25 years ago, DigitalBridge CEO Marc Ganzi sat at the first ever Metro Connect USA event. Today, he headlined the event with his keynote address at Metro Connect 2026 in Fort Lauderdale to share how he’s seen the event evolve way beyond discussions about connectivity.

The technology industry is evolving at a rapid pace, which has caught everyone by surprise, but Ganzi said it is an exciting evolution. Looking forward to the rest of the year, he pointed out that the industry is waiting for the monetisation of AI. However, rather than happening at the application layer, it will happen in the industrialisation of AI.

“Based on my journey over the last year … the projects we’re involved in are giving us insights into what’s around the corner,” he said. “We come here to gather, exchange ideas and make new partnerships and deals,” he said. “I always look forward to this, just like I did 25 years ago.

“The rules are changing … I like to think about what’s next.”

AI has created a ‘crossroads moment’ in the industry

In his address this morning, Ganzi described the industry as being at a “crossroads” – as digital infrastructure collides with general infrastructure at a state level.

“To enable AI, power availability is the currency,” he explained. “That’s the currency driving critical workloads, data centres and the ecosystem that feeds off of those data centres.”

Ganzi went on to say that without power, developers and investors are unable to create the maximum level of value.

“Power has become a game of how politically connected you are and whether you have the ability to deliver off-grid, off-network power,” he added. “If you’re not putting power back into the grid, you’re not going to get onto it. That’s the world we live in today.”

He added: “Delivering power is just as hard as delivering connectivity.”

The power deficit isn’t going away

Central to Ganzi’s argument was a blunt assessment of the US grid. He explained how the industry is currently leasing around 12 gigawatts per year, while only adding roughly four gigawatts of new capacity to the grid in the same period.

“You guys can do the math – we have a deficit of power and that deficit is growing,” he said. “AI is disrupting everything … we’re faced with the reality that we have to build infrastructure … If you’re a developer of digital infrastructure, you are now in the power business.

“It all comes back to building networks.”

Grid interconnection timelines are compounding the problem further. Ganzi pointed out that developers approaching utilities today are being told to expect connection dates somewhere between 2030 and 2032 – a timeframe that exceeds the life cycle of the GPU generations those data centres are being built to serve.

“We have GPUs moving faster than grid connection dates,” he said. “That’s a problem.”

As the industry considers the future and monetisation of AI, the focus will need to be on building data centres and power. Then, Ganzi explained, companies can think about how their customers can save money and look at how the sector is evolving.

“Every economic component of digital infrastructure requires strong connectivity,” he said. “The future of AI is completely and intrinsically linked to building AI outcomes that drive efficiencies, that ultimately drive more sales, improve EBITDA margins, but mostly increase productivity.”

Evolution, enablement, excitement

As the industry continues to rapidly evolve, the importance of partnerships with customers to enable networks cannot be understated. Ganzi said the industry needs to work hard to avoid delays and maximise efficiencies. A significant part of that, he said, is water use.

“Water will be the next frontier, much like power was two years ago,” he said. “Yes, bandwidth is important, but without power, you can’t even have a bandwidth conversation.”

He added: “Customers are now gravitating to where they face the path of least resistance. That’s why you see places like West Texas, middle Wisconsin and New Mexico becoming appealing. These were locations three to five years ago where people would’ve said, ‘who wants to build a data centre there?’ –  but the reality is that’s where the power is.”

In order to scale up, utility coordination and regulatory engagement has become increasingly important. During his address, Ganzi also said the challenge around power extends beyond the data centre industry on account of the grid.

With power dominating much of the conversation, many businesses in the industry are now turning towards energy as a critical focus.

“Power dominates about 70% of our conversations,” he said, adding: “How do we balance the grid? What’s the optimal solution? When you have excess power in your data centre, are you pushing it back to the grid? What are you contributing?”

“That has to be part of your calculation when you’re applying for grid connections.”

In order to succeed, he said companies will need to be operationally excellent.

“You have to have customer trust,” he explained. “Never before has delivering on time and on budget been more important.”

Turbocharging growth

Ganzi noted that DigitalBridge plans to deploy US$43 billion in capital expenditure across 2025 and 2026. His advice to developers was to think in 20-year investment cycles rather than five-year models, and to begin solving for 2028 power supply now – not 2028 construction timelines.

“If you want to successfully lease in 2028, you should be thinking about where the power comes from,” he said. “AI is a revolution – a new industrial revolution.

“25 years ago, building new fibre networks was a six to 12-month cycle. Today, building AI infrastructure requires 36 to 48 month cycles. That’s the mentality you must have for success.

“The opportunity is enormous.”

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