Managing data center risk

Market dynamics in data center buildouts and dealmaking are complex, but there are some common threads that are spanning the globe. Analysts Soon Chen Kang and Stefanie Williams join host Eric Hanselman to explore their research in the Asia Pacific market. AI demand is a driving force and concerns about power availability can be a headwind, but there are regional nuances that make the markets that comprise the APAC region unique. One treats the market as a cohesive whole at one's peril!  Geopolitical concerns have a significant impact on both demand forces and capacity uptake. Access to GPU's to feed AI applications takes on new dimensions in a market where technology embargoes are moving workloads. Neoclouds are a new market provider and driving new builds, as well. The boom days of speculative building have tapered off, in many cases, due to the availability of power, but that doesn't mean activity is slowing. Activity is shifting to find available capacity, but a common challenge in some of these early markets is the lack of transparency on both power deals and the build and financing processes. Check out the research to get more details. More S&P Global Content: Compute sovereignty: The strategic importance of digital infrastructure AI in action: unleashing agentic potential Hyperscaler earnings quarterly: What price inference? Will datacenter growth in India propel it to global hub status? For S&P Global subscribers: Beyond disaster recovery: Greater Osaka's rise as a stand-alone data center hub APAC data center growth on course in 2026, driven by hyperscaler, regional neocloud demand Rising community opposition impacts site selection, cancellations and delays increase  Singapore kicks off tender process, promising at least 200 MW for data centers 2026 Trends in Data Center Services & Infrastructure Host/Author: Eric Hanselman   Guests: Soon Chen Kang, Stefanie Williams Producer/Editor: Dylan Scheible  Published With Assistance From: Feranmi Adeoshun, Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith, 

We're in the early days of cost impacts for AI applications. While there are some cautionary tales, current spending seems to be a small fraction what's to come. Analysts Jean Atelsek and Melanie Posey return to the podcast to talk about what they heard at the FinOps X conference with host Eric Hanselman. The need for cost management in AI is seen as so great that the FinOps Foundation, a project of the Linux Foundation, is talking about morphing its conference into Tokenomicon and pivot into token economics. The portmanteau of tokenomics is sweeping across cloud and AI services providers, as well as IT vendors, as enterprises wrestle with dueling forces of AI acceleration and management constraints for access and cost. Unlike FinOps for cloud operations, the costs and metrics for AI are fairly opaque. Some enterprises are trying to manage costs by limiting access, but that risks stifling the innovation and democratization that is supposed to come with AI transformation. Request routing is promising, but it requires understanding the nature of the request and the suitability of available infrastructure to fulfill it, something that is not well understood by many. Most are just getting comfortable with managing model lifecycles and the step up to cost management can be a large one. More S&P Global Content: Compute sovereignty: The strategic importance of digital infrastructure Next in Tech | Ep. 222: FinOps – Managing Cloud and AI Costs AI in action: unleashing agentic potential Hyperscaler earnings quarterly: What price inference? For S&P Global subscribers: FinOps in the age of agentic AI FinOps Foundation expands FinOps discipline beyond cloud to technology value management Service providers race to meet surging enterprise demand for AI infrastructure FinOps Market Monitor & Forecast Host/Author: Eric Hanselman  Guests: Jean Atelsek, Melanie Posey Producer/Editor: Dylan Scheible Published With Assistance From: Feranmi Adeoshun, Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith,

There's great momentum in moving to greater levels of agentic automation, but there are critical areas where deeper consideration is required in how it's applied. In capital markets, trust is a foundational element on which transactions are built and Krisha Vinjamuri, Head of Technology, Enterprise Solutions at S&P Global Market Intelligence, joins host Eric Hanselman to talk about how this can be achieved and the important aspects of successful implementations. One of the useful things in capital markets, is that there are open standards on which to base data ontologies. It's not exciting, but it's the basis of a semantic foundation that can not only ensure that there is depth in data definitions, but can also reduce errors generated by agents. The larger question that looms beyond the construction of foundational architecture, is how the operational envelope that bounds agentic action will be established. This has to be built from policy definitions that take those actions into account. There is great promise and much work that needs to be done. More S&P Global Content: AI-enable Corporate Actions AI-driven Portfolio Monitoring with iLEVEL AI-automated SSI Equity Bookbuilding AI Assist Market Intelligence AI Hub For S&P Global subscribers: FinOps in the age of agentic AI AI Infrastructure Market Monitor & Forecast Service providers race to meet surging enterprise demand for AI infrastructure In 2026, the telecom network becomes code Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Krishna Vinjamuri Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith, Dylan Scheible

Networking can be an invisible part of IT infrastructure, but AI is creating demands that make it a critical part of keeping AI application fed with data. Mike Fratto returns to the podcast to discuss both the long haul and local requirements for AI networking with host Eric Hanselman. It's always been important to link chunks of infrastructure efficiently, but AI's voracious need for data has dramatically increased the scope and scale of the need. The risk that any gap in performance or capacity presents is that precious GPU resources will be idled, an increasingly expensive proposition. The realities of AI application architectures is that infrastructure is ever more hybrid, requiring access to repositories of data both on-premises and in various clouds and models scattered across various providers. The need for dynamic connectivity is driven by the rapid evolution of preferences for new models and the diversifying needs of agents to reach new data sources. It's not only forcing network expansion, but it's also driving M&A activity as network providers look to enhance automation in response to customer demands. More S&P Global Content: Compute sovereignty: The strategic importance of digital infrastructure AI won't solve its own energy problem – and that might be fine AI in action: unleashing agentic potential AI infrastructure results in 2025 top expectations, forecast upgraded For S&P Global subscribers: MWC 2026: Agentic AI as the next operating model for networks and network operations AI Infrastructure Market Monitor & Forecast Service providers race to meet surging enterprise demand for AI infrastructure In 2026, the telecom network becomes code Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Mike Fratto Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith, Dylan Scheible

The shifts that the agentic revolution is driving are felt in many areas of technology and Dell Technologies spans some of those that are seeing the greatest upheaval. The 451 Research team was in attendance at the annual Dell Technologies World conference and Brian Partridge, William Fellows, Henry Baltazar and Greg Macatee joined host Eric Hanselman to talk about their perspectives on the conference, agentic advancement and the technology market. Dell has positioned itself as a purveyor of not only the compute infrastructure needed to build the foundation for AI, but also as the custodian of AI's most critical raw material – data. The rapid evolution of agentic applications has created a need for new capabilities that is being complicated by both technology infrastructure demands and geopolitical events. Supply chains are being challenged by increasing demand for storage at a time when silicon pipelines were already under tremendous pressure. All of this is happening as the costs of AI are starting to have a material impact on businesses. Tokenomics, the impact of the cost of producing AI tokens, has taken center stage. More S&P Global Content: Compute sovereignty: The strategic importance of digital infrastructure AI won't solve its own energy problem – and that might be fine AI in action: unleashing agentic potential AI infrastructure results in 2025 top expectations, forecast upgraded   For S&P Global subscribers: Dell Technologies' unified private cloud strategy: IT environments reimagined AI Infrastructure Market Monitor & Forecast Quantum Computing Market Monitor & Forecast Service providers race to meet surging enterprise demand for AI infrastructure Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Brian Partridge, William Fellows, Henry Baltazar, Gregg Macatee Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith, Dylan Scheible

One of the more interesting areas where AI is having an impact is in building operations. While building automation technology has made significant advances, AI is bridging gaps in building system controls. Analyst Zöe Roth has been researching the approaches and achievements from various smart building automation technologies and joins host Eric Hanselman to discuss what she's seen and what opportunities lie ahead. Some of the advances from data center information management (DCIM) systems are being applied to smart buildings. A typical building has multiple control capabilities for HVAC, lighting, and mechanical that often aren't interconnected and smart building systems can unify visibility and operations. The integration of AI in smart buildings has to balance a number of different aspects of both the human in the loop for control and the scale that the introduction of cloud-based management offers. Fully autonomous operations may be some time off, but vendors are working to build trust and capability. Cloud-based systems can provide a consolidated view of a portfolio of buildings and improve maintenance operations, but face reluctance in some sectors where on-premises preferences prevail. AI is advancing rapidly and will accelerate further as it matures.   More S&P Global Content: 451 Digital Industries Insider Next in Tech | Ep. 208: Smart Spaces   For S&P Global subscribers: 2026 Trends in IoT, Edge & Digital Industries Smart buildings 2025: Market trends, vertical strategies and vendor positioning Redefining OT security and ensuring operational continuity in the age of hybrid, AI-driven OT   Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Zöe Roth Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun with Barb Dalumpines Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith, Dylan Scheible

The rush to capitalize on agentic capabilities is in full swing in enterprise, but there is caution in operational settings, like industrial control systems. Getting to autonomy in these environments requires a greater consideration in design and implementation and Cody Falcon of ABB joins host Eric Hanselman to continue a conversation that started at CERAWeek to explore the many aspects that should be in consideration. Risk is, of course, much greater in physical systems and AI requires more complex guardrails to manage it. But the greater challenge is in building trust. AI's ability to handle scope and scale can be tremendously valuable in control systems and the ready availability of telemetry and operational data give implementations a solid base to work from. The journey to autonomy is one that has to be built on proven successes. As with any new employee, agents will need to build trust. More S&P Global Content: The CERAWeek conference Next in Tech | Ep. 259: The RSAC Conference – Agents on The Loose AI in action: unleashing agentic potential 2026 Trends in Information Security For S&P Global subscribers: Redefining OT security and ensuring operational continuity in the age of hybrid, AI-driven OT Tech Trend in Focus: Digital twins in the oil and gas industry 2026 Trends in IoT, Edge & Digital Industries Key learnings from the CERAWeek Chief AI Officer Leadership Circle Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman  Guest: Cody Falcon, Global Digital Portfolio & Technology Leader, Energy Industries, ABB Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith, Dylan Scheible

