Not Your Father’s Data Center

About Not Your Father’s Data Center

Hosted by Compass Chief Customer Officer, Raymond Hawkins, Not Your Father’s Data Center doesn’t only talk about data centers, but anything and everything of interest in our industry.

Publisher

Compass Datacenters

Category

technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

18 Feb 2020

Latest episode

20 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

2 of 82 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   20 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The New Rules of Data Center Development

   Raymond Hawkins interviews Sean Farney, Vice President of Data Center Strategy at JLL, discussing the rapid evolution of data center development driven by AI and debunking industry myths.

2. 

   8 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Jerome Solatani: How Compass and Schneider Electric Are Rethinking Data Center Maintenance

   Raymond Hawkins interviews Jerome Soltani, Global Head of Services at Schneider Electric, about how predictive maintenance and system-level strategies are revolutionizing data center operations and efficiency.

3. 

   14 Jul 2026

   David Porter: From Grid Load to Grid Asset: How Data Centers Can Support the Grid

   In this episode, Raymond Hawkins, Chief Revenue Officer at Compass Datacenters, is joined by David Porter, Vice President of Electrification and Sustainable Energy Strategy at EPRI—formerly known as the Electric Power Research Institute. With a career spanning mechanical engineering at Duke Energy, stints across the US energy landscape, and over 17 years at EPRI, David Porter brings deep industry insight into the intersection of energy and data infrastructure. Their discussion explores the rapid evolution of data center power demand, shifting from kilowatt to gigawatt requirements within a decade. The conversation unpacks the unique challenges this poses for power utilities, such as mismatched development timelines, grid transmission constraints, and the need for adaptable grid-responsive infrastructure. Key topics include EPRI’s nonprofit, science-based research mission; the rise of grid-interactive data centers; the DC Flex initiative for flexible load management; and the critical impact of load growth on grid affordability and efficiency. The episode offers a detailed look at how collaboration between data centers and utilities can enhance grid resilience and lower costs for everyone. Timestamped Overview 00:00 Intro 03:25 EPRI's public benefit mission 09:50 Data centers and electric transport 13:02 Energy demand forecasting for developers 15:00 Challenges with data center power constraints 17:49 Transmission vs. distribution systems 21:45 Improving energy transmission efficiency 23:35 Bridging data centers and utilities 28:06 Evolution of the Data Center Industry 31:42 Explaining the Flex Mosaic framework 35:30 Planning for grid capacity challenges 38:31 Importance of Frequency in Power Grids 41:05 Energy demand and frequency issues 45:56 Golfing chat

Inside a recent episode

The New Rules of Data Center Development

Published 20 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] But I hear people compare the incredible pace of build out in my new industry today to the build out in the year 2000. So think about all of the fiber build out and, you know, so Global Crossing and Exodus and all those guys. For me, and there's a question in this, for me, that build out was we got capacity out in front of demand. And that's the reason there was a crash. We were building way more. Fiber and way more throughput than anybody's systems could handle. So we got and we're using it all today, but we were way ahead of the demand 25 years ago. This build out doesn't feel that way. I'd say we're behind the demand. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 30 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

33

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

68

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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