At Metro Connect USA 2026, held February 22-25 in Fort Lauderdale, Marc Ganzi, Chief Executive Officer of DigitalBridge, delivered a keynote outlining how artificial intelligence is reshaping the digital infrastructure industry. In his address, “Digital Infra 3.0: Building the AI Industrial Revolution,” Ganzi described how the sector is evolving from a connectivity-focused market into a broader ecosystem that includes data centers, fiber networks, edge computing, and energy infrastructure.
Ganzi emphasized that AI has moved beyond hype and is beginning to generate measurable outcomes across industries. While much of the public discussion focuses on applications and large language models, he noted that the true monetization of AI will occur through enterprise and industrial use cases. Manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and transportation are already integrating AI-driven automation, robotics, and predictive analytics to improve productivity and efficiency.
These developments rely on a layered infrastructure environment. Hyperscale facilities train AI models, while edge data centers support inferencing workloads closer to where data is used. Fiber networks provide the low-latency connectivity required to move massive volumes of data between locations, and wireless systems connect devices and sensors in the physical world. Beneath all of these components sits an increasingly critical factor: power.
Power availability was a central theme of Ganzi’s keynote. As AI workloads grow, electricity demand is rising faster than grid capacity can keep pace. The digital infrastructure industry is now leasing significantly more power than the grid can bring online each year, creating a widening gap between supply and demand. As a result, developers are increasingly operating as energy strategists, exploring diversified energy approaches that may include microgrids, battery storage, solar, wind, and natural gas generation.
The search for reliable power is also influencing where new infrastructure is built. While traditional hubs such as Northern Virginia remain central to the industry, developers are exploring additional markets where grid access and energy availability make large-scale AI deployments possible. In many cases, power availability has become the deciding factor in site selection.
Despite the focus on energy, Ganzi reminded the audience that connectivity remains essential to the AI economy. The ability to move enormous amounts of data across networks continues to depend on high-capacity fiber infrastructure and low-latency connectivity. Even as AI advances in software and hardware, the underlying network infrastructure remains fundamental.
Ganzi also described the evolution of AI infrastructure in phases. The industry has moved through the early stage of training large language models and is now entering a period where inferencing and edge deployments are expanding. The next stage will involve integrating AI directly into physical environments, where intelligent systems control machines, robotics, and automated processes across multiple industries.
As the sector expands, developers face growing challenges that include power constraints, permitting delays, supply chain pressures, water usage concerns, and increased scrutiny from investors. Ganzi stressed that success will depend on operational discipline, strong customer relationships, and the ability to deliver infrastructure projects reliably and on schedule.
Ultimately, he framed the current moment as the beginning of Digital Infra 3.0, a phase in which digital infrastructure converges with traditional infrastructure to support the AI economy. As AI adoption accelerates, the companies that successfully combine power, connectivity, and compute will play a defining role in building the foundation for the next era of global digital infrastructure.
The discussion around digital infrastructure, connectivity, and AI will continue at the next major Capacity event, International Telecoms Week (ITW) in Washington, D.C., May 18-21, 2026.
To learn more about upcoming events in the Capacity Media portfolio, visit www.capacitymedia.com/events.
