Data Center Revolution

Texas wants to lead the AI boom. But who pays for the power, where does the water come from, and what happens when an industry loses the public’s trust?James Dickey joins Kirk Offel and Mike Sarraille on Nine Nines to unpack the political and regulatory fight surrounding data center development in Texas. A former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas and publisher of Hyperscale News, Dickey brings a perspective shaped by government affairs, energy, water, and the growing demand for digital infrastructure.The conversation covers SB 6, ERCOT’s Batch Zero process, behind-the-meter power, Governor Abbott’s push for greater accountability, and why water reporting became a flashpoint. Dickey explains why he believes parts of the industry helped create their own credibility problem—and why protecting communities and keeping development moving should not be competing goals.They also explore the future of data center tax incentives, opportunities for the skilled trades, and the role of advanced nuclear power. At the center of the discussion is a bigger question: how can Texas build the infrastructure of the future without repeating the mistakes of the past?Subscribe to Nine Nines for more conversations about the infrastructure, energy, people, and policy shaping the digital economy.00:00 James Dickey and Texas’s Data Center Debate04:45 SB 6: What “Pay Your Own Way” Means07:37 ERCOT’s Batch Zero Process Explained11:12 Behind-the-Meter Power and Grid Connection Costs13:33 Governor Abbott, Public Trust, and Industry Accountability17:41 Audit Delays and the TCEQ Permit Pause19:57 Why Texas’s Decisions Matter Beyond Texas24:32 Data Centers and Local Economic Opportunity25:55 Water Reporting and the Industry’s Trust Problem29:22 Secrecy, NDAs, and the Need for Transparency32:33 Tax Incentives and Texas’s Competitive Edge38:39 Community Benefits and the Cost of Slowing Down41:28 Lessons from Nuclear Power and Fracking43:04 Building the Data Center Workforce46:51 TerraFab and Semiconductor Manufacturing48:43 Small Modular Reactors and the Future of Nuclear52:57 Texas Politics, Polls, and Prediction Markets54:46 Why Data Centers Are Critical Infrastructure#NineNines #DataCenters #Texas #AIInfrastructure #EnergyFor more about us: https://weareoverwatch.com/data-center-revolution-podcast/#DataCenterRevolution #MikeSaraille #Nvidia #AMD #LiquidCooling #FutureProof #CloudStorage #MKBHD #LexFridman #AllInPodcast #WallStreetJournal #BloombergTech #AIInfrastructure #ElonMusk #SpaceX #PeterThiel #ModularConstruction #SteelManufacturing #TechPodcast #SiliconValley #JoeRogan #WendoverProductions #SamAltman #Tesla #Palantir #Bitcoin #StockMarket #ArtificialIntelligence #TechNews #Technology #DataCenters #Stocks

Recorded at DCAC, Mike Sarraille sits down with Daniel Aguirre, Commercial Director at Nucor Data Systems, to explore the steel infrastructure behind the rapid expansion of AI data centers.

Daniel explains how Nucor supports projects from the core and shell into the white space, where racks, containment and the systems supporting increasingly dense mechanical and electrical infrastructure are becoming more complex. He breaks down why speed-to-market is won during design and engineering—not on the factory floor—and how standardization, modularity, long-term supply planning and early manufacturer involvement can help projects scale.

The conversation also covers greenfield construction versus legacy retrofits, future-proofing facilities for rapidly changing technology, Nucor’s recycled-steel supply chain, the company’s safety-first culture and the need for greater industry collaboration and public education.

Subscribe to Data Center Revolution for more conversations with the people building the physical infrastructure behind AI.

In this DCAC edition of Data Center Revolution, Joe Pinzon sits down with Charl Kinghorn, Executive Vice President of MCIS, to discuss what it takes to scale data center construction as projects become larger, faster, and more complex.Charl shares how his experience across Africa, the Middle East, and the United States shaped his perspective on modular delivery and prefabrication. He explains why moving work offsite can reduce jobsite congestion, improve safety, and accelerate installation—but only when end users, architects, engineers, general contractors, manufacturers, and trades begin collaborating earlier.The conversation also covers constrained supply chains, the shortage of trained labor, recruiting technicians from outside the data center industry, creating sustainable career paths, and the leadership qualities veterans bring to a growing organization.Charl closes by explaining the philosophy behind MCIS: Mission First, People Always—delivering on the commitment without sacrificing safety or the team.

For more about us: https://weareoverwatch.com/data-center-revolution-podcast/

AI is forcing the data center industry to rethink how facilities are powered, cooled, tested, and commissioned.

Recorded during DCAC in Austin, Kirk Offel sits down with Rob Trefz and Trevor Gardner of Avtron and Legrand to explain what load banks do before live servers enter a facility—and why that testing is becoming more complex as the industry moves toward liquid cooling, hybrid data halls, higher rack densities, and behind-the-meter power.

The conversation also explores Legrand’s acquisition of Avtron, the manufacturing expansion it has helped accelerate, and how the combined companies are preparing for faster project schedules and emerging power architectures. Rob and Trevor discuss career opportunities across engineering, manufacturing, field service, commissioning, sales, and technical training—as well as the skilled workforce needed to build, operate, and maintain the infrastructure supporting AI.

