Is The Data Center Boom Built to Last?

There's a big question at the heart of today's tech headlines: Is there an AI bubble? I sat down with someone who's been building data centers since 1997, and I found his answer really insightful.

That's Ron Vokoun. He's had 37 years in construction, most of it in digital infrastructure - fiber networks in the '90s, the first Qwest data centers, a stretch dedicated to prefab and modular builds, and now cooling as the Senior VIce President of Data Center Cooling at SVL Inc.

Ron has also become one of the most trusted voices curating data center news, first on LinkedIn, now with his Mission Critical Connections newsletter on Substack.

In this conversation, we get into why he thinks prefab is more important than ever due to the labor shortage in construction, how rack densities have blown past anything we saw coming, and his interesting answer on whether this AI buildout is a bubble, and what's actually keeping it in check.

Here's an overview of the discussion between Data Center Richness host Rich Miller and Ron Vokoun:

00:00 - On the front lines of construction, design, cooling and data center news curation

01:00 - Ron Vokoun's Data Center Journey

05:30 - The Evolution of Modular and PreFab Designs

07:00 - From Construction to Cooling

10:00 - The Pace of Change in the AI Era

14:00 - The Key to Good Business News Curation

17:40 - The AI Boom, and Ron's Take on "Bubble"