The QTS Experience

Hosted by Dave McCall

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100

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Jun 2026

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The most valuable commodity on earth today is data. How we make it, use it, move it & protect it. Join David McCall as he invites guests from all industries to talk about how they use data to drive their business & innovation in their market.

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60 recent

June 12, 2026Episode 2521 hr 46 min

Ep. 252 - Why Saying “Diesel” Now Feels Like Yelling “Mufasa” — Jim McDonald on Backup Power

Somewhere along the way “diesel” turned into a dirty word. Jim McDonald’s spent 30 years on the generators that keep 911, hospitals, and your data alive — and he’s a little tired of playing the villain. We get into what’s real, what’s myth, and why he still thinks everybody wins. Chapters: 00:00:00 Welcome, and the “luminary chair” 00:01:24 From the University of Delaware to founding MIRATECH (1992) 00:04:16 The first data center (2006) and the “internet hotel” 00:06:52 What a backup generator does, and why a data center needs it 00:10:16 The “nines” of reliability and the 7-second diesel start 00:13:27 What “five nines” actually means in downtime 00:16:42 How often the generators really run (mostly testing) 00:19:44 Diesel’s “Mufasa moment”: how a word got loaded 00:24:00 “Dirty diesel” — where the myth comes from 00:25:07 The ratepayer pledge and the peak-power problem 00:27:06 Why diesel: 48 hours of fuel on site 00:30:15 Behind-the-meter and microgrids, explained 00:36:14 202(c) orders, Ashburn, and grid-vs-on-site emissions 00:48:14 PJM, the load-duration curve, and demand response 01:02:10 EPA Tier 2 to Tier 4 and a “new spirit of cooperation” 01:14:57 Energy storage: heating bricks, ice, and synthetic DNA 01:30:05 Small modular reactors and the nuclear question 01:33:24 Three daughters and “nuclear is super safe” 01:40:44 What to watch in the next 18–24 months 01:43:13 The takeaway: open minds, and everybody wins References and Links: Jim McDonald (guest), MIRATECH — LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jim-mcdonald-80229223 MIRATECH (guest’s company): miratechcorp.com David McCall (host): linkedin.com/in/davidnmccall QTS: q.com Ratepayer Protection Pledge (White House, March 2026): whitehouse.gov — Ratepayer Protection Pledge PJM Interconnection (regional grid operator referenced re: load-duration curve / demand response): pjm.com Book referenced — “The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel” by Douglas Brunt (2023). Plant Vogtle (Georgia Power / Southern Company) — the Georgia nuclear plant Jim worked near during construction. Michael Shellenberger nuclear talk (~10–15 years ago, “several million views”) Thank you for visiting our channel, be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! For more information, go to https://www.QTSDataCenters.com Learn More about QTS Data Centers on the QTS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/users/qtsdatacenters Think you have a great topic for a podcast or would like to schedule an interview with Dave? Send in your requests to podcast@q.com

June 10, 2026Episode 25155 min

Ep. 251 - Rahul Kar: The Power We Need Is Already Here — We’re Just Not Using It

We’re all chasing the same thing: safe, affordable, local power. Rahul Kar thinks we keep overlooking the easiest source of it — the power already sitting unused inside our own data centers. He’s convinced it’s hiding in plain sight, and he explains it with a kids’ story. Chapters: 00:00:00 From Boston to Redwood City: an engineer’s “five grand challenges” 00:06:53 Hammerhead AI for non-engineers: the two-toy-car rule 00:09:49 Why data centers run at 30–40% capacity (and why it’s by design) 00:15:41 Plain English: training vs. inferencing, and what a “token” is 00:21:06 Visibility first: how operators stop over-building 00:24:43 Turning stranded power into net-new, flexible workloads 00:28:14 Reliability, community trust, and being a good steward 00:31:56 Resilience by distribution: many sites, one brain (the 60-millisecond point) 00:35:07 From virtual power plants to AI orchestration 00:41:46 Small Is Beautiful vs. The Bitter Lesson: the tension driving the company 00:49:08 The “easy button,” and the one big idea: a utilization crisis, not a power crisis References and Links: Rahul Kar (guest) — LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rahulkar Hammerhead AI (guest’s company): hammerheadco.ai AutoGrid — Rahul Kar’s prior company; pioneered software-defined “virtual power plants” and was later acquired by Schneider Electric E. F. Schumacher, “Small Is Beautiful” (1973) — the economics-of-scale idea Rahul cites as a guiding influence Richard Sutton, “The Bitter Lesson” (2019) — the essay arguing that brute-force compute tends to beat hand-designed methods; Rahul calls Sutton “the father of reinforcement learning” Dean Nelson — named as a longtime champion of the do-more-with-what-you-have mindset; associated with Sun Microsystems Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) — the industry conference where David spoke on a panel Rahul attended Thank you for visiting our channel, be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! For more information, go to https://www.QTSDataCenters.com Learn More about QTS Data Centers on the QTS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/users/qtsdatacenters Think you have a great topic for a podcast or would like to schedule an interview with Dave? Send in your requests to podcast@qtsdatacenters.com