The recent announcement of the capabilities of the Mythos AI model have raised many concerns about the cybersecurity implications of ever more powerful AI tools. Scott Crawford and Daniel Kennedy return to the podcast to debate the impact with host Eric Hanselman. Is this more marketing than real attack potential? It seems like the pace and scale of the discovery of new vulnerabilities could overwhelm traditional remediation and patching practices. Is this a reason to hold back the release of new AI models? If nothing else, these developments should serve as a wakeup call for enterprises to revamp the way in which they approach both their software supply chains and operational procedures. Increased speed and scale are necessary, but it's also critical to secure the source of patches and updates to counter attacker efforts to compromise them. Attackers have always been good at taking well intentioned improvements and weaponizing them. More S&P Global Content: Next in Tech | Ep. 259: The RSAC Conference – Agents on The Loose AI in action: unleashing agentic potential 2026 Trends in Information Security   For S&P Global subscribers: RSAC Conference 2026: Record turnout confronts both the promise and threat of agentic AI Information security budgets rise, but must address cloud security, AI governance – Highlights from… AI's impact in security and its application are not always aligned – Highlights from VotE: Informat…   Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Scott Crawford, Dan Kennedy Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith, Dylan Scheible  

Demand for data center capacity is booming, which won't come as a surprise to any of our listeners, but that boom is extending into the associated areas that are looking to manage risk in this growth. Analysts Tony Lenoir and Kelly Morgan return to the podcast to discuss an upcoming webinar that explores the challenges that insurers are facing with host Eric Hanselman. The "Underwriting the Digital Backbone: Navigating Risk and Growth in Data Center Insurance" webinar digs into the complex risk equations that insurers have to navigate. Data center projects have escalated in scale and cost and this creates concerns not only about financing, but also the entangled supply chain and energy grid connectivity pathways. When data center power demands are approaching the gigawatt level, simply providing reliable power becomes much more challenging. At the same time, the risks for data centers are becoming more complicated. The shift to liquid cooling can deliver much more efficient operation, when compared with air cooling, but it has a downside. When racks of GPU's can dissipate almost a megawatt of energy, even short interruptions of cooling supply can cause catastrophic damage. And the GPU's being damaged are tremendously valuable and in short supply. Business continuity insurance has to account for these much greater loss potentials, as well as looking at location risks from environmental hazards. Geopolitical concerns are now a key part of balancing risk, as well. Check out the webinar for a deeper dive with more details. More S&P Global Content: Join the Navigating Risk and Growth webinar here Nearly two-thirds of planned US BESS projects eligible for 40% tax credits Next in Tech | Ep. 245: The Big Picture Reports   For S&P Global subscribers: 2026 Trends in Data Center Services & Infrastructure S&P Global Data Center & Energy Innovation Summit: Lending and investing Revamped US energy strategy — meeting AI-driven data center demand amid shifting geopolitics   Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Tony Lenoir, Kelly Morgan Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith

While expanding regulatory requirements have been pushing developments in digital sovereignty, increasing levels of geopolitical concerns are driving greater urgency in improving control of digital assets. Andreas Prins, global head of sovereignty solutions for SUSE joins host Eric Hanselman to look at how organizations need to shift their thinking to leverage all of the benefits that sovereignty initiatives offer. We've seen study results that show that enterprises see sovereignty as a path to better workload and data portability. To make this work effectively, they need to consider the full technology stack that supports their digital environments. Understanding the controls available to manage sovereignty goals is an important first step, but it's just as important to look at how applications and data can be pulled out of any environment, if the need arises. Understanding the effort to exit can highlight dependencies that could hinder a path to improved sovereignty. Focusing exclusively on sovereignty can also miss another important benefit – improvements in business resilience. By starting with resilience, organizations can link together security and sovereignty with operational concerns. The result can be more efficient and effective technology operations that go beyond fulfilling simple regulatory requirements and help to build stronger businesses. More S&P Global Content: Next in Tech | Ep. 261: Mobile World Congress Review Next in Tech | Ep. 249: AWS re:Invent Conference Are we the data? Data ownership and control dynamics in the GenAI age   For S&P Global subscribers: Data governance and privacy practices poised to support enterprise AI Survey Data Hub – Voice of the Enterprise: Data & Analytics, Data Governance & Privacy 2026 Generative AI Market Monitor & Forecast   Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Andreas Prins Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith