Between Fires and Futures: Real Conversations for Tech Leaders Navigating What’s Now—and What’s Next

Power Is the New Currency: AI Adoption vs. Infrastructure Reality for CIOs with Joel St. Germain

Tonya Turrell

AI is moving faster than the infrastructure that powers it. While headlines focus on breakthrough models and business outcomes, CIOs and IT leaders are running into the real bottleneck: data centers, power capacity, and sourcing.

In this episode, Tonya sits down with Joel St. Germain, founder of Global Consulting Group and CEO of DataCenters.com, the world’s largest marketplace connecting enterprises, hyperscalers, and investors to over 6,500 facilities worldwide.

Tune in to hear:

  • The hidden bottleneck shaping AI adoption: why power is now the limiting currency.
  • The million-dollar mistakes CIOs make when sourcing data centers.
  • Why traditional procurement cycles don’t work anymore in today’s seller’s market.
  • How hyperscalers, edge data centers, and real estate investors are reshaping the future of infrastructure.
  • The 12–24 month planning horizon every CIO must adopt to avoid being left behind.
  • How sustainability, modular energy units, and hybrid power solutions are transforming data center strategy.
  • Why board-level conversations about energy and infrastructure costs are critical to AI readiness.

Episode resources: