{"title":"Why the data center you dread might never even be built | Equity Podcast ","description":"The data center boom is running into serious real-world obstacles, from widespread local opposition and permitting delays to a scramble for electricity. Before those challenges even come into play, though, there's a more basic problem: A lot of the projects being announced may never get built in the first place. With billions of dollars in AI infrastructure investment at stake, separating realistic projects from speculative ones is becoming increasingly important. \n\nOn this episode of TechCrunch's Equity podcast, hosts Rebecca Bellan and Tim De Chant are joined by Brent Nelson, senior managing director of markets and strategy at Ascend Analytics, to separate the data center projects that are likely to get built from the ones that may never get off the ground. \n\nSubscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. \n\nChapters:\n00:00 Intro\n2:20 Will the midterms and data center backlash slow the buildout?\n5:33 Announced vs. actually built: the speculation problem\n10:01 Who\u2019s lending, and why tenants matter most\n14:59 Powering data centers: why everyone defaults to gas\n18:44 The case for curtailable interconnections plus batteries\n20:09 Why the grid can\u2019t just move power around\n24:46 Can data centers pay their way out of opposition?\n27:22 What founders and investors shouldn\u2019t assume\n29:31 Permitting reform and the lame-duck window\n31:17 Outro","kind":"Single Item","siteid":"MRgIYcoC","playlist":[{"title":"Why the data center you dread might never even be built | Equity Podcast ","mediaid":"FhfMeK0m","link":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/FhfMeK0m","image":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FhfMeK0m/poster.jpg?width=720","images":[{"src":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FhfMeK0m/poster.jpg?width=320","width":320,"type":"image/jpeg"},{"src":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FhfMeK0m/poster.jpg?width=480","width":480,"type":"image/jpeg"},{"src":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FhfMeK0m/poster.jpg?width=640","width":640,"type":"image/jpeg"},{"src":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FhfMeK0m/poster.jpg?width=720","width":720,"type":"image/jpeg"},{"src":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FhfMeK0m/poster.jpg?width=1280","width":1280,"type":"image/jpeg"},{"src":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FhfMeK0m/poster.jpg?width=1920","width":1920,"type":"image/jpeg"}],"siteid":"MRgIYcoC","duration":1905,"content_source_type":"file","pubdate":1794427505,"updated":1794428229,"description":"The data center boom is running into serious real-world obstacles, from widespread local opposition and permitting delays to a scramble for electricity. Before those challenges even come into play, though, there's a more basic problem: A lot of the projects being announced may never get built in the first place. With billions of dollars in AI infrastructure investment at stake, separating realistic projects from speculative ones is becoming increasingly important. \n\nOn this episode of TechCrunch's Equity podcast, hosts Rebecca Bellan and Tim De Chant are joined by Brent Nelson, senior managing director of markets and strategy at Ascend Analytics, to separate the data center projects that are likely to get built from the ones that may never get off the ground. \n\nSubscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. \n\nChapters:\n00:00 Intro\n2:20 Will the midterms and data center backlash slow the buildout?\n5:33 Announced vs. actually built: the speculation problem\n10:01 Who\u2019s lending, and why tenants matter most\n14:59 Powering data centers: why everyone defaults to gas\n18:44 The case for curtailable interconnections plus batteries\n20:09 Why the grid can\u2019t just move power around\n24:46 Can data centers pay their way out of opposition?\n27:22 What founders and investors shouldn\u2019t assume\n29:31 Permitting reform and the lame-duck window\n31:17 Outro","tags":"Equity Podcast,AI infrastructure,data centers,AI data centers,AI power demand,Ascend Analytics,Brent Nelson,TechCrunch Equity,battery storage,data center boom,natural gas","sources":[{"file":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FhfMeK0m.m3u8","type":"application/vnd.apple.mpegurl"},{"file":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/FhfMeK0m-A4a4avGx.m4a","type":"audio/mp4","label":"AAC Audio","bitrate":113434,"filesize":27011477},{"file":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/FhfMeK0m-ILP3TxNb.mp4","type":"video/mp4","height":180,"width":320,"label":"180p","bitrate":206699,"filesize":49220282,"framerate":24.0},{"file":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/FhfMeK0m-ObltmdYF.mp4","type":"video/mp4","height":270,"width":480,"label":"270p","bitrate":294736,"filesize":70184210,"framerate":24.0},{"file":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/FhfMeK0m-AKHpU3QI.mp4","type":"video/mp4","height":360,"width":640,"label":"360p","bitrate":389333,"filesize":92709978,"framerate":24.0},{"file":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/FhfMeK0m-N26QHIgL.mp4","type":"video/mp4","height":406,"width":720,"label":"406p","bitrate":456096,"filesize":108607997,"framerate":24.0},{"file":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/FhfMeK0m-Cm3xYLF4.mp4","type":"video/mp4","height":540,"width":960,"label":"540p","bitrate":654295,"filesize":155804149,"framerate":24.0},{"file":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/FhfMeK0m-lF2gWf1A.mp4","type":"video/mp4","height":720,"width":1280,"label":"720p","bitrate":922043,"filesize":219561518,"framerate":24.0},{"file":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/FhfMeK0m-VdyLbzBg.mp4","type":"video/mp4","height":1080,"width":1920,"label":"1080p","bitrate":1754136,"filesize":417703867,"framerate":24.0}],"tracks":[{"file":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/strips/FhfMeK0m-120.vtt","kind":"thumbnails"}],"jwpseg":["20040030","20040029","20040028","20040026","20040021","2003O3EQZQ","20035S2VRK","20031028","20031022","20031010","20010632","20010619","20010599","20010596","20010115","20010090","20010080","20010061","20010053","20010052","18050003","18040008","18040002","18030140","18030125","18030085","18030007","18010632","18010619","18010599","18010596","18010115","18010090","18010080","18010061","18010053","18010052","17ff896286360a6eb120eca4c29c528b0e","16010001","16000001","13011001"],"variations":{}}],"feed_instance_id":"1a773341-6bac-4ce4-8af8-d1081c0421d7"}