Next in Tech

Data center builds are facing challenges, not only from energy supply and supply chains, but also from increasing community pushback. Analysts Tony Lenoir and Matthew Richesin join host Eric Hanselman to preview a webinar that they'll be presenting that explores wide ranging actions that being raised against data center construction and the concerns that are driving them. The traditional industry practice of "Design, announce, defend", where the build is presumed onto the community, is being reworked to include community engagement at the initial stages of a project. There are a number of regulatory strictures that are in place and more pending as a political dynamic around data centers grows in a fractious campaign season.  All of these aspects are intertwined with societal concerns about technology and AI's impacts. As has happened with earlier technology innovations, where the ramifications of new developments aren't fully understood, there will be many who are concerned about the implications of rapid, unchecked adoption. Data centers have become emblematic of this change and a lightning rod for discussion. Join the webinar to get the full story!   More S&P Global Content: Join the webinar: AI Infrastructure webinar 2026 Trends in Data Center Services & Infrastructure New data center legislation roundup, April 2026 The sustainability risks threatening AI's resilience narrative For S&P Global subscribers: US data center growth: Impact on communities 101 An evolving data center industry calls for creative modifications to early-stage negotiations Balancing data center growth and regulation: Florida's legislative conundrum Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Tony Lenoir and Matthew Richesin Producer/Editor: Dylan Scheible 

The data center business has undergone rapid transformation in technology and financing. The demands for capacity are generating huge capital spending and research director Kelly Morgan returns to the podcast to highlight the topics that will be on the agenda at this year's Data Center and Energy Conference with host Eric Hanselman. This year, the conference is held in Houston on October 1st and explores how the nature of the data center business has changed and how energy demands are shaping progress. Power availability has become a critical issue, with grid connection delays pushing many to on-site generation. What's inside a data center is changing at the same time that build-out forces are at work. New GPU clusters require higher floor loading capacity. Water cooling brings greater efficiency, but requires lots of plumbing to get right and sensing and controls to manage it when it goes wrong. It's an ever-changing world with a lot of upheaval and the conference will be digging into it all. Come join us! More S&P Global Content Join the conference: Data Center and Energy Conference 2026 Trends in Data Center Services & Infrastructure Compute sovereignty: The strategic importance of digital infrastructure AI in action: unleashing agentic potential Hyperscaler earnings quarterly: What price inference? For S&P Global Subscribers: Balancing data center growth and regulation: Florida's legislative conundrum 800-V DC open standard makes AI factory power infrastructure a commodity market Service providers race to meet surging enterprise demand for AI infrastructure Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Kelly Morgan Producer: Dylan Scheible

We should have always been building resilient infrastructure, but we often haven't been. Now that we're ever more dependent on our digital foundations, new focus is being given to ensuring that they're robust enough to ensure that they can truly keep our enterprises humming. Analysts Jean Atelsek, Melanie Posey and host Eric Hanselman have all been at infrastructure conferences and dig into how expectations and options are changing. There are now regulatory requirements for resilience and the increasing complexity of modern infrastructure can make achieving it more challenging. Enterprises have become more hybrid, linking together cloud and on-premises capabilities. The mad dash to AI has pushed the interconnection of multiple providers to gain access to the latest models. Is what we're building now "really darn intractable"? Software vendors like Broadcom are shifting to integrated platforms to better achieve automated operations and colocation providers like Equinix are increasing the ease with which they build interconnection. Enterprises are racing to raise their operational sophistication as they increasingly face existential consequences from infrastructure failures.   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: An agentic architectural approach to enterprise energy resiliency FinOps in the age of agentic AI Security-related outages drive resiliency evolution Service providers race to meet surging enterprise demand for AI infrastructure Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Jean Atelsek and Melanie Posey Producer/Editor: Dylan Scheible 

The headlines around the levels of capital spending on AI have talked about financial market reactions and the impacts on balance sheets, but there are other effects this spending is having. Research director Brenon Daly returns to the podcast to talk about how reduced cash flow and dwindling reserves are hitting the M&A markets with host Eric Hanselman. Hyperscalers had been steady acquirers as they look to grow organically. They've gone from an active footing to taking a big step back from acquisitions. With so much capital being directed at AI infrastructure, there's very little left for acquisitions.  With the leaders in strategic acquisition pulling back, the range of exit options for early stage companies has narrowed. Hyperscalers have not only been acquirers, but they also set the tone for acquisition trends. SaaS deals have picked up some of the slack, but this is a market that has been significantly curtailed and it will take some time to come back.   More S&P Global Content: Next in Tech | Ep. 259: The RSAC Conference – Agents on The Loose For S&P Global subscribers: Building AI doesn't leave much money for buying Hyperscaler earnings quarterly: Cash flows running low as AI portfolios evolve Going the wrong way on the 'K' Bruises and bargains in the tech M&A market Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Brenon Daly Producer/Editor: Dylan Scheible 

We've talked extensively about the demand side of data centers and AI and it's important to consider what's taking place in sustainably addressing it. Analyst Tony Lenior returns to the podcast to discuss his recent research with host Eric Hanselman. Booming demand has raised concerns that hyperscalers and data center operators would abandon sustainability goals, but, while some timelines have been pushed back, they continue to be some of the largest buyers of renewable Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) and are driving carbon-free energy pursuits. That's despite three major energy shocks in the last six years. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are seeing wider deployment and rapid technology advances and are a means to addressing wind and solar's intermittency.  Water is another key resource associated with the data center operation and an area where progress is being made. It's part of a more complex set of interconnections, though as direct water consumption is typically what's measured, but secondary water consumption can be just as significant. Nuclear power is carbon-free, but consumes large quantities of water for cooling. Hydropower has even more complicated impacts on water use, despite its fundamentally sustainable nature. Sustainability concerns are critical to understand and very challenging to fully resolve.   More S&P Global Content: Renewable energy curtailment offers a surplus opportunity for Texas data centers Next in Tech | Ep. 266: Managing data center risk Nearly two-thirds of planned US BESS projects eligible for 40% tax credits For S&P Global Subscribers: Microsoft opens new windows into renewable investment, doubling down on decarbonization Amazon delivers on green commitments, but emissions rise amid the AI boom Google's search for power sustainability is yielding results, but AI slows progress Powering data centers: Leveraging energy community incentives in a changing regulatory landscape Host/Author: Eric Hanselman  Guest: Tony Lenoir Producer/Editor: Dylan Scheible