Summary
The AI revolution has sparked one of the largest infrastructure buildouts in modern US history.
As demand for data center development accelerates, debates around power consumption, water usage, land development and electricity prices are increasingly shaping community sentiment, project approvals and policymaking discussions across the country. At the same time, others view data centers as critical infrastructure capable of driving economic growth, technological innovation and national competitiveness.
As a result, data centers have become a flashpoint in broader conversations about energy, development and the future of America's AI economy. These discussions are influencing regulatory proceedings, legislative priorities and elections at the local, state and national levels.
Join experts from 451 Research and S&P Global Energy for a timely discussion on the opportunities, challenges and growing tensions surrounding data center development in the United States. Drawing on insights from the 451 Research Data Center KnowledgeBase and Regulatory Research Associates within S&P Global Energy CERA, our speakers will examine what's driving public support and opposition, how policymakers and regulators are responding, and what these developments mean for the future of AI infrastructure growth.
Speakers
S&P Global Energy
Dan Thompson
Research Director, Data Center Services & Infrastructure, 451 Research
Dan Thompson is a principal research analyst in the 451 Research technology research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence. He leads the Datacenter Services and Infrastructure team, which is charged with keeping tabs on the datacenter industry globally to better understand its trends and growth areas. His research includes analyses of datacenter providers, market size and supply/demand in key and emerging markets around the world. Dan also provides coverage of datacenter providers offering services beyond colocation, such as managed and cloud-type services.
Dan also provides research on the sustainability of the datacenter industry. Beyond just renewable energy purchasing and carbon offsetting, he has been investigating full life cycle emissions, including supply chain emissions, as well as efficiency gains and water usage.
Before joining S&P Global Market Intelligence, Dan spent 15 years as a practitioner in the IT industry, the last 10 years at a top managed/cloud service provider. Dan has worn many hats in the IT world, from systems administration to management, and was most recently an enterprise architect. In that role, he not only assisted in the launch of the company's security practice, but also created security-specific products and designed security into every solution launched to the customer base.
In addition to a good many IT industry certifications, Dan currently holds degrees in network security and forensics and information technology.
S&P Global Energy
Tony Lenoir
Associate Director, Datacenters & Energy Research
Tony Lenoir is an analyst with the S&P Global Energy Energy Research team.
Specializing in the US renewables space, he has published research on the expansion of solar and wind energy and also of battery storage; the REC market; and energy communities as defined by the Inflation Reduction Act, among other topics.
Tony holds an MBA with a specialization in international finance from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
S&P Global Energy
Matthew Richesin
Research Analyst, Data Center Services & Infrastructure, 451 Research
Matthew Richesin is an analyst on the Data Center Services & Infrastructure team at 451 Research from S&P Global Energy Horizons. His research focuses on data center market activity across North America.
His key research areas include emerging data center markets; retail, wholesale and cloud provider activity; industry growth projections; market share analysis; overnment incentives and regulations; and pricing dynamics.
Before joining the Data Center Services & Infrastructure team in 2025, Matthew was lab manager in the Autonomic Nervous System and Wellness Lab and an instructor of record at the University of Tennessee, followed by a short stint as a research analyst covering various aspects of training AI models.
Matthew holds a Ph.D. in experimental psychology with a focus on behavioral neuroscience from the University of Tennessee.
S&P Global Energy
Monica Hlinka
Senior Principal Analyst, North American Power and Renewables
Monica Hlinka is a Research Analyst with Regulatory Research Associates, a group within S&P Global Energy, where she spearheads the firm's state-level legislative and election coverage. In addition, she covers regulatory proceedings across the MidAtlantic and Great Plains states, from both an industry and regulatory perspective.