The State of the Data Center 2026

The Future of Liquid Cooling

Few people know liquid cooling as well as Rich Whitmore. He is the CEO of Motivair by Schneider Electric, which has cooled the world's most powerful supercomputers. After years of working with the HPC and data center communities, Motivair was acquired last year by global equipment giant Schneider Electric to prepare for surging adoption of liquid cooling for AI workloads. The rise of AI and extreme rack density was a key focus at the recent Schneider Electirc Innovation Summit in Buffalo, N.Y., where I sat down with Rich for a discussion of where liquid cooling has been and where it's going from here. Here's a guide to our discussion with Rich Whitmore: 00:00 - The Trajectory of Liquid Cooling 02:00 - Motivair's History and Rich Whitmore's Data Center Journey 03:45 - The Rise of High-Density Cooling 06:20 - The Motivair "Cooling Door" 08:45 - The Latest Trends in Coolant DIstribution Units (CDUs) 12:45 - CDU Sizing in the Hyperscale Age 15:35 - Managing Cooling for Dynamic AI Workloads 17:10 - The Role of Software in Holistic Cooling 20:35 - Grappling With the Megawatt Rack 22:15 - The Road Ahead - What's Next for Motivair by Schneider? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1 NOW ON SUBSTACK! Check out the Data Center Richness Substack: https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/ [https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/] On the Web: Data Center Richness https://datacenterpodcast.com/ [https://datacenterpodcast.com/] LINKS FROM THIS SHOW Motivair by Schneider https://www.motivaircorp.com/ [https://www.motivaircorp.com/] Rich Whitmore on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-whitmore-2167284/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-whitmore-2167284/] Rich Miller on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/] RELATED VIDEOS: Inside Schneider's Liquid Cooling Push With Motivair https://youtu.be/_uPj295skyQ?si=HmuAYGHCanJ69w-a [https://youtu.be/_uPj295skyQ?si=HmuAYGHCanJ69w-a] Liquid Cooling Has Finally Arrived https://youtu.be/sZM6MZBOeho?si=HrDgXB345zn51-XL [https://youtu.be/sZM6MZBOeho?si=HrDgXB345zn51-XL] A Closer Look at Two-Phase Liquid Cooling https://youtu.be/w_Us94JgYzc?si=wMd1TUS7bMJjqjew [https://youtu.be/w_Us94JgYzc?si=wMd1TUS7bMJjqjew] All video by Data Center Richness. Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx [https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx]

Solid-State Transformers: The Bridge to 800 VDC?

There's big change coming to power distribution in data centers. Today on Data Center Center Richness, we look at the planned transition to 800 volt DC power distribution, and a new technology - Solid-State Transformers - could play a key role in these upgrades to AI infrastructure. Our guest is Dafna Granot, the Senior Manager for Strategy & Innovation at SolarEdge, which specializes in DC power technology to support solar energy in both consumer and utility settings. The company is expanding into the data center market, with a vision for how Solid-State Transformers can bring extreme efficiency to the 800 volt DC transition. Here's an overview of my conversation with Dafna Granot of SolarEdge: 00:00 - Why Big Change is Coming to Data Center Power. 01:16 - About SolarEdge and Dafna's background 03:20 - Solid-State Transformers and Why They Matter 07:10 - The 800 VDC Roadmap for Data Centers 12:50 - Timelines for 800 VDC Implementation 15:40 - The Challenges Accompanying Solid-State Transformers (SSTs) 18:40 - The Future Supply Chain for 800 VDC 20:20 - NVIDIA's Role in Shaping the DC Power Chain 23:00 - The Road Ahead: Staffing and Expertise ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1 NOW ON SUBSTACK! Check out the Data Center Richness Substack: https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/ On the Web: Data Center Richness https://datacenterpodcast.com/ LINKS FROM THIS SHOW SolarEdge (Residential site) https://www.solaredge.com/us/ SolarEdge, Infineon Partner on SSTs for AI Data Centers https://investors.solaredge.com/news-releases/news-release-details/solaredge-and-infineon-collaborate-advance-high-efficiency-power Dafna Granot on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dafna-granot-b17099156/ Rich Miller on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/ RELATED VIDEOS: Fixing the AI Power Grid https://youtu.be/uwNa5dZfo90?si=DrOgnZv6ymKUHzd- The Solar Startup Aiming to Transform Data Centers https://youtu.be/KPdI5OW-TUw?si=8a10IaGZGQAcbWEF Data Centers, AI and the Future of Power https://youtu.be/EYo2YK7L5q0?si=u6kDairimGUARt3b All video by Data Center Richness. Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

Using AI to Unlock More Power for Data Centers

We've all seen the headlines about AI data centers using up grid capacity and raising power prices. What you may not know is that AI can also find more power and help lower consumer bills. In this video we profile a startup called GridCARE, which is using AI tools and software to unlock more existing electricity for utilities and power grids. CEO Amit Narayan shares how this technology located 400 megawatts of capacity in one of the nation's busiest data center markets, enabling enough power for 5 new data center projects. What's even better is that if a utility can serve more data centers without having to build new transmission lines, it can actually lower power bills for consumers, and utilities can use the savings to improve their infrastructure. Yes, AI data centers use a lot of power. But there's much more to the story. Here's an overview of my conversation with GridCARE's Amit Narayan. 00:00 - Same Grid, Only With More Capacity 01:50 - Amit Narayan's Entrepreneurial Journey 05:30 - How GridCARE Works with Utilities and Data Centers 10:20 - Managing Peaks to Unlock Power 15:00 - Grid Optimization and Site Selection 17:45 - Finding 400 Megawatts for PGE in Oregon 24:00 - The Road Ahead: A Grid-Optimized Future ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1 NOW ON SUBSTACK! Check out the Data Center Richness Substack: https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/ On the Web: Data Center Richness https://datacenterpodcast.com/ LINKS FROM THIS SHOW GridCARE https://www.gridcare.ai/ PGE and GridCARE Accelerate Hundreds of Megawatts of Data Center Power https://www.gridcare.ai/post/pge-and-gridcare-accelerate-hundreds-of-megawatts Amu Narayan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitnarayan/ Rich Miller on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/ RELATED VIDEOS: Fixing the AI Power Grid https://youtu.be/uwNa5dZfo90?si=DrOgnZv6ymKUHzd- The Solar Startup Aiming to Transform Data Centers https://youtu.be/KPdI5OW-TUw?si=8a10IaGZGQAcbWEF Data Centers in Space? https://youtu.be/huBe4mbycZc?si=bGX7vopdGpTAqRyG All video by Data Center Richness. Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

