As AI workloads reshape infrastructure requirements, competitive advantage increasingly depends on access to power, entitled land, and the ability to execute at speed. The next wave of data center development is being driven not only by demand for compute, but by the strategic decisions that determine where AI capacity can be built and how quickly it can be delivered.

In this opening keynote fireside chat, EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure CEO Lee Kestler sits down with Data Center Frontier Founder and “Data Center Richness” Creator Rich Miller, in a conversation moderated by Data Center Frontier Editor in Chief Matt Vincent. Drawing on Kestler’s 25 years of experience serving hyperscale and enterprise customers—including leadership roles at EdgeCore, Vantage Data Centers, and DuPont Fabros Technology—the discussion will examine how leading developers are selecting markets, partnering with utilities, and planning for the next generation of AI growth.

Together, they will explore:

• How access to power and entitled land is reshaping data center site selection and long-term development strategies
• Why execution speed has become a defining competitive advantage in the AI era
• How developers are collaborating with utilities, governments, and customers to accelerate deployment
• The evolving dynamics driving hyperscale expansion and enterprise AI adoption
• What today’s infrastructure leaders see as the biggest opportunities and constraints for future AI growth

Providing an insider’s view into the forces redefining data center expansion, this keynote sets the tone for the Summit by examining how AI infrastructure is actually being planned, built, and scaled in an era where execution has become as important as technology itself.