June 4, 2026Episode 2501 hr 31 min

Ep. 250 - Why a Finance Professor Calls Data Centers the New Railroads — Saurav Roychoudhury

Most people think the cloud floats. Saurav Roychoudhury, a Capital University economist, ran the numbers on Ohio’s data centers and found concrete, copper, and a whole lot of jobs. We get into ripple effects, why community trust is the real bottleneck, and whether any of this is zero-sum. Chapters: 00:00:00 From Calcutta to Capital University: the unlikely data center economist 00:02:31 How the Ohio Chamber’s data center study came to be 00:04:58 “It’s not ethereal”: what the cloud is actually made of 00:05:44 Inside the method: IMPLAN modeling and 30-plus interviews 00:07:53 The real bottleneck — power and water are solvable, trust is harder 00:08:42 “We want it, just not in our backyard”: the clean-water parallel 00:10:58 The mystery box: what’s really running inside a data center 00:19:11 Why the job count lags: a federal code updated only every five years 00:25:09 Ripple effects, and why above-median wages matter 00:35:06 Ohio, the third-largest data center market in the U.S. 00:40:11 Data centers vs. the dot-com boom and the railroads: a GDP comparison 00:47:48 A view from India: 1.4 billion people, less capacity than New Albany 00:50:04 Send an evangelist, not just engineers: how to earn community trust 01:08:00 New Albany’s tax innovation and the Chromebook check 01:24:05 Behind-the-meter power and a stronger grid for everyone 01:28:05 “What are we for?” Why this isn’t a zero-sum game Links: Saurav Roychoudhury — LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sauravrc Capital University — Economics: capital.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/economics The Economic Impact Study of Data Centers in Ohio — by SRC EvalMetrics LLC (the guest’s firm) for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation: ohiochamberfoundation.com — data center study PwC, “Economic, Environmental, and Social Impacts of Data Centers in the United States” — commissioned by the Data Center Coalition (referenced ~00:27:32): datacentercoalition.org/reports-and-publications IMPLAN — the input-output economic modeling system used in the study (~00:05:44): implan.com Thank you for visiting our channel, be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! For more information, go to https://www.QTSDataCenters.com Learn More about QTS Data Centers on the QTS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/users/qtsdatacenters Think you have a great topic for a podcast or would like to schedule an interview with Dave? Send in your requests to podcast@qtsdatacenters.com

May 22, 2026Episode 24936 min

Ep 249. The Atlanta Conn3ct Data Summit 2026

Join us for a live discussion from Truist Park at the 2026 Atlanta Conn3ct Data Summit where we discuss the very real challenge of educating and attracting the work force of the future. Thank you for visiting our channel, be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! For more information, go to https://www.QTSDataCenters.com Learn More about QTS Data Centers on the QTS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/users/qtsdatacenters Think you have a great topic for a podcast or would like to schedule an interview with Dave? Send in your requests to podcast@qtsdatacenters.com

May 20, 2026Episode 2481 hr 31 min

Ep. 248: Cosme Garcia - A Wrench Still Beats a Backflipping Robot, and Other Useful Truths

Cosme Garcia didn't plan to work in data centers — a project manager got sick, somebody asked him to fill in, and three decades later he's still here, still curious, and still trying to be the least smart person in the room. We talk about wrenches, weather, and what to tell your kid. Chapters: 00:00 How Cosme Accidentally Ended Up in Data Centers 02:00 Exodus Communications and Learning Power and Cooling the Hard Way 08:30 Why Being the Least Smart Person in the Room Is the Goal 10:30 The Question Cosme Is Asking: When Do We Use AI on Ourselves? 14:00 From a Refrigerator-Sized Gigabyte to a 250-Gigabyte Phone 18:40 Even the Lineman on the Pole Now Depends on a Massive Building 22:00 The Cold War Between IT Teams and Facilities Teams 29:30 Jim Gao, DeepMind, and the Variable Nobody Predicted 35:00 Why Humans Are Bad at Patterns and Casinos Are Good at Them 41:30 Too Many AI Tools, Not Enough Time: Where Do You Even Start? 46:30 Agentic AI: Beyond Prompts, Toward Work That Does Itself 54:00 Trust, IBM, and Picking a Partner When the Market Is Crowded 59:30 Are Our Jobs at Risk? Which Ones, and Why a Wrench Still Wins 1:06:00 QTS Grew 20-Fold; Staffing Didn't. Here's What Happened. 1:14:00 What Will Force the Next Wave: Power, Competition, and One Senior Leader 1:21:00 Advice for the 26-Year-Old: Be Fearful or Be the Person Who Figured It Out Reference Links: Google / DeepMind data center efficiency work — the project Jim Gao led that applied machine learning to data center cooling optimization. Public reference: https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/deepmind-ai-reduces-google-data-centre-cooling-bill-by-40/ Cosme Garcia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosmegarcia/ Thank you for visiting our channel, be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! For more information, go to https://www.QTSDataCenters.com Learn More about QTS Data Centers on the QTS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/users/qtsdatacenters Think you have a great topic for a podcast or would like to schedule an interview with Dave? Send in your requests to podcast@q.com

May 6, 2026Episode 2471 hr 5 min

Ep. 247: The Gigawatt Era Is Here: Bill Kleyman on Power, Bravery, and Fearless Curiosity

Bill Kleyman, CEO of Apolo, says the gigawatt era is here, and our industry has to grow up fast. We get into power as a relationship, the new physical security frontline, why every data center is becoming an AI data center, and what bravery actually looks like in this market. Chapters: 00:00 Cold Open: The Energetic Chipmunk on a Barrel of Oil 01:20 Welcome to the Gigawatt Era - Why It Is Already Here 06:31 The Outsider Reaction: When Trillions of Chips Sound Like a Threat 09:06 Listening to the Skeptics: A High School DECA Lesson and a GDC Backstage 23:36 Plant Seeds, Do Not Win Arguments - The Communication Playbook 24:50 Power Is Not a Line Item, It Is a Relationship 32:23 Bravery Defined: Big Decisions With Eyes Wide Open 38:14 Cloud, AI, and the Electrification Moment for Digital Infrastructure 44:02 The New Frontline: Physical Security in the AI Era 54:42 Tools of the Adversary: Drones, Wireless, and What Comes Next 59:38 The Catalyst, the Targets, and the Closing Charge of Fearless Curiosity Links and References: Bill Kleyman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billkleyman Apolo (Bill’s company): https://www.apolo.us Bill Kleyman personal site: https://billkleyman.com AFCOM article — "2026: The Gigawatt Era Begins" (Bill’s monthly AFCOM piece referenced at the top of the episode). Read it here AFCOM State of the Data Center 2026 — the 10th-anniversary edition of the report Bill authored. The "human threats overtaking ransomware" and "84% changing physical security" figures both come from this report. AFCOM resources AFCOM forthcoming security article — "The New Frontline: Securing Data Centers in an AI Era," scheduled for AFCOM publication the Friday of the recording week. AFCOM news feed Bastille Networks (referenced for wireless / drone-based facility security): https://bastille.net Volta Grid (referenced for behind-the-meter natural gas generation): https://www.voltagrid.com Schneider Electric Innovation Summit (where Bill heard the 200 GW projection): https://www.se.com/us/en/work/campaign/innovation/summit.jsp NVIDIA GTC 2026 (Jensen Huang trillions-of-chips and 600 kW rack reference): https://www.nvidia.com/gtc Game Developers Conference (GDC) - Bill’s Luminary Stage talk: https://gdconf.com Nomad Futurist (industry talent and education organization Bill is on the board of): https://nomadfuturist.org Infrastructure Masons (where Bill chairs the Education Committee): https://imasons.org AFCOM (where Bill is Data Center World Program Chair): https://afcom.com Thank you for visiting our channel, be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! For more information, go to https://www.QTSDataCenters.com Learn More about QTS Data Centers on the QTS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/users/qtsdatacenters Think you have a great topic for a podcast or would like to schedule an interview with Dave? Send in your requests to podcast@qtsdatacenters.com

April 22, 2026Episode 2461 hr 20 min

Ep. 246: Building the Infrastructure of Humanity: Ojonimi Bako on AI, Construction, and Purpose

