AI Infrastructure Keynote Panel: Can our networks and data centres handle the surge?

As societal and industrial watershed moments go, the advent of AI is up there, and it's reshaping our digital infrastructure. $185 billion of Hyperscale investment is already committed to build out the AI compute 'Gigafactories' over the next 15 years. Meanwhile, networks are transforming with specialised routing, programmability, and enhanced resilience, and fibre build-out is reaching further into tier 2 markets. However, responding to the demand can't happen in isolation. This panel will explore:

• What global networks do we require for AI training? And what local/regional networks do we require for AI inferencing? 

• Has data centre design shifted enough in the past 12 months? 

• What connectivity fabric will be needed to support AI-to-AI communication? 

• How can a collaborative AI ecosystem support operators to meet customer demand? 

• How is DeepSeek going to impact the data centre industry and the wider AI value chain?  

• What is the plan B if AI capacity requirements are no longer there?