TAG Infrastructure Talks Podcast

Ali Greenwood, executive director in Cushman & Wakefield's Global Data Center Advisory Group, joins host Alan Poole to discuss historical, current, and future drivers of the demand and velocity of data center construction across the U.S., focusing on the Atlanta region. This episode covers concerns of local communities and governments and those of private investors, discussing topics such as the future of renewable energy in powering data centers to the drawbacks of insufficient tax incentives and infrastructure that may prevent developers from gravitating toward certain regions. Additional highlights include Greenwood's forecasting of data center submarkets to watch, the creative energy solutions needed for sustained success, and the top challenges that companies will face in the next three years.

In this month's episode of the TAG Infrastructure Talks, host Alan Poole sits down with Kerri Stewart, chief strategy officer of Miller Electric, to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the electronic vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure sector. They cover charger compatibility and availability, the impact of aging infrastructure, and initiatives aimed at addressing these problems. This episode also highlights available funding to enhance EV charging infrastructure, and the competition between private companies and utilities in this market.

Companies are flocking to Georgia as the state's electric mobility industry booms. In the latest episode of Troutman Pepper's TAG Infrastructure Talks, host Alan Poole sits down with Virginia Sengewald, senior project manager of industrial projects at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. She explains how the state's long history with automobile manufacturers, interagency efforts to increase access to technical education, and highly collaborative private-public partnerships have attracted stakeholders from across the U.S. and abroad, leading to more than $26 billion in investments in Georgia's electric mobility industry.

How are local governments and innovators in the infrastructure, tech, and software industries addressing the complex regulatory, infrastructural, and environmental issues that surround broadband access in the U.S.? In the first TAG Infrastructure Talks episode of 2024, host Alan Poole sits down with Scott D. Woods, president of private-public partnerships at Ready.net, to discuss how government institutions and private companies have taken on the challenge of digital equity in the U.S. They also forecast how the Broadband Equity Access and Development Act can aid in providing high-speed Internet access to the nation's underserved populations.

How will large-scale investments in infrastructure and public works initiatives transform the Atlanta metropolitan area for residents and tourists alike? Kim Menefee, executive director of the Cumberland County Community Improvement District (CID), joins Alan Poole, the host of our TAG Infrastructure Talks Podcast, to discuss the diverse projects spearheaded by CID in collaboration with other Georgia-based entities that are reshaping the Atlanta region, ranging from the introduction of an autonomous shuttle system to rehabilitating national parkland north of the city's center. Over the course of this conversation, listeners will learn:

• How to leverage a mixture of private and public investment in the transportation sphere.
• Valuable insights on navigating new technologies, such as autonomous vehicles.
• The different solutions transit authorities, nonprofit organizations, and private companies can deploy to meet the challenges posed by population growth.

Host and Troutman Pepper Partner Alan Poole joins in a conversation with Leland Sparks, data center expert and principle at LNS Solutions. In this discussion, Leland describes how gargantuan increases in computing power inside of data centers will soon require increasingly advanced cooling methods, as well as the pros and cons of various new methods on the market and in development, including:

• Ocean cooling;
• Liquid immersion cooling; and
• Cold plate technology.

In this episode of TAG Infrastructure Talks, our host and Troutman Pepper Partner Alan Poole is joined by Carrie Goetz, principal and chief technology officer of StrategITcom and bestselling Amazon author. Carrie has dedicated herself to workforce development in the digital infrastructure market. In this conversation, Carrie and Alan discuss:

• How and why traditional education misses opportunities to introduce the American workforce to careers in digital infrastructure;
• Roadblocks to filling the 300,000 open positions in this industry within the next two years to keep up with increasing data usage; and
• Ways that new approaches to workforce development may help close diversity gaps.

Join Troutman Pepper Partner and host of TAG Infrastructure Talks Alan Poole in a conversation with Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) COO Mike Alexander about how the ARC navigates the diverse needs of its constituent counties, the possibilities offered by the historical federal infrastructure funding, and much more. As the federal and state designated metropolitan regional planning organization for 20 counties in Georgia, the ARC steers projects ranging from mobility to housing among a wide range of priorities and outlooks.

In this episode of TAG Infrastructure Talks, Troutman Pepper Partner Alan Poole welcomes DCBLOX CEO and TAG Infrastructure Society board member Jeff Uphues to discuss the success and business model of DCBLOX — a premier tier 3 data center company developing top-class data center infrastructure in secondary and underserved markets, particularly in the Southeast — as well as many other important topics, including:

• Why second- and third-tier markets offer good opportunities for top-tier digital infrastructures;
• How DCBLOX determines what aspects of the data center network make sense to develop from scratch;
• How the developing market of digital services drives data center development; and
• The financial case for investment in data center infrastructure.

In this episode of TAG Infrastructure Talks, Troutman Pepper Partner Alan Poole discusses the history and current landscape of electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) providing broadband in Georgia with Georgia EMC Senior Vice President – Government Relations Kevin Curtin. This timely conversation includes:

• The history and organization of EMCs, and why EMCs make sense as a broadband provider to rural areas.
• Legal, policy, and business challenges and opportunities for EMCs entering the broadband space.
• Why EMCs receive so much focus in current broadband funding opportunities.