One of the big data center stories of 2025 is the big shift of capacity from crypto to AI computing. In recent months, companies that got their start in crypto infrastructure have signed deals with the largest players in hyperscale AI, winning contracts worth billions of dollars.

One of those is Applied Digital, which has been one of the busiest players in 2025, singing deals for 600 megawatts of capacity on its data center campus in North Dakota. 

Our guest today is Wes Cummins, the founder and CEO of Applied Digital, who provides an insider's view on the journey from bitcoin to AI, and how Applied Digital made North Dakota a hyperscale data center market.

Here's an overview of the discussion between Data Center Richness host Rich Miller and Applied Digital CEO Wes Cummins: 

00:00 - From Bitcoin to Hyperscale: Wes Cummins' Data Center Journey

02:00 - 2025: A Big Year for Applied Digital

08:15 - 5 Pillars of Data Center Success (Why Capital Matters)

15:25 - Why North Dakota?

20:00 - The Crypto to HPC to AI Transition

23:00 - The Design Differences Between Crypto and AI

31:20 - Flexibility for the Inference-Powered Future

36:45 - The Road Ahead: More Hyperscalers in More Places

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At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years.

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LINKS FROM THIS SHOW

Applied Digital
https://www.applieddigital.com/

200 MW Hyperscale Lease Announcement
https://ir.applieddigital.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/132/applied-digital-announces-5-billion-ai-factory-lease-with

Wes Cummins on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wes-cummins-63114481/
 
Rich Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/

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Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx