In this episode of the Data Center Frontier Show podcast, we sit down with Martin Renkis, Executive Director of Global Alliances for Sustainable Infrastructure at Johnson Controls, to explore how Data Center Cooling as a Service (DCCaaS) is changing the way operators think about risk, capital, and sustainability.

Johnson Controls has delivered guaranteed infrastructure services for over 40 years, shifting cooling from a CAPEX burden to an OPEX model. The company designs, builds, operates, and maintains systems under long-term agreements that transfer performance risk away from the operator.

Key to the model is AI-driven optimization through platforms like OpenBlue, paired with financial guarantees tied directly to customer-defined KPIs. A joint venture with Apollo Group (Ionic Blue) also provides flexible financing, freeing up capital for land or expansion.

With rising rack densities and unpredictable AI factory demands, Renkis says cooling-as-a-service offers “a financially guaranteed safety net” that adapts to change while advancing sustainability goals.

Listen now to learn how Johnson Controls is redefining cooling for the AI era.

As AI workloads reshape the data center landscape, speed to power has overtaken sustainability as the top customer demand. On this episode of the Data Center Frontier Show, Editor-in-Chief Matt Vincent talks with Brian Melka, CEO of Rehlko (formerly Kohler Energy), about how the century-old power company is helping operators scale fast, stay reliable, and meet evolving energy challenges.

Melka shares how Rehlko is quadrupling production, expanding its in-house EPC capabilities, and rolling out modular power blocks through its Wilmott/Wiltech acquisition to accelerate deployments and system integration. The discussion also covers the balance between diesel reliability and greener alternatives like HVO fuel, hybrid power systems that combine batteries and engines, and strategies for managing noise, emissions, and footprint in urban sites.

From rooftop generator farms in Paris to 100MW hyperscale builds, Rehlko positions itself as a technology-agnostic partner for the AI era. Listen now to learn how the company is helping the data center industry move faster, smarter, and more sustainably.

Smarter Security Starts with Key & Equipment Management In data centers, physical access control is just as critical as cybersecurity. Intelligent key and equipment management solutions help safeguard infrastructure, reduce risk, and improve efficiency — all while supporting compliance.

Key Benefits:

• Enhanced Security – Restrict access to authorized personnel only
• Audit Trails – Track every access event for full accountability
• Operational Efficiency – Eliminate manual tracking and delays
• Risk Reduction – Prevent loss, misuse, or unauthorized access
• System Integration – Connect with access, video, and visitor tools
• Regulatory Support – Comply with ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA & more

A smart solution for a high-stakes environment — because in the data center world, every detail matters.

New DCF Podcast Episode Breaks Down the Real Work Behind Energy and Emissions Metrics

In the latest episode of the Data Center Frontier Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Matt Vincent sits down with Jay Dietrich, Research Director of Sustainability at Uptime Institute, to examine what real sustainability looks like inside the data center — and why popular narratives around net zero, offsets, and carbon neutrality often obscure more than they reveal.

Over the course of a 36-minute conversation, Dietrich walks listeners through Uptime’s expanding role in guiding data center operators toward measurable sustainability outcomes — not just certifications, but operational performance improvements at the facility level.

In this episode of the Data Center Frontier Show, Editor-in-Chief Matt Vincent speaks with LiquidStack CEO Joe Capes about the company’s breakthrough GigaModular platform — the industry’s first scalable, modular Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) purpose-built for direct-to-chip liquid cooling.

With rack densities accelerating beyond 120 kW and headed toward 600 kW, LiquidStack is targeting the real-world requirements of AI data centers while streamlining complexity and future-proofing thermal design.

“AI will keep pushing thermal output to new extremes,” Capes tells DCF. “Data centers need cooling systems that can be easily deployed, managed, and scaled to match heat rejection demands as they rise.”

LiquidStack's new GigaModular CDU, unveiled at the 2025 Datacloud Global Congress in Cannes, delivers up to 10 MW of scalable cooling capacity. It's designed to support single-phase direct-to-chip liquid cooling — a shift from the company’s earlier two-phase immersion roots — via a skidded modular design with a pay-as-you-grow approach. The platform’s flexibility enables deployments at N, N+1, or N+2 resiliency.

“We designed it to be the only CDU our customers will ever need,” Capes says.

Tune in to listen to the whole discussion, which goes on to explore why edge infrastructure and EV adoption will drive the next wave of sector innovation.

Every second an AI-enabled data center operates, it produces massive amounts of heat.

Cooling needs are often thought of separately from heat, and for years, that is how systems were built. In most facilities, waste heat has to be managed, properly expelled, and is then forgotten. The heat may not be needed by the data center, but the question arises, ‘where else could this energy be put to use?’

What if energy use was viewed differently by data centers and the systems and institutions around them? Rather than focusing on a data center’s enormous power demands, let’s recognize data centers are part of a larger energy network, capable of giving back through the recovery and redistribution of thermal waste.

The pursuit of heat reuse solutions drives technological advancements in data center cooling and energy management systems. Recovering waste heat isn’t just a matter of technology and hardware. Systems need to run smoothly, and uptime is critical. This can lead to the development of more efficient and sustainable technologies that benefit not only data centers but the communities they operate within, creating a symbiotic relationship.

Join Trane® expert Esti Tierney as she explores critical considerations for enabling heat reuse as part of the circular economy. Esti will discuss high computing’s growing impact on heat production, the importance of a holistic view of thermal management, and why the need to collaborate and plan a heat redistribution strategy early with community stakeholders matters.

Heat reuse in data centers is a crucial aspect of modern energy management and sustainability practices, offering benefits that extend beyond the immediate operational efficiencies.

Designing for optimized energy efficiency and recovering waste heat isn’t just about saving money. The ability to reduce energy demand on the grid will be critical for all today and into the future. As server densities increase and next-generation chips push power demands ever higher, waste heat is no longer a byproduct to manage — it's power waiting to be harnessed.

As AI reshapes the digital infrastructure landscape, data center design is evolving at every level. In this episode of the Data Center Frontier Show, we sit down with JP Buzzell, Eaton’s VP and Data Center Chief Architect, and Doug Kilgariff, Strategic Accounts Manager, to explore the key shifts driving the next generation of compute environments.

Topics include:

• Purpose-built vs. retrofit approaches to AI infrastructure.

• Liquid cooling requirements for GPU clusters.

• Modular power design and construction.

• Behind-the-meter energy strategies.

• Data center workforce shortages.

• Eaton’s evolving role and insights from its Data Center Vision event.

From rethinking site selection to solving for stranded assets and building talent pipelines, Buzzell and Kilgariff provide a practical, forward-looking view on the forces shaping AI-era data centers.

Listen now to get the inside track on powering the future of AI infrastructure.

In this wide-ranging conversation, EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure CEO Lee Kestler joins the Data Center Frontier Show to discuss how the company is navigating the AI-fueled demand wave with a focused, disciplined strategy.

From designing water-free campuses in the Arizona desert to long-term utility partnerships and a sober view on nuclear and behind-the-meter power, Kestler lays out EdgeCore’s pragmatic path through today’s high-pressure data center environment.

He also shares insights on the misunderstood public perception of data centers, and why EdgeCore is investing not just in infrastructure, but in the communities where it builds.