Ojonimi Bako's dad survived hepatitis C on a clinical trial at Gilead. Now Ojonimi builds the facilities where the next cure gets discovered. The CEO of Kaya connects construction chaos, AI-driven supply chains, and what it means to build something that outlasts you -- in under 90 minutes. Chapters: 00:00:00 Introduction -- Ojonimi Bako, CEO of Kaya 00:00:53 From Accenture and Walmart Labs to Construction: The Origin Story 00:05:36 The Gilead Story -- Why Mission-Critical Infrastructure Is Literally Life and Death 00:10:44 Electricity, Night, and What the AI Transformation Actually Means 00:16:00 Practical AI: From Grocery Lists to Accelerating Human Expertise 00:19:08 Why People Resist AI -- and Why That Is Already Changing 00:26:35 Building the Pyramids Again: The Scale of the Data Center Revolution 00:28:41 Staying Relevant in a Rapidly Changing World -- The Full-Stack Operator 00:32:01 Foundation: Physics, Upward Bound, and Silicon Valley 00:35:55 Africa, London, Oslo -- How Global Experience Shapes Lateral Thinking 00:39:11 The Moment Ojonimi Saw the Problem: The Suffolk Accelerator 00:42:09 What Is Kaya and How Does It Work? 00:47:59 Choke Points -- The Real Challenges of Building Across Stakeholders 00:51:39 Japan, Trust, and the Single Plan 00:54:58 Buy, Track, Deliver -- The Kaya Platform Explained 00:56:38 Building Trust with Skeptical Customers -- Execution at Speed 01:04:00 Connecting Construction Work to Human Flourishing 01:04:40 The Base of the Economic Pyramid -- Supply Chain Responsibility in DRC and Africa 01:07:39 What Gives Ojonimi Hope -- Community, Gratitude, and What Comes Next 01:09:44 One Belief People Get Wrong About AI 01:13:04 The Leadership Habit He Is Still Developing -- His Father's Legacy 01:18:05 What We Didn't Get to Cover -- Real-World Results and 2026 Focus 01:19:26 How to Connect with Ojonimi Bako and Kaya References: Ojonimi Bako on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ojonimibako/ Kaya (company website): https://www.kayapays.com/ Accenture -- https://www.accenture.com Walmart Global Tech (formerly Walmart Labs) -- https://tech.walmart.com Gilead Sciences -- https://www.gilead.com Suffolk Construction -- https://www.suffolk.com Bootstrap Labs (Applied Artificial Intelligence fund, San Francisco) -- https://bootstraplabs.com Nvidia -- https://www.nvidia.com Amazon Web Services (AWS) -- https://aws.amazon.com Kent State University -- https://www.kent.edu Upward Bound Program / Ohio Wesleyan University -- https://www.owu.edu Stanford Graduate School of Business (Executive MBA) -- https://www.gsb.stanford.edu Procore Technologies (referenced as industry platform) -- https://www.procore.com Autodesk Construction Cloud (referenced as industry platform) -- https://construction.autodesk.com Architecture 2030 (carbon emissions from the built environment): https://architecture2030.org Responsible Minerals Initiative (cobalt sourcing and the Democratic Republic of Congo): https://www.responsiblemineralsinitiative.org Thank you for visiting our channel, be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! For more information, go to https://www.QTSDataCenters.com Learn More about QTS Data Centers on the QTS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/users/qtsdatacenters Think you have a great topic for a podcast or would like to schedule an interview with Dave? Send in your requests to podcastoffice@q.com

April 8, 2026Episode 2451 hr 8 min

Ep245: Ivo Ivanov: AI, Interconnection, and Why Latency Is the New Currency

I sat down with Ivo Ivanov to talk interconnection, AI, latency, resilience, and why digital infrastructure has to get closer to people. Airports, robots, sovereignty, and even space made their way into this one. Chapters: 00:00:00 - Intro & Why Interconnection Matters Now 00:01:20 - Explaining Interconnection in Plain English 00:06:09 - Why the Internet Must Be Developed Further 00:08:45 - Latency, Eye Blinks, and Real-Time Robotics 00:14:10 - Why Digital Infrastructure Must Be Everywhere 00:17:10 - Reducing Complexity Through Interconnection 00:19:47 - AI-IX, Agent Routing, and GPU as a Service 00:24:42 - Teaching New Employees the Language of Interconnection 00:28:39 - Carrier Neutral and Data Center Neutral Explained 00:31:22 - What Neutrality Has Meant for New York and Dallas 00:38:19 - Resilience, Redundancy, and Operational Risk 00:41:09 - Latency Is the New Currency 00:45:39 - Data Sovereignty, Security, and National Power 00:51:44 - What the Industry Is Still Underestimating 00:56:22 - Space Connectivity and the Digital Divide 01:01:01 - What Data Center Leaders Need to Hear 01:06:15 - Final Takeaway: Why This Industry Matters References and External Links DE-CIX corporate website: https://www.de-cix.net/en DE-CIX North America: https://www.de-cix.net/en/north-america DE-CIX Academy: https://www.de-cix.net/en/resources/de-cix-academy Interconnection Academy: https://www.interconnectionacademy.net/ DE-CIX AI-IX press release: https://www.de-cix.net/en/about-de-cix/media/press-releases/de-cix-launches-worlds-first-fully-integrated-ai-internet-exchange-ai-ix-to-support-model-training-and-inference DE-CIX neutrality study / US IX release: https://www.de-cix.net/en/about-de-cix/media/press-releases/80-of-us-internet-exchanges-are-now-data-center-and-carrier-neutral DE-CIX Space IX: www.space-ix.net Ivo Ivanov on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivo-ivanov-de-cix Thank you for visiting our channel, be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! For more information, go to https://www.QTSDataCenters.com Learn More about QTS Data Centers on the QTS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/users/qtsdatacenters Think you have a great topic for a podcast or would like to schedule an interview with Dave? Send in your requests to podcast@qtsdatacenters.com