For more about us: https://weareoverwatch.com/data-center-revolution-podcast/

For guest inquiries reach out to: [email protected]

Kirk Offel sits down with Curt Holcomb, Vice Chairman of JLL’s Data Center Solutions group, for a wide-angle look at how the industry grew from one-rack data closets and telecom switch sites into multi-building campuses that increasingly require their own power generation.Drawing on 26 years at the front end of data center transactions, Curt breaks down the dot-com boom and bust, the rise of colocation, COVID’s impact on enterprise demand, the arrival of GPU-as-a-service, and the power constraints shaping today’s AI buildout. He and Kirk discuss why site selection now begins with available megawatts rather than acreage, whether the current growth cycle is a boom or a bubble, and why Texas is attracting so much infrastructure investment.The conversation also covers closed-loop cooling, tax incentives and community benefits, public distrust, town-hall opposition, and the industry’s failure to explain itself clearly. They close with the innovation, careers, and veteran talent that will be required to build the next generation of digital infrastructure.

For more about us: https://weareoverwatch.com/data-center-revolution-podcast/

For guest inquiries reach out to: [email protected]

AI does not run on chips alone. It depends on the electrical infrastructure, manufacturing capacity and skilled workforce required to turn megawatts into compute.In this episode, Kirk Offel sits down with Tom Currier, founder, president and CEO of Maverick Power, to trace the company’s rise from four founders and a 90-day cash runway to nearly 1,000 employees across seven locations.

Tom explains how Maverick used customized designs, supply-chain flexibility and faster execution to compete with established electrical manufacturers. He also discusses why data center development is rapidly shifting from a construction mindset to a manufacturing mindset—and how modularization can shorten schedules without sacrificing safety or quality.

Kirk and Tom also examine the jobs created throughout the data center ecosystem, the industry’s responsibility to engage local communities, career paths for wiring and field-service technicians, and Maverick’s support of the Build Now workforce training program.

At the center of the conversation is a simple idea: the people manufacturing the infrastructure behind AI are not merely supplying data centers. They are building the future.

For more about us: https://weareoverwatch.com/data-center-revolution-podcast/

For guest inquiries reach out to: [email protected]

Justin Tinoco entered construction without a clear career plan, moving from drywall and framing into an IBEW electrical apprenticeship. Twenty-nine years later, he is the president of Rosendin—an organization he watched grow from less than $100 million in revenue to nearly $10 billion.In this episode, Justin joins Kirk Offel to give young people, parents, veterans, and career changers a practical roadmap into the electrical trades. They explain the application process, aptitude testing, apprenticeship interview, four-year earn-while-you-learn model, journeyman requirements, and the career ladder that can take someone from the field into project leadership, operations, and executive management.The conversation also examines the workforce challenge behind the data center boom. Justin discusses approximately 150,000 IBEW apprenticeship applicants in 2025, the limited training capacity that allowed only a fraction of them into programs, and Rosendin’s assessment that West Texas alone may need 30,000 electricians over the next several years.Kirk and Justin also explore competency-based apprenticeships, veteran recruitment, offsite manufacturing, modular construction, technology, financial opportunity, and why the electrician of the future may work very differently from the electrician of the past.For anyone deciding between college, military service, and the skilled trades, this episode offers an honest look at what the electrical path requires—and where it can lead.

For more about us: https://weareoverwatch.com/data-center-revolution-podcast/

For guest inquiries reach out to: [email protected]

Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian joins Kirk Offel for a wide-ranging conversation about the infrastructure required to support America’s accelerating demand for artificial intelligence.They explore Texas’ energy advantage, grid reliability, natural gas generation, the potential reuse of produced water for data center cooling, and the role data centers could play in rebuilding rural communities. Commissioner Christian shares examples of how major infrastructure investments can generate property-tax revenue, create local career paths, and allow families to remain in the towns they call home.Kirk and Commissioner Christian also discuss community opposition, responsible site selection, industry communication failures, workforce development, and why developers must speak directly with the people affected by these projects—not simply arrive with polished presentations.At the center of the conversation is a critical question: Can Texas create a model for data center growth that strengthens the grid, protects communities, expands opportunity, and helps secure America’s position in the global AI race?

For more about us: https://weareoverwatch.com/data-center-revolution-podcast/

For guest inquiries reach out to: [email protected]

In this episode of Data Center Revolution, Kirk Offel sits down with Drew Baglino, founder and CEO of Heron Power and an 18-year Tesla engineering veteran, to examine the power architecture behind the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure.Drawing on his experience with power electronics, the Tesla Supercharger network, energy storage, and Megapack, Drew explores whether the industry’s greatest constraint is electricity generation—or the equipment required to move, convert, store, and reliably deliver that electricity.Kirk and Drew break down why 800-volt DC is gaining momentum, how increasing GPU density is changing rack-level power requirements, and how a simplified, modular architecture could remove traditional transformers, switchgear, distribution equipment, and standalone UPS systems. They also discuss safety, redundancy, liquid cooling, water use, capital costs, commissioning timelines, and Heron Power’s path from engineering prototypes to commercial deployment.

For more about us: https://weareoverwatch.com/data-center-revolution-podcast/

For guest inquiries reach out to: [email protected]

In this episode of Data Center Revolution, Kirk Offel sits down with Drew Baglino, founder and CEO of Heron Power and an 18-year Tesla engineering veteran, to examine the power architecture behind the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure.Drawing on his experience with power electronics, the Tesla Supercharger network, energy storage, and Megapack, Drew explores whether the industry’s greatest constraint is electricity generation—or the equipment required to move, convert, store, and reliably deliver that electricity.Kirk and Drew break down why 800-volt DC is gaining momentum, how increasing GPU density is changing rack-level power requirements, and how a simplified, modular architecture could remove traditional transformers, switchgear, distribution equipment, and standalone UPS systems. They also discuss safety, redundancy, liquid cooling, water use, capital costs, commissioning timelines, and Heron Power’s path from engineering prototypes to commercial deployment.

For more about us: https://weareoverwatch.com/data-center-revolution-podcast/

For guest inquiries reach out to: [email protected]