As AI infrastructure shifts from ambition to execution, industry leaders examine what will determine success: delivery discipline, cross-sector coordination, flexible design strategies, and the growing imperative to earn public trust at scale.
For our Executive Roundtable for the First Quarter of 2026, Data Center Frontier gathered four seasoned industry leaders to unpack some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing the data center industry, including:
- From Announcements to Delivery - As the AI buildout moves from hype to execution, what specific capabilities will distinguish projects that meet timelines from those that fall behind over the next two years?
- The Coordination Imperative - With campuses scaling to unprecedented size, where are breakdowns in coordination still occurring across the ecosystem, and what collaborative approaches are actually working?
- Designing for an Uncertain Demand Curve - In a fast-changing AI market, how can infrastructure be designed to stay adaptable without overshooting demand or locking in costly miscalculations?
- The Next Credibility Test - As public scrutiny intensifies, what will ultimately determine whether the data center industry retains its social license to expand in the AI era?
Here is the full question and answer session, organized by topic:
- Roundtable: AI's Execution Phase
- Roundtable: The Coordination Imperative
- Roundtable: AI Demand vs. Design
- Roundtable: AI’s Credibility Challenge
Here are links to the individual Q&A summaries for each of our panelists:
- Christopher Gorthy, Advanced Technology Core Market Co-Leader - Mission Critical, DPR Construction
- Miranda Gardiner, Executive Director, iMasons Climate Accord
- Miles Whitling, Marketing Director, Maddox Industrial Transformer
- Mike Connaughton, Senior Product Manager, Leviton Network Solutions
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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