Roundtable Recap: Data Center Power Resilience; AI Cooling; Location Constraints; Evolving Development Economics
Data Center Frontier's Executive Roundtable for the First Quarter of 2025 brought together four distinguished industry leaders to share their insights on pressing industry topics, including:
- How power constraints in leading data center markets are driving new strategies for energy security, backup power, and the integration of hydrogen, natural gas, and nuclear energy.
- How AI-driven workloads are pushing power densities to unprecedented levels, requiring cutting-edge cooling technologies and efficiency strategies to ensure reliability and long-term sustainability.
- How land shortages, power limitations, and regulatory complexities are forcing data center operators to refine site selection strategies in early 2025, with certain North American regions emerging as the next major growth hubs.
- How soaring construction costs, supply chain disruptions, and shifting enterprise demands are compelling data center operators, energy providers, and real estate firms to adapt their business strategies for profitability and growth in 2025.
Here is the full question and answer session, organized by topic:
- Power Infrastructure & Energy Resilience in 2025
- The Cooling Imperative: Managing High-Density AI Workloads
- Site Selection & Market Evolution in a Constrained Environment
- The Changing Economics of Data Center Development
Here are links to the individual Q&A summaries for each of our distinguished panel members:
- Data Center Insights: Danielle Rossi, Data Center Strategic Sales Leader, Trane
- Data Center Insights: John Pasta, Executive Vice President - Data Center Solutions, JLL
- Data Center Insights: Michael Lahoud, Co-Managing Partner, Stream Data Centers
- Data Center Insights: Ryan Baumann, Vice President of Sales, Power Solutions for the Americas, Rehlko
The conversation is moderated by Data Center Frontier Editor in Chief Matt Vincent.
Thanks to all of our executive participants for sharing their time and insights!
About the Author
Matt Vincent
Matt Vincent is Editor in Chief of Data Center Frontier, where he leads editorial strategy and coverage focused on the infrastructure powering cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the digital economy. A veteran B2B technology journalist with more than two decades of experience, Vincent specializes in the intersection of data centers, power, cooling, and emerging AI-era infrastructure. Since assuming the EIC role in 2023, he has helped guide Data Center Frontier’s coverage of the industry’s transition into the gigawatt-scale AI era, with a focus on hyperscale development, behind-the-meter power strategies, liquid cooling architectures, and the evolving energy demands of high-density compute, while working closely with the Digital Infrastructure Group at Endeavor Business Media to expand the brand’s analytical and multimedia footprint. Vincent also hosts The Data Center Frontier Show podcast, where he interviews industry leaders across hyperscale, colocation, utilities, and the data center supply chain to examine the technologies and business models reshaping digital infrastructure. Since its inception he serves as Head of Content for the Data Center Frontier Trends Summit. Before becoming Editor in Chief, he served in multiple senior editorial roles across Endeavor Business Media’s digital infrastructure portfolio, with coverage spanning data centers and hyperscale infrastructure, structured cabling and networking, telecom and datacom, IP physical security, and wireless and Pro AV markets. He began his career in 2005 within PennWell’s Advanced Technology Division and later held senior editorial positions supporting brands such as Cabling Installation & Maintenance, Lightwave Online, Broadband Technology Report, and Smart Buildings Technology. Vincent is a frequent moderator, interviewer, and keynote speaker at industry events including the HPC Forum, where he delivers forward-looking analysis on how AI and high-performance computing are reshaping digital infrastructure. He graduated with honors from Indiana University Bloomington with a B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing and lives in southern New Hampshire with his family, remaining an active musician in his spare time.
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