2025 session “AI Is the New Normal: Building the AI Factory for Power, Profit, and Scale,” where operators and infrastructure leaders made the case that AI is no longer a specialty workload; it is redefining the data center itself. Panelists described the AI factory as a new infrastructure archetype: purpose-built, power-intensive, liquid-cooled, and designed for constant change. Rack densities that once hovered in the low teens have now surged past 50 kilowatts and, in some cases, toward megawatt-scale configurations. Facilities designed for yesterday’s assumptions simply cannot keep up. Ken Patchett of Lambda framed AI factories as inherently multi-density environments, capable of supporting everything from traditional enterprise racks to extreme GPU deployments within the same campus. These facilities are not replacements for conventional data centers, he noted, but essential additions; and they must be designed for rapid iteration as chip architectures evolve every few months. Wes Cummins of Applied Digital extended the conversation to campus scale and geography. AI demand is pushing developers toward tertiary markets where power is abundant but historically underutilized. Training and inference workloads now require hundreds of megawatts at single sites, delivered in timelines that have shrunk from years to little more than a year. Cost efficiency, ultra-low PUE, and flexible shells are becoming decisive competitive advantages. Liquid cooling emerged as a foundational requirement rather than an optimization. Patrick Pedroso of Equus Compute Solutions compared the shift to the automotive industry’s move away from air-cooled engines. From rear-door heat exchangers to direct-to-chip and immersion systems, cooling strategies must now accommodate fluctuating AI workloads while enabling energy recovery—even at the edge. For Kenneth Moreano of Scott Data Center, the AI factory is as much a service model as a physical asset. By abstracting infrastructure complexity and controlling the full stack in-house, his company enables enterprise customers to move from AI experimentation to production at scale, without managing the underlying technical detail. Across the discussion, panelists agreed that the industry’s traditional design and financing playbook is obsolete. AI infrastructure cannot be treated as a 25-year depreciable asset when hardware cycles move in months. Instead, data centers must be built as adaptable, elemental systems: capable of evolving as power, cooling, and compute requirements continue to shift. The session concluded with one obvious takeaway: AI is not a future state to prepare for. It is already shaping how data centers are built, where they are located, and how they generate value. The AI factory is no longer theoretical—and the industry is racing to build it fast enough.

This bonus episode of EC&M On Air, sponsored by Wesco, explores how the rapid growth of AI, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure is reshaping the data center market and pushing development beyond traditional core locations. Host Ellen Parson is joined by Wesco subject matter expert David Speidelsbach to examine the forces driving unprecedented demand, the strain being placed on established data center hubs, and why emerging and tertiary markets are becoming the next frontier for development. The conversation dives into the benefits and challenges of building data centers in these new regions, including cost advantages, access to land and renewable energy, tax incentives, and the realities of labor, water, and infrastructure constraints. David also shares guidance for electrical contractors navigating these complex projects, highlighting the importance of early collaboration, strong partnerships, and supply chain coordination. Throughout the discussion, listeners gain practical insight into how contractors and suppliers can successfully support large-scale, mission-critical data center builds in an evolving market.

As AI workloads push data center infrastructure in both centralized and distributed directions, the industry is rethinking where compute lives, how data moves, and who controls the networks in between. This episode captures highlights from The Distributed Data Frontier: Edge, Interconnection, and the Future of Digital Infrastructure, a panel discussion from the 2025 Data Center Frontier Trends Summit. Moderated by Scott Bergs of Dark Fiber and Infrastructure, the panel brought together leaders from DartPoints, 1623 Farnam, Duos Edge AI, ValorC3 Data Centers, and 365 Data Centers to examine how edge facilities, interconnection hubs, and regional data centers are adapting to rising power densities, AI inference workloads, and mounting connectivity constraints. Panelists discussed the rapid shift from legacy 4–6 kW rack designs to environments supporting 20–60 kW and beyond, while noting that many AI inference applications can be deployed effectively at moderate densities when paired with the right connectivity. Hospitals, regional enterprises, and public-sector use cases are emerging as key drivers of distributed AI infrastructure, particularly in tier 3 and tier 4 markets. The conversation also highlighted connectivity as a defining bottleneck. Permitting delays, middle-mile fiber constraints, and the need for early carrier engagement are increasingly shaping site selection and time-to-market outcomes. As data centers evolve into network-centric platforms, operators are balancing neutrality, fiber ownership, and long-term upgradability to ensure today’s builds remain relevant in a rapidly changing AI landscape.

