Cool Vector Video-Podcast

'What used to change yearly now changes monthly,' says Structure Research Ainsley Woods of Structure Research tells Cool Vector, "Just when you think you have the data-center industry figured out, there’s a major shift." Woods, a Research Director at Structure Research, was interviewed by Cool Vector at the infra/STRUCTURE Summit conference in Las Vegas, October 15, 2025. Key takeaways: Structure Research, the host of the annual infra/STRUCTURE event, tries to separate the "buzz and hype around what's coming" from "what's actually happening on the ground - what's being deployed and in what markets?" Her firm's clients now span banks, infrastructure funds, sovereign wealth funds, and private equity. "Everyone wants a little piece now," says Woods. Structure Research tries to visit at least 90% of the data centers in a market of focus, measuring capacity, construction pipelines, pricing, and permitting challenges. Follow Cool Vector on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eq_tvNBr Nomad Futurist Foundation: https://nomadfuturist.org/ Structure Research: https://lnkd.in/eUH4crjf iMiller Public Relations (iMPR): https://www.imillerpr.com/

Ainsley Woods of Structure Research tells Cool Vector, "Just when you think you have the data-center industry figured out, there’s a major shift." Woods, a Research Director, was interviewed by Cool Vector at the infra/STRUCTURE conference in Las Vegas, October 15, 2025. Key takeaways: Structure Research, the host of the annual infra/STRUCTURE event, tries to separate the "buzz and hype around what's coming" from "what's actually happening on the ground - what's being deployed and in what markets?" Her firm's clients now span banks, infrastructure funds, sovereign wealth funds, and private equity. "Everyone wants a little piece now," says Woods. Structure Research tries to visit at least 90% of the data centers in a market of focus, measuring capacity, construction pipelines, pricing, and permitting challenges. Follow Cool Vector on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eq_tvNBr Nomad Futurist Foundation: https://nomadfuturist.org/ Structure Research: https://lnkd.in/eUH4crjf iMiller Public Relations (iMPR) Public Relations: https://www.imillerpr.com/ #datacenter #coolvector #digitalinfrastructure

Physical data centers are becoming 'commoditized' It will ultimately be irrelevant where a data center is or who owns it, agree veteran operations executives. "The physical layer is going to be commoditized to the degree that everything is going to happen at the application stack," says Nabeel Mahmood, Cool Vector editorial advisor and co-founder of Nomad Futurist. "We are seeing that with some applications designed that way. It's less, we need to deploy ten thousand sites," agrees Tony Grayson, President and General Manager at Northstar Technologies Group, Inc. Grayson is best known as the former President of Compass Datacenters. Mahmood and Grayson share their insights in the Cool Vector episode, "The Modular Future of Data Centers is Coming to a Parking Lot Near You," also including veteran data center operators, Phillip Koblence and Cool Vector host David Snow. Watch the full episode on the Cool Vector YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/eY9hXwKx Follow Cool Vector on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eG_HDGCS #datacenter #digital #digitalinfrastructure #coolvector

Building a new data center can cost the same as retrofitting an old one While owners of existing data centers would love to be able to upgrade to future-facing facilities, "the bones themselves are not that useful," explains Raj Vohra, Thor Equities Group's head of data centers. Vohra is the former North American head of data center acquisitions at Google. "You would love to be able to use the existing building and facilities, but it's often really hard," Vohra tells Cool Vecccounting for new "floor loads, roof loads, utility routing. . . you're often looking at the same cost for a retrofit versus a new build," he says. Vohra shares his insights in the Cool Vector episode, "Thor Equities' New Data Center Head Learned a Lot at Google." Watch it on the Cool Vector YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/eyk8V565 Follow Cool Vector on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eq_tvNBr #coolvector #datacenter #digitalinfrastructure #realestate #cre #google

Flipping raw land into a data center? 'Dude those days are gone' Broad public awareness of data centers has brought "all the crazies out" who demand, "I have 500 acres - help me make a billion dollars," says Tony Grayson, President and General Manager at Northstar Technologies Group, Inc.. "That's great, you have a big dirt lot. That's awesome," says Grayson of the inbound inquiries of often gets. "All these people who have bought land and they're trying to turn that into customers. It's like, dude, those days are gone. It's very different than it was." Grayson is best known as the former President of Compass Datacenters. Grayson shares his insights in the Cool Vector episode, "The Modular Future of Data Centers is Coming to a Parking Lot Near You," also including veteran data center operators, Phillip Koblence and Nabeel Mahmood, both co-founders of non-profit Nomad Futurist, and Cool Vector host David Snow. Watch the full episode on the Cool Vector YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/eY9hXwKx Follow Cool Vector on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eG_HDGCS #datacenter #digital #digitalinfrastructure #coolvector #construction

Many old data centers are still 'relevant' and ready for retrofitting While the technology driving data centers changes at an ever-accelerating pace, much of the underlying infrastructure is still relevant, says long-time data center operator Phillip Koblence. The legacy infrastructure of "copper touching copper, glass touching glass" is still potentially future-facing, says Koblence, also a co-founder of Nomad Futurist as well as a Cool Vector editorial advisor. "The existence of a data center at some point in the life of a piece of real estate makes it a really good place to start to develop a future data center, and retrofitting is the way to get that done." Koblence shares his insights along with Brian Jabeck, VP Business Development at engineering firm Bennett & Pless, Inc., Bo Bond, Vice Chair of Cushman & Wakefield, Nabeel Mahmood an industry Top 10 Influencer, CXO and co-founder of Nomad Futurist and financial journalist and host David Snow in the Cool Vector episode, "Retrofitting Old Data Centers is Harder Than You Think." Watch the full episode on the Cool Vector YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/ge4at35Q Follow Cool Vector on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eq_tvNBr #datacenter #digitalinfrastructure #construction #coolvector #technology

DigitalBridge's land bank is 'very important' but comes with risks One of the world's top data center investors also maintains a land bank in case customers need more capacity, says Jonathan Friesel, Senior Managing Director at DigitalBridge. "In order to meet the demand needs, having access to land bank is really important," Friesel tells Cool Vector. "We call it intelligent risk. We want to be able to flip on and meet that customer need as soon as it comes on, and so that requires us to take some financial risk in terms of making sure that you have capacity available at all times." A land bank holds speculative, pre-income investments in powered land that could serve as locations for data centers. Friesel shares his insights in the Cool Vector episode, "EQT, DigitalBridge and Zayo See 'Gargantuan' Upside in Fiber Networks," also featuring Arnav Mitra, Managing Director at EQT Group, Bill Long, Chief Product and Strategy Officer for Zayo Group, Cool Vector editorial advisor Phillip Koblence of NYI, Critical Ventures, UIA and Nomad Futurist Futurist, and host David Snow. Watch the full episode on the Cool Vector YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/e9agrtVa Follow Cool Vector on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eG_HDGCS #datacenter #digitalinfrastructure #coolvector #land #CRE

Edge compute was a 'sideshow' until it started making money, says data center vet Edge data centers, previously dismissed as commercially unviable, are now making money, says Tony Grayson, President and General Manager at Northstar Technologies, Inc..Grayson is best known as the former President of Compass Datacenters. Edge "wasn't making money - it all comes down to what makes the money" Grayson tells Cool Vector. "I was like the sideshow, like the two-headed person. 'Let Tony jump up and down! Let him talk edge!'" "You are starting to see applications now that do make money, that are latency-sensitive, that are edgy," Grayson adds. Grayson shares his insights in the Cool Vector episode, "The Modular Future of Data Centers is Coming to a Parking Lot Near You," also including veteran data center operators, Phillip Koblence and Nabeel Mahmood, both co-founders of non-profit Nomad Futurist, and Cool Vector host David Snow. Watch the full episode on the Cool Vector YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/eY9hXwKx Follow Cool Vector on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eG_HDGCS #datacenter #digital #digitalinfrastructure #coolvector

Industrial real estate pros can make good data center investors: Thor Equities Industrial real estate investors can cross over to data center investing, but only if they have experience dealing with heavy utilities and municipalities, says Raj Vohra, Thor Equities Group head of data centers. Vohra is the former North American head of data center acquisitions at Google. "If the only industrial work a group's ever done is just throw up warehouses, and never having to acquire significant utilities or urther leap than having touched things in the advanced manufacturing space, or things that have touched heavy utilities," Vohra tells Cool Vector,. "Then it starts to become a much closer marriage." The advice is relevant in the current digital infrastructure market, where investment groups focused on real estate, private equity and infrastructure are adding data centers as a new asset class, and building teams with the right skill sets. Vohra shares his insights in the Cool Vector episode, "Thor Equities' New Data Center Head Learned a Lot at Google." Watch it on the Cool Vector YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/eyk8V565 Follow Cool Vector on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eq_tvNBr #coolvector #datacenter #digitalinfrastructure #realestate #cre #google

Data center vet: 'Build for what you need. Don't overbuild anymore' Data center customers are better off adding modular units over retrofitting legacy centers, says industry veteran Tony Grayson, President and General Manager at Northstar Technologies Group, Inc.. Grayson is best known as the former President of Compass Datacenters Datacenters. "Why would you take a 4 to 6 kilowatt data center, and retrofit it for 40?" says Grayson. "Because guess what? By the time you're done retrofitting, they're going to be at a megawatt. You're better off just dropping stuff in your parking lot." Northstar provides small, modular data centers, often installed in close proximity to office buildings, such in parking lots. "Build for what you need. Don't over build anymore," Grayson tells Cool Vector. Grayson shares his insights in the Cool Vector episode, "The Modular Future of Data Centers is Coming to a Parking Lot Near You," also including veteran data center operators, Phillip Koblence and Nabeel Mahmood, both co-founders of non-profit Nomad Futurist, and Cool Vector host David Snow. Watch the full episode on the Cool Vector YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/eY9hXwKx Follow Cool Vector on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eG_HDGCS #datacenter #digital #digitalinfrastructure #coolvector