Episode Details

Finding a gigawatt gets headlines, but securing a single megawatt can feel nearly impossible.

In this episode of Uplink, Michael Reid sits down with Tony Rossabi, Founder & CEO of OCOLO and one of the industry's most experienced operators, investors, and builders of digital infrastructure.

As AI drives unprecedented demand for compute, data centers have become the critical foundation of the modern economy. But delivering new capacity isn't as simple as building more facilities. Power availability, cooling requirements, permitting challenges, supply chain constraints, and accelerating deployment timelines are reshaping the industry from the ground up.

Tony shares his perspective on what has changed since the AI boom began, why power has become the industry's most valuable commodity, and how liquid cooling is forcing a fundamental shift in data center design. He also explains why retrofitting existing facilities is emerging as a major opportunity and why operators must balance speed with long-term reliability.

The conversation explores:
• Why power is now the defining factor in data center development
 • The realities of liquid cooling adoption and AI infrastructure readiness
 • How chip innovation is moving faster than traditional construction cycles
 • The growing opportunity in retrofitting existing facilities
 • What it takes to secure powered land and bring new capacity online
 • Permitting, community engagement, and infrastructure planning challenges
 • Why "AI bubble" concerns may be missing the bigger picture
 • The multiple demand drivers fueling long-term digital infrastructure growth

Whether you're building, operating, investing in, or relying on digital infrastructure, this episode offers an inside look at the forces shaping the next generation of AI-ready data centers.

🚀 Uplink explores the future of connectivity, cloud, and AI with the people shaping it. Hosted by Michael Reid.

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🔗 Learn more about Megaport: https://www.megaport.com/