Full Conference Agenda

The opening keynotes will be streamed across each conference room.

The opening keynotes will be streamed across each conference room.

Join us for a visionary opening keynote from one of the leader’s shaping the future of digital infrastructure.

The opening keynotes will be streamed across each conference room.

The greatest challenge to expanding AI data centers continues to be access to power and grid connections. Initiatives backed by PJM states and the DCC.

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The dynamics of digital infrastructure have completely changed and are still changing. From financing to design, construction, operations and business models, every great opportunity comes with it's own set of unique challenges. Insatiable AI demand is creating bottlenecks everywhere from power availability to in-rack hardware, and the split between training and inference is increasing the demand for both gigawatt scale campuses and modular deployments.  

As AI moves beyond training LLMs in gigawatt-scale data centres, towards an inference-led world, the entire architecture of digital infrastructure must evolve. With a push for highly interconnected edge data centers and ever more dense fiber networks a new, more distributed internet infrastructure is needed.

• How are leading operators evaluating the opportunity posed by the shift towards inference?
• Will existing networks be able to meet the demand? Or is massive new investment in higher capacity fiber routes required?
• What headwinds is the industry facing and how are leading executives mitigating them?

Speed-to-market is the key priority when it comes to hyperscale deployment, driven by rising compute demand and capacity expansion needs.   How is surging compute demand reshaping capacity planning an …

All forecasts show phenomenal growth in US data center power requirements, with the sector set to make up an ever more significant portion of total national electricity consumption. With the face of A …

While fiber deployments across the US have been full speed ahead for years, much of the existing fiber is old and not suitable for the capacity demands of AI. With significant capital being deployed to build new networks to meet the demands of AI driven traffic operators must evaluated the suitability of existing infrastructure when exploring new routes.

• How are fiber networks evolving to meet evolving customer demand?
• Capital remains available, but investor scrutiny is higher—what has fundamentally changed in how operators think about deploying it? And how is the shaping preferences for builds vs buy?
• Are we moving from an aggressive buildout phase into a more selective, returns‑driven market?

Please note: Access requires an All Access Pass or an Investment & Finance pass. Visit the following page for more information on securing your upgraded pass: Investment and Finance Forum | Datacloud USA 2026

Any attendees without the upgraded pass will be unable to attend this session. 

This is a dedicated session for FTTH operators, network designers, and State Broadband Offices with interactive discussions over lunch.

Increasing AI rack densities are driving the adoption of hybrid air-liquid cooling, with direct-to-chip cooling leading near-term. This panel explores:  • From interconnection to interoperability: whe …

In recent years, FTTH has been dominated by a race to build and overbuild markets with capital-intensive new networks coming online the focus on monetization and increasing penetration rates is increasing, changing the definition of success from homes passed to uptake and ROI.

• What strategies are operators pursuing to drive up penetration rates? Is customer experience, emerging as a key differentiator to drive uptake?
• Do value added service like, ISP MVNOs or cybersecurity, represent the most effective way to increase ARPU?
• How are operators positioning business for sale?

The modular data center market is set to grow from $32.4billion to $85.2billion between 2024-2030, according to Research & Markets, largely driven by the surge in edge DCs needed for interference appl …

Natural gas has become the near‑term technology of choice to meet surging data‑center power needs, with operators turning to behind‑the‑meter turbines and engines to secure firm capacity quickly.  Yet …

As AI drives higher densities and faster change, the most important decisions are made before construction begins. Design now defines how well data centres scale, adapt and perform over time. This ses …

On the BYOP side, developers face long‑lead gas‑turbine backlogs, constrained EPC capacity, and new metal/component tariffs that complicate budgets and timelines. On the grid‑connection side, multi‑ye …

The rush to deploy fiber is accelerating with AI driven demand, continuing FTTH expansion, and BEAD money starting to deploy. This acceleration of deployment is putting pressure on operators, supplier and construction firms to keep projects on schedule. This pressure is only compounded by tariffs, inflation and buy America requirements.

• How is the industry addressing talent shortage, permitting, and supply chain to keep builds on schedule?
• What impact is network design and increasing capacity having on physical deployments?
• How is early-stage collaboration between operators, construction firms, contractors, suppliers, and utilities reducing friction and deployment timelines?

As digital infrastructure becomes more distributed and latency‑sensitive, a strong interconnection landscape is emerging a critical ecosystem enabler. From supporting cloud on‑ramps and content localisation to underpinning edge compute and AI inference traffic, interconnection is playing an increasingly critical role in shaping resilient and low latency digital infrastructure.

·       How are operators building out new interconnection points across the country and how can DC operators support their expansion?

·       Are dense interconnection ecosystems the key to delivering the potential of inference?

·       How operators are quantifying the ROI of new localised interconnection through performance gains, improved customer experience, and faster service deployment.

With terrestrial data centers consuming 1.5% of global power, and with pressure rising on the already-strained grid, major tech companies are looking to new solutions for achieving their data storage requirements. This visionary keynote assesses the feasibility of orbital data centers, and whether they truly are the next frontier in digital infrastructure. 

