Powering Progress

Welcome back to Powering Progress, our series of conversations exploring the infrastructure, capital, and legal frameworks shaping the next generation of AI and data center development. Artificial intelligence is driving an extraordinary surge in data center demand, but behind every server and processor is a far more fundamental question: where will the power come from, and how will it be delivered reliably and at scale? In this episode, Vinson & Elkins' Chief Innovation Officer Aubrey Bishai is joined by Energy & Infrastructure Projects Partner Mark Brasher, who advises clients on power development, power purchase agreements, EPC contracts, and the complex interconnection challenges that increasingly define large-scale digital infrastructure. Together they discuss the questions developers, investors, and operators are asking as they plan the power strategies behind the AI economy.

Welcome back to Powering Progress, our series examining the infrastructure challenges behind the rapid expansion of AI and data center development. As demand for computing power grows, so does the need for reliable and scalable energy supply. For many projects, that means securing natural gas supply, developing pipeline infrastructure, or building on-site generation solutions to ensure consistent uptime. In this episode, Vinson & Elkins' Chief Innovation Officer Aubrey Bishai is joined by Energy Regulation Partner Suzanne Clevenger, who advises clients on fuel sourcing, pipeline infrastructure, and energy supply strategies that support large-scale digital infrastructure. Together they explore how developers and investors are approaching long-term fuel supply, reliability expectations, and the infrastructure required to keep these facilities running around the clock.

Welcome back to Powering Progress, where we explore the legal and commercial frameworks powering the rapid growth of AI infrastructure and data centers. Behind every major data center development is a sophisticated capital structure. Financing these projects requires balancing construction risk, power availability, long-term operational stability, and the evolving expectations of lenders and investors. In this episode, Vinson & Elkins' Chief Innovation Officer Aubrey Bishai is joined by Project Development & Finance Partner Eamon Nolan, who works with clients on construction financing, structured finance solutions, and portfolio-level capital strategies supporting large-scale infrastructure projects. The conversation focuses on how the market is underwriting these developments and what financing structures are emerging as the AI infrastructure landscape continues to evolve.

Welcome to Powering Progress, a series exploring the legal and regulatory frameworks shaping the next generation of digital infrastructure. As AI and data center development accelerates, regulatory considerations are becoming increasingly central to project planning — from federal energy policy and state utility rules to permitting, environmental compliance, and tax structures. In this episode, Vinson & Elkins' Chief Innovation Officer Aubrey Bishai is joined by Energy Regulation Partner Jaren Taylor, who brings deep experience in regulatory and environmental policy affecting energy and infrastructure projects. Together they discuss how evolving regulatory frameworks may shape the pace, location, and economics of future data center development.