The data center industry has never been more visible, more vital, or more challenged. Support for AI and its overall industry impact has pushed digital infrastructure into the public conversation. It has become clear that the sector is confronting unprecedented demands for everything from power to basic infrastructure.

That convergence is the focus of Data Center Insights 2026, a two-day virtual event taking place July 15–16, 2026, produced by Endeavor B2B’s Data Center Frontier, Cabling Installation & Maintenance, ISE, Lightwave, and SecurityInfoWatch. Designed for data center owners, operators, engineers, IT leaders, and the people supporting the next generation of data center development, the event offers a concentrated look at the technologies and strategies shaping the future of digital infrastructure.

The program arrives at a crucial moment. AI workloads are changing almost every assumption behind data center design. Rack densities are rising, liquid cooling is becoming mainstream, and fiber networks are being rethought for 400G and beyond. Power constraints are now central to site selection. Security is becoming highlighted and operators are being asked to build faster, scale larger, be more resource efficient and maintain resilience in an environment where downtime carries higher consequences than ever.

Data Center Insights 2026 is structured to help attendees make sense of this moment. Rather than treating data center infrastructure as a set of separate disciplines, the event brings together experts across cooling, cabling, fiber, power distribution, modular design, AI infrastructure, and operational strategy. The result is a practical, cross-functional program built around the real-world questions now facing the industry.

What will I learn at this event?

The event opens with “Expert Roundup: The State of the Data Center Industry,” featuring perspectives from Steven Carlini of Schneider Electric.This session sets the stage by examining the forces driving change across the data center landscape in 2026.

In “Rethinking Data Center Power Distribution: Safe, High-Power DC with Digital Electricity,” Stanley J. Mlyniec of VoltServer explores how Class 4 fault-managed power can support higher-density environments. Power distribution is one of the clearest examples of how AI is reshaping infrastructure assumptions

Cooling will be a major theme throughout the program, just as it is in the minds of data center developers. In “1P vs. 2P: Inside the Liquid Cooling Divide Powering AI Data Centers,” speakers Josh Claman of Accelsius, Kamal Mostafavi of CoolIT Systems, and Brian Kelly of Panduit, will address the technical and operational divide between single-phase and two-phase direct-to-chip liquid cooling

The cooling track also includes “Still Efficient, Still Effective: Evaporative Cooling for Data Centers,” with Cody Weeks of Munters. As the industry focuses heavily on liquid cooling, evaporative systems remain important in many environments, including data halls, penthouses, office areas, condenser pre-cooling, and even gas turbine pre-cooling.

Connectivity still remains an unsung hero in the future data center infrastructure. With the session  “Testing High-Density Fiber Links: Best Practices for VSFF, and 400G+ Networks,” Jim Davis of Fluke Networks discusses the challenges of validating modern fiber networks built around MPO/MTP and very small form factor connectors.

Power architecture returns to the center of the conversation in “Powering the Megawatt Era: The Role of 800VDC in the Future of Data Center Energy.” Featuring Mike Tu of NVIDIA and Jim Simonelli of Schneider Electric, this session will examine why high-voltage DC architectures are gaining attention as racks approach 1 MW.

Day Two begins with a topic that has become central to every major data center development conversation: access to power. “Behind the Meter: The New Power Play in Data Center Site Strategy,” featuring Greg Castle of Schneider Electric, will explore onsite generation, microgrids, firm gas, modular power plants, SMRs, fuel cells, land-and-power strategies, and regulatory pathways.

Additional sessions will deepen the cooling discussion. “Preparing for the Next Generation of Data Center Cooling: Why Liquid Cooling Matters,” with Tom Kovanic and Brian Kelly of Panduit, will focus on why liquid cooling is becoming an essential part of long-term infrastructure planning. “Data Centers – Current and Future State of Glycol-Based Liquid Cooling Solutions,” presented by Evan Ferguson and Scott Bredenberg of Old World, will examine heat transfer fluids, glycol-based cooling, maintenance practices, and emerging trends in thermal management.

In “The New Build Model for AI: How Prefabrication Is Changing Speed to Market,” Thomas Humphrey of Schneider Electric will discuss how modular and prefabricated approaches can reduce deployment time, increase consistency, and lower integration risk in high-density environments, taking on the issues of the “speed to market” discussion.

The final session of the event is “Designing for the AI Era: Hybrid Cooling, HVDC Readiness, and Resilient Data Center Infrastructure,” featuring Tom Carroll of ebm-papst Americas. This session ties together several of the event’s core themes: hybrid cooling, power efficiency, high-voltage DC readiness, system controls, supply chain strategy, noise, community impact, and resilience.

For anyone responsible for designing, building, powering, cooling, connecting, protecting, or operating data centers, Data Center Insights 2026 offers a timely and efficient way to hear from the people shaping the future of the industry. As AI continues to redefine the scale and complexity of digital infrastructure, this event provides the context, expertise, and technical insight needed to move forward with confidence.

Register here to reserve your place for these timely and informative discussions.