Chris Sharp & Steven Carlini: AI Factories: Power, Cooling & Token Economics

“AI is often framed as a software revolution. But the real constraint isn’t software. It is whether we can power and cool it at scale". 

In this episode of the AI at Scale Podcast, Chris Sharp, Chief Technology Officer at Digital Realty, and Steven Carlini, Thought Leadership Leader at Schneider Electric, explain a fascinating shift in the data center industry. AI is not only about AI models or chips. As data centers are becoming AI factories success depends on physical systems that must keep up.

There is a clear message on planning: decision makers need to design for what is coming, not what exists today. Building only for current demand will not hold up.  

For C-level executives, this is a practical view of where AI can slow down and what needs attention now. 

In this episode, you will learn: 

✔ why power and cooling must be designed as one system to support AI innovation 

✔ how rising power density is changing data center design 

✔ what token economics means for cost, value, and ROI 

✔ why planning ahead is critical to avoid future limits 

✔ how infrastructure decisions affect AI performance and growth