Chris Crosby has deep insights on essential the role of data centers in an AI-powered future. Crosby is the CEO of Compass Datacenters, which builds some of the world’s largest data center campuses.

In this week's Data Center Richness episode, host Rich Miller talks with Crosby about how Compass has embraced new approaches to power and the supply chain, as well as sustainable construction and backup power. Crosby also shares about Compass' adoption of HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil), a lower-emissions diesel fuel, and the company's current project to convert the former Sears Headquarters near Chicago into a massive data center campus.

But for Crosby, the success at Compass all comes down to company culture and building great teams.

Highlights:

00:00 - Overview from host Rich Miller

02:00 - The role of digital infrastructure in an AI-powered world

03:30 - Solving power constraints impacting AI growth

07:45 - Load flexibility as a Pathway to Power

11:15 - The role of capital in fixing the grid

15:00 - How to address utility power queues

17:45 - How do data centers make flexibility work?

20:25 - Rethinking the data center supply chain

23:15 - The power of company culture in building great teams

27:45 - Bringing new talent into the data center industry

30:05 - How Compass thinks about sustainability

32:15 - Leading the way on adoption of HVO (low-emission generator fuel)

34:30 - Converting the Sears HQ campus into a huge data center

37:00 - The role of data center retrofits and adaptive reuse

38:25 - Data centers and community relations

41:00 - Data centers and the opportunity ahead

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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On the Web: Data Center Richness
https://datacenterpodcast.com/

LINKS FROM THIS SHOW:

Compass Datacenters
https://www.compassdatacenters.com/

Compass Culture: Core Convictions
https://www.compassdatacenters.com/about/

Sears HQ to Become a Data Center https://www.datacenterfrontier.com/hyperscale/article/55089460/suburban-chicago-welcomes-compass-datacenters-major-hyperscale-development-on-legacy-sears-hq-site

Chris Crosby on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-crosby-3542b71/

RELATED VIDEO:

Flexibility: The Key to Unlocking More Data Center Power
https://youtu.be/D6-1QxRRxoA?si=0Zf8leFTQJ28ZlTg

How Will Data Centers Be Different in 2030
https://youtu.be/IUO8fUWNoX8?si=QjhHEBlvx3fMR0Z-

Verrus is Rethinking the Data Center
https://youtu.be/x9OoLh8UEoc?si=mINiJlqSCMmX1ejJ

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