The Data Center Frontier Show

As AI data center campuses scale toward gigawatt capacity, the industry is confronting a new kind of bottleneck. Not just how to generate power, but how to move it efficiently across increasingly complex environments.

In this episode of the Data Center Frontier Show Podcast, MetOx CEO Bud Vos outlines why traditional copper-based power distribution may be approaching its limits, and how high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wire could offer a fundamentally different path forward.

“When you start looking at gigawatt-type campuses, you find three fundamental constraints—the grid interconnect, campus distribution, and delivery inside the data hall,” Vos explains. At each layer, scaling with copper drives exponential increases in materials, infrastructure, and complexity.

HTS technology changes that equation. By delivering roughly 10x the power density of copper, superconducting cables can dramatically reduce the physical footprint of power infrastructure, replacing dozens of conventional cables with just a few, while also cutting material use and simplifying system design.

The technology also reverses a key trend in data center power architecture. Instead of pushing voltage higher to compensate for copper limitations, superconductors enable higher current at lower voltage, potentially simplifying electrical systems across the facility.

Just as importantly, superconductors are effectively lossless. “They don’t generate heat as part of the power delivery infrastructure,” Vos notes, a property that could reshape how operators think about thermal management in high-density AI environments. While HTS systems require cooling with liquid nitrogen, that requirement may align with the industry’s broader shift toward liquid cooling.

Beyond engineering, HTS could also play a role in easing permitting and community opposition by reducing the physical footprint of power infrastructure. Narrower rights-of-way and fewer materials translate into less visible impact—an increasingly important factor as data center development faces growing scrutiny.

Crucially, superconducting systems are not theoretical. They have already been deployed in utility environments, providing a track record of reliability that may help accelerate adoption in the data center sector.

As onsite and behind-the-meter generation become more common, HTS is particularly well-suited to moving large amounts of power across multi-building campuses and into high-density data halls. At the same time, the technology offers a potential alternative to strained supply chains for copper and traditional electrical equipment.

Looking further ahead, superconductivity’s role may extend even deeper, with HTS materials also serving as a foundation for emerging fusion energy systems, hinting at a future where power generation and data center infrastructure are more tightly linked.

For now, Vos sees the industry at the beginning of an adoption cycle. “We’re deploying, testing, and then innovating on top of that,” he says.

As AI infrastructure enters its execution phase, superconductivity may move from a niche technology to a core component of how the next generation of data centers is powered.

A look at the major trends shaping the data center and HVAC industries in 2026. Key topics include the growing role of high-voltage DC for improved power quality, the rise of liquid cooling, and how air-cooling technologies continue to play a critical part across the data center ecosystem. 

Industry discussions also touch on innovation momentum coming out of recent events, shifting demand toward high growth markets, and the increasing importance of localized manufacturing to reduce lead times, navigate tariffs, and strengthen supply chain resilience—especially as AI driven data center expansion accelerates. 

Themes such as energy efficiency, grid capacity limitations, hybrid cooling approaches, and system level optimization frame a broader question for operators and suppliers alike: Where do you fit within the data center system, and how are you preparing for what comes next?

Subzero Engineering is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Dissolvable Air Barrier (DAB) Panels product line from Cambridge R&D, further expanding Subzero’s portfolio of data center containment solutions and reinforcing its commitment to safety, performance, and turnkey system delivery. 

DAB Panels are a unique overhead containment solution designed to provide effective airflow separation during normal data center operation while dissolving within seconds when exposed to water during sprinkler activation. This dissolvable design helps eliminate falling panel hazards and supports safer fire suppression outcomes—addressing a critical challenge found in traditional rigid overhead containment systems. 

“With this acquisition, we’re strengthening our ability to deliver truly integrated, safety-driven containment solutions,” said Shane Kilfoil, President of Subzero Engineering. “DAB Panels complement our existing containment portfolio and give our customers another proven option to address airflow management and fire safety without compromise.” 

DAB Panels are engineered for both hot aisle and cold aisle containment applications and offer a combination of airflow performance, safety, and installation flexibility. Made from EPA-certified, plant-based cellulose materials, the panels achieve Class A fire and smoke performance, producing low heat and minimal smoke while maintaining visibility for emergency personnel. 

Despite their dissolvable design, DAB Panels remain durable during normal operation—withstanding high static air pressure and maintaining airflow separation where it matters most. Panels can be easily modified in the field to accommodate varying cabinet heights and existing infrastructure, eliminating the need to relocate sprinkler heads and reducing installation time and cost. 

DAB Panels integrate seamlessly across Subzero’s full portfolio of data center containment products, including aisle frames, doors, roofs, and airflow management systems. This unified approach enables Subzero to deliver turnkey containment solutions engineered for performance, safety, and long-term scalability—backed by a single partner and a coordinated system designed to work together.

In this episode of the Data Center Frontier Show, DCF Editor-in-Chief Matt Vincent speaks with Michael Siteman, President of Prodigious Proclivities and a long-time leader and board member within 7x24 Exchange International, about how data center development is being reshaped by AI, power scarcity, network strategy, and community resistance.

Siteman explains how site selection has evolved from a traditional real estate exercise into a far more complex infrastructure challenge.

“The business used to be a pure real estate play,” Siteman says. “Now it’s a systems engineering problem. It’s power, network topology, the real estate itself, and political risk.”

The conversation explores the growing dominance of power in development strategy, including the rapid rise of behind-the-meter generation as utilities struggle to keep pace with demand. Siteman notes that attitudes toward onsite generation have shifted dramatically in just the past few months.

“Six months ago, people would say, ‘If you don’t have grid interconnection, we’re not interested,’” he says. “In the last 30 days, it’s completely different.”

Vincent and Siteman also discuss the balance between network access and power access, the risks of pre-leasing capacity before buildings are completed, and the growing importance of local politics and government relations in getting projects approved.

The episode closes with a look at the widening gap between traditional hyperscale facilities and AI factories, the question of whether AI infrastructure is heading toward a bubble, and the industry’s urgent workforce shortage.

“Data centers don’t run themselves,” Siteman says. “We simply don’t have enough people to build and operate the infrastructure that’s coming.”

This is a grounded, field-level conversation about what is really driving data center development in the AI era, and what the industry will need to solve next.

The AI infrastructure boom is rapidly reshaping how the data center industry thinks about power. What was once a relatively straightforward utility procurement exercise is evolving into a complex strategy spanning onsite generation, fuel logistics, financing, and system architecture.

That reality framed a recent special edition of The Data Center Frontier Show Podcast, which recast and updated a pivotal DCF Trends Summit 2025 session: From Grid to Onsite Powering: Optimizing Energy Behind the Meter for Data Centers. 

Moderated by Fengrong Li, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, the panel explored how operators are responding as interconnection timelines stretch and AI workloads surge. Li’s framing emphasized a core shift: onsite power is moving from contingency planning to critical-path infrastructure.

From the OEM perspective, David Blank of Siemens Energy noted that behind-the-meter deployments have accelerated sharply over the past year as developers confront multi-year waits for firm utility capacity.

“Everyone would prefer grid power,” Blank said. “But in many cases, reliable access isn’t available for five, ten, even ten-plus years.”

Panelists agreed that AI’s scale and speed are driving a structural rethink. Brian Gitt of Oklo described the moment as a return to industrial roots, with large loads once again building dedicated generation to meet growth timelines.

At the same time, new technical pressures are emerging. AI clusters can produce sharp load swings, forcing developers to deploy fast-response buffering technologies such as batteries, flywheels, and supercapacitors to maintain stability.

Despite differing technology paths—including gas turbines, hydrogen fuel cells, and advanced nuclear—the panel aligned on one common theme: modularity. Phased power blocks increasingly mirror how AI campuses are actually built and financed.

The discussion also highlighted the growing importance of contract structures. Long-term offtake commitments, capacity reservations, and credit support are increasingly required to unlock equipment queues and fuel supply.

Other panelists included Marty Trivette of AlphaStruxure and Yuval Bachar of ECL. The event was hosted by Data Center Frontier’s Matt Vincent.

The takeaway was clear: in the AI era, energy strategy has moved to the critical path—and for many operators, that path now runs behind the meter.