Can Data Centers Keep Up With AI Demand? | TG Explains AI

Host Greg Bryan welcomes Phill Lawson-Shanks, Chief Innovation Officer at Aligned Data Centers.

With several decades of experience in digital infrastructure, Phill has seen the industry evolve from mainframes and green screens to the massive hyperscale cloud platforms we rely on today.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Shift in Data Center Geography: Why the "center of gravity" for networks is moving toward new power-rich zones and how the rise of AI is rewriting the rules of connectivity.
• The Engineering Challenges of AI: From floor loading for 6,000-pound racks to the transition from air to liquid cooling, Phill explains the "fungible" design needed for modern AI factories.
• The Infrastructure Bottleneck: Why AI is ultimately a network-dependent technology and how high-speed optical networking between buildings is pushing against the limits of physics.
• Sustainability and Power: How the industry is chasing power availability and pioneering new ways to build modular, carbon-traceable infrastructure.

Podcast HQ: https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-explains-the-internet-podcast
TeleGeography Resources: https://resources.telegeography.com/
Our Research: https://www2.telegeography.com/en/our-research