More than 40% of today's data centers are powered by natural gas, according to the IEA. While solar and other renewable sources only account for 24%, this energy mix is likely to change as tech compan …

As demand for digital infrastructure accelerates across the US access to talent has emerged as one of the most critical bottlenecks to growth. From network and data center engineers to project managers and construction partners, operators that can attract, train and retain talent are gaining a decisive advantage in their ability to deploy and operate with speed and scale.

• Where are labor shortages most pressing, and what impacts are we seeing across planning, construction and operations?
• How are operators ensuring access to talent, from larger players building training schools to smaller operators reliant to efficient crew scheduling and third-party suppliers?
• With customers increasingly scrutinizing workforce plans, is access to top tier talent emerging a key strategic differentiator?

Throughout the AI power rush, data center connectivity has been relegated as access to power became the number one driver of site selection. This push into less connected, power abundant geographies has necessitated long-haul greenfield fiber builds.  With the growth of inference and increasing importance of latency we are seeing the importance of connectivity in site selection increase.

• How are operators evaluating greenfield fiber builds to under connected sites with fewer tenants?
• Does the shift to inference return us to a fiber first world of site selection?
• How are fiber operators evaluating the opportunity posed by a shift to a more distributed data center landscape?

Join us for an interactive session to unite State Broadband offices, network operators and the entire ecosystem driving the successful implementation of the BEAD program. With refreshments served this interactive discussion session will focus on three criticala areas:

09:30 - 10:00    Overcoming permitting challenges to drive BEAD deployments

10:00 - 10:30    Understanding compliance and report requirements during deployment

10:30 - 11:00    Exploring availble funding for non-deployment capital requirments

After several years of capital formation, aggressive build‑out, and private equity inflows, digital infrastructure is entering a more disciplined phase. Higher interest rates, slower deployment timelines, and overlapping asset footprints are forcing operators and investors to reassess scale, efficiency, and long‑term returns.

•  How are global macroeconomic and geopolitical risks impacting investment in digital infrastructure within the US?
• What are the key drivers of M&A across digital infrastructure? From efficiency through scale, to new market entrance and even distressed M&A
• How are creative deal structures, like JVs and structured equity, emerging to meet the scale of capital required for digital infrastructure?

McKinsey announced quantum computing could generate up to $97 billion in revenue from $4billion in 2024, and stories released publicly shows the move towards commercial quantum data centers, but there …

2026 has already seen several significant fiber transactions from Frontier and Verizon to Bluebird Fiber and Everstream, this wave can be expected to continue. Driven by lower cost of capacity, a more permission M&A environment and lower multiples for fiber assets. This wave of transactions is creating winners and losers.

• How are investors defining success and failure within each fiber asset class? And what lessons can we learn?
• What is driving the valuations and multiples of fiber assets?
• Can a wave of consolidation be expected or will macro economic headwinds put the breaks on M&A?

Data Centre Investment: Who Gets Funded When Power, Debt and AI Demand Collide? AI demand is accelerating, but capital is becoming far more disciplined. In a market constrained by power availability, …

As more data centers secure capacity through bring-your-own-power (BYOP) and behind-the-meter (BTM) strategies, the real challenge begins after first energization. Operating a hybrid power stack - combining on-site generation, grid supply, and increasingly storage - introduces new layers of technical, commercial, and operational complexity. This session moves beyond connection to examine what it takes to run these systems reliably and efficiently at AI scale. 

As more digital infrastructure assets mature into predictable, cash‑flowing assets, asset‑backed securitisation (ABS) has become a powerful financing tool to lower the cost of capital and unlock new sources of long‑term funding. As ABS becomes more established in digital infrastructure the nature of deals is evolving.

• What has changed in the market to make fiber and data center infrastructure attractive for securitisation, and how are lenders and investors  assessing risk, duration and cash‑flow stability?
• How is access to lower‑cost, longer term capital through ABS is influencing network expansion, M&A strategies and the ability to scale infrastructure more efficiently?
• How are deal structures changing as ABS for digital infrastructure matures?

This is a dedicated session for data center operators, hyperscalers, and the fiber providers connecting their sites with 1 hour of roundtable discussion followed by 30 minutes of refreshments and networking. 

Traditional insurance structures are evolving to address larger projects and increasingly complex risks, particularly around power. This panel will explore how innovative risk transfer solutions are u …

The Neocloud Summit brings insights from neoscalers, neoclouds, and their ecosystem partners to a content stage open for all attendees across data centers, fiber, power & energy, and investment who wish to find out how neoclouds are impacting the rest of the digital infrastructure ecosystem. Expect to hear insights from C-level leaders from neoscalers and neoclouds, as well as those building tomorrow's AI models, all discussing what collective actions must be taken to break bottlenecks and accelerate AI infrastructure deployment to meet insatiable demand. 

This town hall gives delegates the chance to hear candid insights from data center developers, fiber providers, municipalities, and adjacent sectors such as oil and gas projects, in successes and challenges of getting projects of the ground. Delegates will have the opportunity to submit questions and hear answers in real-time. 

Format: 

10 minutes – Introductions from panellists & call for questions 

30 minutes – Audience Qs 

5 minutes – Wrap up 

This town hall gives delegates the chance to hear candid insights from data center developers, fiber providers, municipalities, and adjacent sectors such as oil and gas projects, in successes and chal …