March 25, 2026Episode 2441 hr 16 min

Ep244 Rob Coyle - Stop Hoarding Your Tech - Why a Bigger Pie Beats a Secret Recipe

Last year, I grabbed lunch with Rob Coyle and his son, Reid. While Reid was easily the most entertaining person at the table, the conversation regarding the Open Compute Project (OCP) stayed with me for months. We finally sat down in the studio to discuss how we facilitate the tools that will enable humanity to thrive. From 800-volt power to open standards for Artificial Intelligence (AI), we are exploring how to make the technology pie bigger for everyone. Because let's face it: secret sauce is overrated when you can feed the whole industry. Chapters: 00:00:00 – Welcome & Rob’s BBQ Explanation of OCP 00:02:58 – The “Bigger Pie” Story That Sold Leadership 00:05:06 – Rob’s 10-Year Journey from Member to Foundation 00:07:48 – Core Mission: Multi-Vendor Ecosystem + Accelerating Innovation 00:09:04 – Safe, Fast Conversations: How OCP Actually Works 00:12:24 – Biggest Wins: 21-Inch Rack & Liquid Cooling 00:15:51 – Real Aha Moments at Events & Demos 00:21:53 – Why OCP Events Feel Different (Continuum of Innovation) 00:28:23 – Efficiency at the Core + Server Re-Engineering Story 00:33:13 – AI Shift: From Components to Full Open Systems 00:39:53 – 800-Volt Power & the New Power Distribution Project 00:55:22 – New Open Data Center for AI Initiative 01:01:48 – Surprise Conversation: Education & NIMBYs 01:07:25 – How Anyone (Even Students) Can Jump In for Free 01:14:44 – What Excites Rob Most About the Future Thank you for visiting our channel, be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! For more information, go to https://www.QTSDataCenters.com Learn More about QTS Data Centers on the QTS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/users/qtsdatacenters Think you have a great topic for a podcast or would like to schedule an interview with Dave? Send in your requests to podcast@qtsdatacenters.com

March 19, 2026Episode 2431 hr 36 min

Ep243: Jason Coe on the People Chain – Making sure your team actually cares about the mission

We spend all day worrying about supply chains, but what about the "people chain"? Jason Coe and I dive into military-grade mission focus, the future of raised floors, and why a project is only as good as the team running toward the fire. Tune in to the next QTS Experience. Chapters: 00:00 - The Data Center Symphony: Relational over Commodity 09:13 - The Decade Shift: Evolution from 1MW to 100MW+ 18:54 - Structural Ceilings and Raised Floors Explained 22:30 - The "People Chain": Why Caring is the New Critical Factor 24:43 - Plan B is Making Plan A Work 31:25 - Coordination vs. Communication: Why Teams Keep Failing 34:18 - Project Management: Dominating the Last 10% 41:13 - High Density vs. Raised Floors: Is the Role Dead? 55:08 - Leadership Philosophy: People Do What You Inspect 1:10:18 - Revitalizing Communities Through Data Center Infrastructure 1:19:46 - Vetting Partners: The "Get It" vs. "Don't Get It" Mental List 1:31:00 - Listening First: Connecting with the Local Community Thank you for visiting our channel, be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! For more information, go to https://www.QTSDataCenters.com Learn More about QTS Data Centers on the QTS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/users/qtsdatacenters Think you have a great topic for a podcast or would like to schedule an interview with Dave? Send in your requests to podcast@qtsdatacenters.com

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