DCD>Connect New York 2026 took place March 23–24, 2026 in New York City, bringing together operators, engineers, investors, and energy providers to examine how digital infrastructure is adapting to the rapid acceleration of AI-driven demand. Across two days of panels, debates, and technical sessions, the focus centered on how the industry is navigating constraints tied to power, delivery timelines, and evolving design requirements, with companies such as ZincFive participating as a Mega Partner and exhibitor, showcasing its nickel-zinc battery solutions designed to support the growing power demands of AI-driven infrastructure. .
The 2026 event reflected a maturing market, where conversations have moved beyond forecasting growth and toward executing at scale. Sessions across the agenda addressed the realities of interconnection delays, rising construction costs, and supply chain limitations, while also highlighting the increasing role of policy, permitting, and community engagement in determining how quickly projects can move forward.
Artificial intelligence remained at the center of the discussion. Industry leaders explored how AI workloads are reshaping infrastructure requirements, particularly in terms of density, latency, and geographic distribution. As demand expands beyond core hyperscale markets, operators are being pushed to rethink where and how infrastructure is deployed to support both training and inference use cases.
Power infrastructure was a defining focus throughout the event. Panels such as “Eureka! How to power data centers in the age of AI” examined how traditional utility models are being supplemented with private generation, microgrids, and hybrid procurement strategies. As AI workloads increase power intensity, access to reliable and scalable energy is becoming one of the most critical factors influencing site selection and project viability.
Cooling and facility design also emerged as key areas of innovation. Discussions highlighted how rising rack densities are accelerating the adoption of liquid and hybrid cooling solutions, while new regulatory requirements and environmental considerations are shaping how these systems are deployed. The shift toward high-density compute is driving more fundamental changes in how data centers are engineered to support next-generation workloads.
Several speakers addressed how sustainability is evolving alongside these shifts. Simone Kramer, Head of Sustainability at Bloomberg, discussed the importance of balancing speed with responsible infrastructure development. Heather McGeory, Vice President of Sustainability at CoreWeave, focused on how efficiency is becoming a key metric in evaluating sustainability strategies as compute demands increase.
The event also highlighted workforce development through the “Powering the Next Generation – Student Workshop,” hosted by Nomad Futurist and Infrastructure Masons (iMasons), designed to introduce students to the digital infrastructure ecosystem and its career opportunities. The session featured industry leaders sharing practical insights and firsthand experiences, helping to clarify how the sector operates and where emerging talent can contribute. Ilissa Miller, Founder & CEO of iMiller Public Relations (iMPR), joined Vic Rose, Director, AI Inferencing, at Microsoft, and other participants in a discussion on the foundational role of digital infrastructure and the pathways available to the next generation of industry professionals.
Energy coordination between stakeholders was another area of focus. Gene Alessandrini, Senior Vice President of Energy & Location Strategy at CyrusOne, highlighted the need for closer collaboration between operators and utilities as demand profiles become more dynamic. Danielle Rossi, Global Director of Mission Critical Cooling at Trane, contributed to discussions on advancing thermal management strategies to support high-density AI environments.
From an investment perspective, Sharif Metwalli, Chief Financial Officer at Vantage Data Centers, examined how capital deployment strategies are evolving as developers and investors respond to increasing risks tied to power access, permitting timelines, and cost volatility. The conversation reflected a shift toward more disciplined investment, with a focus on projects that demonstrate long-term viability.
Beyond the formal sessions, DCD>Connect New York continued to serve as a key meeting point for the industry. Attendees spent significant time in one-on-one meetings and informal discussions, reinforcing the event’s role in facilitating partnerships, project development, and investment opportunities across the digital infrastructure ecosystem.
Looking ahead, the themes discussed in New York point to an industry entering a more execution-focused phase, where success will depend on the ability to align power, capital, and design with the realities of building infrastructure at scale.
Next, the industry will gather at DCD>Connect Virginia 2026 on November 3–4, 2026, bringing together more than 3,000 end users and specifiers across the cloud and colocation ecosystem to collaborate, build partnerships, and address key industry challenges. To learn more and register, visit DCD>Connect Virginia 2026 www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/dcdconnect-live/virginia/2026.
