What is the general public’s understanding of data centers and their role in the digital world?
The general public’s understanding of data centers is incredibly limited. While many people use technology every day, very few understand the foundational infrastructure that supports it. Even children growing up in households that rely heavily on technology—like mine—don’t grasp the concept of data centers. They might be able to describe the cloud, but they don’t know what it actually is or where the data lives. This lack of understanding is largely due to the education system not focusing on the physical infrastructure that underpins modern technology. People take technology for granted, assuming it simply works, but they don’t realize the complex infrastructure and networks that enable it.
Is the complexity of modern technology and data centers beyond the general public’s reach? Why is it important for them to understand it?
I don’t think the complexity is too much for the general public to grasp. While the systems are certainly more complex than when I was growing up, the basic principles are accessible. The more reliant we become on technology in every aspect of our lives—whether for work, leisure, or daily activities—the more important it is for people to understand how this technology works. At Nomad Futurist, our goal is to close the talent gap in the data center industry and help people understand the foundational elements of technology. This will not only make them better consumers of it but will also ensure they can troubleshoot and engage with the technology around them more effectively.
Where does the talent shortage in the digital infrastructure industry come from? How do you see it evolving?
The talent shortage in the digital infrastructure industry stems from the fact that most engineers today come from software backgrounds, where they are taught to focus on programming and computer engineering. Over the last 20 years, the focus has been on software development and cloud computing, which led to a shortage of professionals in areas like electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and construction—fields essential for building and maintaining data centers. The industry is now facing an aging workforce, with many experts having been in the field for 20 years or more. There is a lack of new talent coming into the physical infrastructure side of the industry, which will only worsen as demand for digital infrastructure grows. We need to diversify the educational pathways into this field, ensuring that people in construction, engineering, and trades see how their skills are crucial to the future of technology.
How do the partnerships, like the one with Megaport, and expansions like the Oak Brook site, enhance NYI’s connectivity strategy?
The partnership with Megaport in New York City and now in Chicago at our Oak Brook facility is a key part of our strategy to enhance connectivity and provide flexible, on-demand access to both private and public cloud environments. As the industry continues to evolve, the need for hybrid infrastructures becomes increasingly clear. With Megaport, we’ve been able to offer our customers a seamless way to connect to multiple clouds with a single port, reducing complexity and enhancing the overall efficiency of their IT ecosystems. Both our New York 60 Hudson Street and Oak Brook facilities are located in network-dense areas, providing enterprises with the ability to manage their infrastructure while staying connected to the cloud, whether for redundancy, scaling, or disaster recovery. This is an essential step in ensuring that businesses can evolve and leverage a multi-cloud strategy to meet their needs.
How has AI impacted the digital infrastructure industry, particularly regarding hybrid infrastructure and the way services are provided?
AI has accelerated the need for more dense and efficient power delivery within data centers. The AI revolution has increased the demands for computing power, pushing data centers to become more efficient in how they handle workloads.
As a result, we have to manage and distribute power in new ways, particularly for workloads that require significant resources, like large language models. The hybrid infrastructure model has become essential because different types of workloads require different solutions. While some AI-driven tasks benefit from cloud computing, others need the power and proximity of edge devices. NYI’s approach is to understand where data is generated, where it needs to be processed, and how to balance these demands across the edge, local data centers, and the cloud to ensure the most efficient performance.
Why is it important to store data closer to where it is generated (at the edge)?
Storing data at the edge is crucial because latency, or the delay in transmitting data across long distances, can significantly impact the performance of applications that require real-time responses. For example, applications like financial trading or real-time analytics demand quick processing, which is impossible if the data has to travel long distances to a central data center. The edge allows for quicker decision-making by processing data locally, which reduces latency and enhances the user experience. The proliferation of devices generating data—from smartwatches to refrigerators—means more data needs to be processed locally to maintain performance, especially as real-time decision-making becomes more critical across various sectors, from healthcare to retail.
How is AI changing the way data centers operate and where they are located?
AI is changing data center operations by demanding more power and processing capabilities. As AI workloads increase, we’re seeing a shift in where data centers are located. Areas with ample power sources—like former power plants—are becoming hotspots for AI-driven data centers. These regions provide the necessary infrastructure to support the massive power demands of AI while minimizing energy costs. Additionally, the growth of AI is pushing us to rethink where we place our data centers. While major urban centers were once the ideal location for data centers, the need for more space and power has led to a shift toward more remote locations with easier access to resources.
What are your thoughts on the future of digital infrastructure and its role in the evolution of AI and other emerging technologies?
The future of digital infrastructure will be shaped by the increasing demands of AI and other emerging technologies. As we move forward, the focus will shift toward creating more efficient, scalable, and sustainable infrastructure solutions that can handle the massive amounts of data and processing power required by AI. We are entering an era where AI, quantum computing, and other advanced technologies will rely on cutting-edge infrastructure to function at scale. The growth of AI will drive the need for more sophisticated data centers that can process data faster, store it more efficiently, and ensure the security of sensitive information. This is why the role of companies like NYI, which are building hybrid infrastructures that integrate both cloud and on-premises solutions, will be increasingly important. As digital infrastructure continues to evolve, so too will the way we design, build, and deploy data centers to meet the needs of tomorrow’s technologies.