In this episode of the Data Center Frontier Show, DCF Editor in Chief Matt Vincent speaks with Uptime Institute research analyst Max Smolaks about the infrastructure forces reshaping AI data centers from power and racks to cooling, economics, and the question of whether the boom is sustainable. Smolaks unpacks a surprising on-ramp to today’s AI buildout: former cryptocurrency mining operators that “discovered” underutilized pockets of power in nontraditional locations—and are now pivoting into AI campuses as GPU demand strains conventional markets. The conversation then turns to what OCP 2025 revealed about rack-scale AI: heavier, taller, more specialized racks; disaggregated “compute/power/network” rack groupings; and a white space that increasingly looks purpose-built for extreme density. From there, Vincent and Smolaks explore why liquid cooling is both inevitable and still resisted by many operators—along with the software, digital twins, CFD modeling, and new commissioning approaches emerging to manage the added complexity. On the power side, they discuss the industry’s growing alignment around 800V DC distribution and what it signals about Nvidia’s outsized influence on next-gen data center design. Finally, the conversation widens into load volatility and the economics of AI infrastructure: why “spiky” AI power profiles are driving changes in UPS systems and rack-level smoothing, and why long-term growth may hinge less on demand (which remains strong) than on whether AI profits broaden beyond a few major buyers—especially as GPU hardware depreciates far faster than the long-lived fiber built during past tech booms. A sharp, grounded look at the AI factory era—and the engineering and business realities behind the headlines.

In this Data Center Frontier Trends Summit 2025 session—moderated by Stu Dyer (CBRE) with panelists Aad den Elzen (Solar Turbines/Caterpillar), Creede Williams (Exigent Energy Partners), and Adam Michaelis (PointOne Data Centers)—the conversation centered on a hard truth of the AI buildout: power is now the limiting factor, and the grid isn’t keeping pace. Dyer framed how quickly the market has escalated, from “big” 48MW campuses a decade ago to today’s expectations of 500MW-to-gigawatt-scale capacity. With utility timelines stretched and interconnection uncertainty rising, the panel argued that natural gas has moved from taboo to toolkit—often the fastest route to firm power at meaningful scale. Williams, speaking from the IPP perspective, emphasized that speed-to-power requires firm fuel and financeable infrastructure, warning that “interruptible” gas or unclear supply economics can undermine both reliability and underwriting. Den Elzen noted that gas is already a proven solution across data center deployments, and in many cases is evolving from a “bridge” to a durable complement to the grid—especially when modular approaches improve resiliency and enable phased buildouts. Michaelis described how operators are building internal “power plant literacy,” hiring specialists and partnering with experienced power developers because data center teams can’t assume they can self-perform generation projects. The panel also “de-mystified” key technology choices—reciprocating engines vs. turbines—as tradeoffs among lead time, footprint, ramp speed, fuel flexibility, efficiency, staffing, and long-term futureproofing. On AI-era operations, the group underscored that extreme load swings can’t be handled by rotating generation alone, requiring system-level design with controls, batteries, capacitors, and close coordination with tenant load profiles. Audience questions pushed into public policy and perception: rate impacts, permitting, and the long-term mix of gas, grid, and emerging options like SMRs. The panel’s consensus: behind-the-meter generation can help shield ratepayers from grid-upgrade costs, but permitting remains locally driven and politically sensitive—making industry communication and advocacy increasingly important. Bottom line: in the new data center reality, natural gas is here—often not as a perfect answer, but as the one that matches the industry’s near-term demands for speed, scale, and firm power.

In this episode, we crack open the world of ILA (In-Line Amplifier) huts, those unassuming shelters are quietly powering fiber connectivity. Like mini utility substations of the fiber world, these small, secure, and distributed facilities keep internet, voice, and data networks running reliably, especially over long distances or in developing areas. From the analog roots of signal amplification to today’s digital optical technologies, this conversation explores how ILAs are redefining long-haul fiber transport. We’ll discuss how these compact, often rural, mini data centers are engineered and built to boost light signals across vast distances. But it’s not just about the tech. There are real-world challenges to deploying ILAs: from acquiring land in varied environments, to coordinating civil construction often built in isolation. You’ll learn why site selection is as much about geology and permitting as it is about signal loss, and what factors can make or break an ILA deployment. We also explore the growing role of hyperscalers and colocation providers in driving ILA expansion, adjacent revenue opportunities, and what ILA facilities can mean for the future of rural connectivity. Tune in to find out how the pulse of long-haul fiber is beating louder than ever.

In this panel session from the 2025 Data Center Frontier Trends Summit (Aug. 26-28) in Reston, Va., JLL’s Sean Farney moderates a high-energy panel on how the industry is fast-tracking AI capacity in a world of power constraints, grid delays, and record-low vacancy. Under the banner “Scaling AI: The Role of Adaptive Reuse and Power-Rich Sites in GPU Deployment,” the discussion dives into why U.S. colocation vacancy is hovering near 2%, how power has become the ultimate limiter on AI revenue, and what it really takes to stand up GPU-heavy infrastructure at speed. Schneider Electric’s Lovisa Tedestedt, Aligned Data Centers’ Phill Lawson-Shanks, and Sapphire Gas Solutions’ Scott Johns unpack the real-world strategies they’re deploying today—from adaptive reuse of industrial sites and factory-built modular systems, to behind-the-fence natural gas, microgrids, and emerging hydrogen and RNG pathways. Along the way, they explore the coming “AI inference edge,” the rebirth of the enterprise data center, and how AI is already being used to optimize data center design and operations. During this talk, you’ll learn: * Why record-low vacancy and long interconnection queues are reshaping AI deployment strategy. * How adaptive reuse of legacy industrial and commercial real estate can unlock gigawatt-scale capacity and community benefits. * The growing role of liquid cooling, modular skids, and grid-to-chip efficiency in getting more power to GPUs. * How behind-the-meter gas, virtual pipelines, and microgrids are bridging multi-year grid delays. * Why many experts expect a renaissance of enterprise data centers for AI inference at the edge. Moderator: Sean Farney, VP, Data Centers, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) Panelists: Tony Grayson, General Manager, Northstar Lovisa Tedestedt, Strategic Account Executive – Cloud & Service Providers, Schneider Electric Phill Lawson-Shanks, Chief Innovation Officer, Aligned Data Centers Scott Johns, Chief Commercial Officer, Sapphire Gas Solutions

Recorded live at the 2025 Data Center Frontier Trends Summit in Reston, VA, this panel brings together leading voices from the utility, IPP, and data center worlds to tackle one of the defining issues of the AI era: power. Moderated by Buddy Rizer, Executive Director of Economic Development for Loudoun County, the session features: Jeff Barber, VP Global Data Centers, Bloom Energy Bob Kinscherf, VP National Accounts, Constellation Stan Blackwell, Director, Data Center Practice, Dominion Energy Joel Jansen, SVP Regulated Commercial Operations, American Electric Power David McCall, VP of Innovation, QTS Data Centers Together they explore how hyperscale and AI workloads are stressing today’s grid, why transmission has become the critical bottleneck, and how on-site and behind-the-meter solutions are evolving from “bridge power” into strategic infrastructure. The panel dives into the role of gas-fired generation and fuel cells, emerging options like SMRs and geothermal, the realities of demand response and curtailment, and what it will take to recruit the next generation of engineers into this rapidly changing ecosystem. If you want a grounded, candid look at how energy providers and data center operators are working together to unlock new capacity for AI campuses, this conversation is a must-listen.

Live from the Data Center Frontier Trends Summit 2025 – Reston, VA In this episode, we bring you a featured panel from the Data Center Frontier Trends Summit 2025 (Aug. 26-28), sponsored by Schneider Electric. DCF Editor in Chief Matt Vincent moderates a fast-paced, highly practical conversation on what “AI for good” really looks like inside the modern data center—both in how we build for AI workloads and how we use AI to run facilities more intelligently. Expert panelists included: Steve Carlini, VP, Innovation and Data Center Energy Management Business, Schneider Electric Sudhir Kalra, Chief Data Center Operations Officer, Compass Datacenters Andrew Whitmore, VP of Sales, Motivair Together they unpack: How AI is driving unprecedented scale—from megawatt data halls to gigawatt AI “factories” and 100–600 kW rack roadmaps What Schneider and NVIDIA are learning from real-world testing of Blackwell and NVL72-class reference designs Why liquid cooling is no longer optional for high-density AI, and how to retrofit thousands of brownfield, air-cooled sites How Compass is using AI, predictive analytics, and condition-based maintenance to cut manual interventions and OPEX The shift from “constructing” to assembling data centers via modular, prefab approaches The role of AI in grid-aware operations, energy storage, and more sustainable build and operations practices Where power architectures, 800V DC, and industry standards will take us over the next five years If you want a grounded, operator-level view into how AI is reshaping data center design, cooling, power, and operations—beyond the hype—this DCF Trends Summit session is a must-listen.

On this episode of The Data Center Frontier Show, Editor in Chief Matt Vincent sits down with Rob Campbell, President of Flex Communications, Enterprise & Cloud, and Chris Butler, President of Flex Power, to unpack Flex’s bold new integrated data center platform as unveiled at the 2025 OCP Global Summit. Flex says the AI era has broken traditional data center models, pushing power, cooling, and compute to the point where they can no longer be engineered separately. Their answer is a globally manufactured, pre-engineered platform that unifies these components into modular pods and skids, designed to cut deployment timelines by up to 30 percent and support gigawatt-scale AI campuses. Rob and Chris explain how Flex is blending JetCool’s chip-level liquid cooling with scalable rack-level CDUs; how higher-voltage DC architectures (400V today, 800V next) will reshape power delivery; and why Flex’s 110-site global manufacturing footprint gives it a unique advantage in speed and resilience. They also explore Flex’s lifecycle intelligence strategy, the company’s circular-economy approach to modular design, and their view of the “data center of 2030”—a landscape defined by converged power and IT, liquid cooling as default, and modular units capable of being deployed in 30–60 days. It’s a deep look at how one of the world’s largest manufacturers plans to redefine AI-scale infrastructure.