Data centers as an investment opportunity - capital allocation, bankability, and long-term value creation

2 September 2026, 2pm - 5pm

The Investment and Finance Summit, taking place within Datacloud USA and Metro Connect Fall, is designed specifically for the investment community and will bring together senior dealmakers from financial sponsors, institutional capital, investment banks, operators, developers and power providers to explore the key investment and financing trends driven by the AI boom.

To secure your place at the Investment & Finance Forum, you must select the Metro Connect Fall + Investment and Finance Forum ticket at checkout. 

Secure Your Place Now (opens in a new tab)

 

Investment Summit
Investment and Finance Summit

Why Attend?

✓ A dedicated forum for US digital infrastructure investment: The leading platform for investors across data centers and fiber, bringing together senior decision-makers to shape the future of the sector

✓ Meet the right capital partners and operators: Engage directly with LPs, GPs, banks and operators driving US deal flow

✓ Have the conversations that matter: Off-the-record, high-trust discussions on strategy, risk and execution

✓ Access the full ecosystem: 200+ senior stakeholders across investment, fiber, data centers, power and infrastructure

✓ Maximise networking and deal-making: Interactive format designed to drive high-value connections

Investment and Finance Summit

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    Lunch and networking
    The investment and finance summit will open with a networking lunch, providing the opportunity to network with peers from LPs, GPs, operators and more
    Presentation: State of the market address  
    This state-of-the-market address from a leading expert will set the scene for the investment and finance summit, covering: Overview of the investment landscape for digital infrastructure  AI exposure …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Bora Goekbora
    Bora Goekbora, Managing Director & Partner - Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
    Panel discussion: How are LPs allocating capital to digital infrastructure in the AI era?  
    From pension funds and sovereign wealth to family offices and insurance, LPs are playing an increasingly decisive role in shaping the market. How these investors evaluate digital infrastructure is piv …
    Panel discussion: AI infrastructure investment – unprecedented opportunity or overheating? 
    AI is driving an insatiable demand for infrastructure but also raising questions about sustainability, delivery capacity, and long-term returns. Investors and operators are increasingly scrutinizing w …
    Panel discussion: How are financing structures evolving in a complex market? 

    As digital infrastructure deployments scale into multi-billion-dollar projects, financing structures are becoming increasingly complex. Where traditional equity and debt structures are no longer sufficient, developers are turning to joint ventures, private credit, project finance and asset-specific funding to deliver the capital required.  

    • How are capital stacks evolving for large-scale data center deployments? 

    • How are GPs preventing friction in JV structures?  

    • What are the risks and opportunities posed by increasingly complex financial structures? 

    Panel discussion: How to approach the convergence of data centers, power and fiber?  
    The lines between connectivity, compute, and power are blurring. Investors are increasingly looking at integrated platforms that combine metro fibre, long-haul routes and data centre assets with relia …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for William Smales
    William Smales, Partner and Chief Investment Officer - Morrison
    Sip and learn: Quick fire case studies 

    This interactive session, with drinks provided, will feature a series of case studies presented by leading operators to deliver actionable insights into leading digital infrastructure projects. 

Key Themes Discussed 

Navigating the future of US data centre and fibre financing 
Capital allocation and consolidation across digital infrastructure platforms 
The AI-driven demand surge: connectivity + compute convergence 
Capital structures, debt strategies & risk allocation 
Power, land and network access: unlocking scalable infrastructure deployment 
Public-private partnerships and infrastructure funding models 
US market focus: regional growth dynamics and investment hotspots 
Exit strategies and long-term value creation 

Who Should Attend?

✓ Private equity
✓ Private credit
✓ Asset management
✓ Investment banks / structured finance
✓ LPs / Institutional Investors (pension funds, sovereign wealth, insurance, family offices)
✓ Consultants / law firms
✓ Rating agencies
✓ LPs / institutional investors (pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurance investors, family offices, endowments, funds‑of‑funds)
✓ Data center operators and developers
✓ Fiber network operators (last mile, middle mile, long haul)
✓ Energy and power providers
✓ Towers, grid and infrastructure players
✓ Hyperscalers and strategic investors
✓ Government and utilities

Secure your place at the Investment & Finance Forum

Book your package now (opens in a new tab)