The State of the Data Center 2026

These are boom times for conferences about data centers and AI. In a time of Big, Fast, Change, industry events provide essential education and networking for the many folks who are new to the data center sector. One of the largest events on the conference schedule is Data Center World, which gets underway next week in Washington, D.C. We sat down with Bill Kleyman, the Executive Chairman of Data Center World, to talk about the growth of conferences, and their important role in the industry. Bill has LOTS to share about the scope and agenda for Data Center World, and shares highlights from the AFCOM State of the Data Center Report. Bill is an old friend and colleague, and you'll appreciate the energy and insight he brings to our discussion. Here's an overview of my talk with Bill Kleyman: 00:00 - The Data Center Conference Boom 02:25 - Meet Bill Kleyman, Data Center World Goes Global 08:30 - Building an Event Agenda Amid a Firehose of Change 12:00 - The State of the Data Center 2026 Report Highlights 22:00 - Rich's Take on the Report's Top Trends 28:30 - Hot Sessions for DCW Attendees 32:20 - A New Era for Data Center Security Concerns ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1 [https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1] NOW ON SUBSTACK! Check out the Data Center Richness Substack: https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/ [https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/] On the Web: Data Center Richness https://datacenterpodcast.com/ [https://datacenterpodcast.com/] LINKS FROM THIS SHOW Data Center World 2026 https://datacenterworld.com/ [https://datacenterworld.com/] The New Front Line: Securing Data Centers in the AI Era https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/security-and-risk-management/the-new-front-line-securing-data-centers-in-the-ai-era [https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/security-and-risk-management/the-new-front-line-securing-data-centers-in-the-ai-era] State of the Data Center 2026 Executive Summary https://afcom.com/news/720973/WHITEPAPER--State-of-the-Data-Center-2026-Executive-Summary.htm [https://afcom.com/news/720973/WHITEPAPER--State-of-the-Data-Center-2026-Executive-Summary.htm] Apolo - Bill's day job ... he is the CEO https://www.apolo.us/ [https://www.apolo.us/] Bill Kleyman on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/billkleyman/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/billkleyman/] Rich Miller on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/] RELATED VIDEOS: Power, Bravery and Nuclear Data Centers https://youtu.be/STr3FHuBhok?si=XBJLbKW3BkfCqNG5 [https://youtu.be/STr3FHuBhok?si=XBJLbKW3BkfCqNG5] Why AI Will be a Paradigm Shift for Tech https://youtu.be/u-Lv9MwS7x8?si=2O0qDYz_Fc4XVJGi [https://youtu.be/u-Lv9MwS7x8?si=2O0qDYz_Fc4XVJGi] All video by Data Center Richness. Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx [https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx]

The Solar Startup Aiming to Transform Data Centers

Let's talk about solar-powered data centers. A lot of the recent discussion of data center power has focused on strategies supported by natural gas, or perhaps small modular nuclear reactors. But what about renewable energy? Today my guest is Nic Bustamante, who has held data center leadership positions at several hyperscale players. Nic is the Chief Data Center Officer at Exowatt, a renewable energy company with an innovative approach to delivering clean power around the clock for data center campuses. It combines several existing technologies - thermal solar, Fresnel concentrating lenses, and the Stirling engine - to create a module that provides solar power and energy storage without lithium batteries. We talk about the current state of data center energy, Exowatt's thermal solar technology, and the opportunity for solar in the AI boom. Here's an overview of our conversation: 00:00 - The Solar Opportunity for AI Data Centers 01:20 - Nic Bustamante and his Data Center Journey 03:15 - A Box of Hot Rocks: What's Different About Exowatt? 09:30 - How Much Land Does Solar Need (at AI Scale) 18:00 - The Geography of Solar Data Centers 25:00 - Community Relations and Solar 32:00 - How Inference Could Shape Solar Deployments ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1 NOW ON SUBSTACK! Check out the Data Center Richness Substack: https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/ On the Web: Data Center Richness https://datacenterpodcast.com/ LINKS FROM THIS SHOW Exowatt https://www.exowatt.com/ ExoRise Powered Land https://www.exowatt.com/exorise Nic Bustamante on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nbustamante/ Rich Miller on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/ RELATED VIDEOS: Why AI Data Centers Are Building Their Own Power https://youtu.be/Yx7QGNQsJaQ?si=5KI-IgaaZU7GAtwL Decoding Data Center Power (Dan Crosby) https://youtu.be/GJiBqvUl5rU?si=OP8wPhevaZnyY8xL Why Data Centers Are Turning to Bloom Energy https://youtu.be/Z-udNWq2bAg?si=E1a0OPEgdM9Dz_jT All video by Data Center Richness. Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx