Susana Schwartz
We are approaching a time of reckoning in the realm of AI infrastructure, as the sacrifices and pains the public feels in terms of job losses, higher electricity bills, and resource depletion is clashing with the narratives sometimes espoused by hyperscalers and data center operators. As we cover in today’s “top stories,” below, the competition between private and public entities for electricity, resources and connectivity is creating some tension and skepticism about whether the speed and scope of AI infrastructure buildouts is justified or warranted. That means this is the year the public, enterprises, and policymakers want to see ROI and utility in real-world environments — something we touched on in our recent World Economic Forum reporting and the RCRTech report, “Building an AI-ready infrastructure, from the data center to the edge,” as well as subsequent articles and RCRTV interviews. We will continue to offer insights into how the rubber hits the road in this tense, but very exciting and pivotal time in AI infrastructure.
Susana Schwartz
Technology Editor
RCRTech
AI Infrastructure Top Stories
Clash of physical and digital reality: As people see massive AI-driven layoffs, higher electricity bills, and impact on land and water resources for data centers, 2026 has to be the year of POCs and ROI to improve sentiment around AI buildouts.
Private vs. public needs: Hyperscalers are now builders of subsea cables in the Atlantic, so what happens when EXA Infrastructure, Southern Cross and other operators have to compete to provide the capacity needed for the broader market?
Analyst angle on Sovereign AI: Joe Madden, founder and lead analyst, Mobile Experts, says “sovereignty” is hard to define, harder to pull off. Is the purpose of a “sovereign cloud” to house the assets locally? To own the assets? To create jobs?
AI Today: What You Need to Know
Chinese DCs in orbit: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation plans to construct GW-class space digital-intelligence infrastructure over the next five years signaling Beijing is set to get into competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Nokia focuses on fiber and DCs: Nokia revenue growth came mostly from strong fiber-optic and data center demand, bolstering its network infrastructure strategy, and strengthening its focus on large-scale cellular and fiber deployments.
Datalec-Podtech partnership: Datalec Precision Installations and Podtech have formed a technology partnership to enhance the availability of AI infrastructure solutions for data centers across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
New DataDirect Networks report: A survey of 600 enterprise leaders shows how enterprises are simplifying their infrastructure, scaling cloud workloads, managing energy demands, and closing the AI skills gap.
LTD Material wins $1M grant: Texas Governor Abbott announced the Semiconductor Innovation Fund Grant would go to LTD Material, which will build a state-of-the-art manufacturing and R&D facility adjacent to its existing plant.
Microsoft will continue to use Nvidia, AMD: CEO Satya Nadella says Microsoft won’t stop buying AI chips from Nvidia, AMD, even after launching its Maia 200 chip, which was deployed this week, with plans to roll out more in the coming months.
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