At this year’s infra/STRUCTURE Summit 2025, held at the Wynn Las Vegas, one of the most forward-looking conversations came from the session “From Cloud to Edge to AI Inferencing.” Moderated by Philbert Shih, Managing Director at Structure Research, the discussion brought together a diverse panel of innovators shaping the future of cloud and AI infrastructure: Kevin Cochrane, Chief Marketing Officer at Vultr; Jeffrey Gregor, General Manager at OVHcloud; and Darrick Horton, CEO at TensorWave.

Together, they explored the emergence of new platforms bridging the gap between hyperscale cloud providers and the next wave of AI-driven, distributed workloads.

The Rise of Alternatives: Choice Beyond the Hyperscalers

Philbert Shih opened the session by emphasizing the growing diversity in the cloud ecosystem, from legacy hyperscalers to specialized, regionally focused providers. The conversation quickly turned to how these companies are filling critical gaps in the market as enterprises look for more flexible, sovereign, and performance-tuned infrastructure for AI workloads.

Cochrane shared insights from a recent survey of over 2,000 CIOs, revealing a striking shift: while just a few years ago nearly all enterprises defaulted to hyperscalers for AI development, only 18% plan to rely on them exclusively today. “We’re witnessing a dramatic change,” Cochrane said. “Organizations are seeking new partners who can deliver performance and expertise without the lock-in or limitations of traditional cloud models.”

Data Sovereignty and Global Reach

Data sovereignty remains a key differentiator, particularly in Europe. “Being European-born gives us a unique advantage,” Gregor noted. “Our customers care deeply about where their data resides, and we’ve built our infrastructure to reflect those values.”

He also highlighted OVHcloud’s focus on sustainability and self-sufficiency, from designing and operating its own servers to pioneering water-cooling technologies across its data centers. “Our mission is to bring the power of the cloud to everyone,” Gregor said. “From startups to the largest public institutions, we’re enabling a wider range of customers to build, train, and deploy AI workloads responsibly.”

AI Infrastructure at Scale

Horton described how next-generation cloud providers are building infrastructure purpose-built for AI, especially large-scale training and inferencing workloads. “We design for the most demanding use cases, foundational model training, and that requires reliability, flexibility, and power optimization at the cluster scale.”

Horton noted that customers are increasingly choosing data center locations based on power availability and sustainability, underscoring how energy strategy is becoming as critical as network performance. TensorWave’s approach, Horton added, is to make that scale accessible without the hyperscale overhead.

Democratizing Access to AI Compute

Across the panel, a common theme emerged: accessibility. Whether through Vultr’s push to simplify AI infrastructure deployment via API-based services, OVHcloud’s distributed “local zone” strategy, or TensorWave’s focus on purpose-built GPU clusters, each company is working to make advanced compute resources more open and flexible for developers, enterprises, and AI innovators.

These alternative cloud providers are not just filling gaps — they’re redefining what cloud infrastructure can look like in an AI-driven era. From sovereign data control to decentralized AI processing, the cloud is evolving into a more diverse, resilient, and performance-oriented ecosystem.

Looking Ahead

As AI reshapes industries, the demand for specialized infrastructure continues to accelerate. Sessions like this one underscored how innovation is no longer confined to the hyperscalers. It’s emerging from agile providers who combine scale with locality, sustainability, and purpose-built design.

Infra/STRUCTURE 2026: Save the Date

Want to tune in live, receive all presentations, gain access to C-level executives, investors and industry leading research? Then save the date for infra/STRUCTURE 2026 set for October 7-8, 2026 at The Wynn Las Vegas. Pre-Registration for the 2026 event is now open, and you can visit www.infrastructuresummit.io to learn more.

The post Alternative Cloud Providers Redefine Scale, Sovereignty, and AI Performance appeared first on Data Center POST.

Understanding What’s Next for Digital Infrastructure

At this year’s infra/STRUCTURE Summit 2025, held at the Wynn Las Vegas, industry leaders came together to unpack the state of digital infrastructure in an era defined by AI-driven demand and hyperscale expansion.

One of the standout sessions of the event was “Measured Optimism,” led by Philbert Shih, Managing Director of Structure Research. Known for his data-first insights and global perspective, Shih provided an in-depth look at where the data center market stands today, and where it’s heading next.

His central question set the tone: Are we in a period of sustainable growth, or are we overbuilding?

A Balanced View: Bullish but Realistic

Shih began by acknowledging the debate between the “bulls” and “bears” in digital infrastructure, those who see unbounded opportunity and those who warn of a potential correction.

While recognizing some speculative trends, such as “fake data centers” and build pauses in certain regions, Shih urged attendees to take a longer view.

“There’s a lot of interest in the space, a lot of people with assets to develop,” Shih said. “But the fundamentals remain strong. We’ve seen time and again that this sector has the ability to absorb and grow through cycles.”

Shih drew comparisons to previous market phases. From the dot-com era to the rise of cloud computing, he suggested that what we’re seeing today is a natural evolution, not a bubble.

What the Data Shows

Shih supported his analysis with Structure Research’s latest findings:

• Demand Continues to Outpace Supply. Hyperscalers and AI workloads are driving record demand. “We consistently see management teams reporting more demand than they can support,” Shih shared.
• AI is an Accelerant, Not a Disruption. Shih explained that Meta’s recent build pause was less about demand softening and more about re-architecting for AI infrastructure. “AI is reshaping how capacity is planned and deployed,” he said.
• Global Growth Momentum. While North America remains the largest market, growth across Europe and Asia is accelerating. Chinese and regional cloud providers are increasingly driving new development around the world.
• Healthy Cycles, Not Cracks. Shih described the current slowdown in some areas as part of the natural “build–pause–absorb” cycle that defines infrastructure development. “Infrastructure doesn’t grow in a straight line,” he noted.

Collaboration Over Competition

A recurring theme throughout Shih’s presentation was partnership. The idea that hyperscalers might replace colocation providers with self-built facilities has largely given way to collaboration.

“There’s more cooperation between hyperscalers and colocation providers than ever before,” Shih said. “These partnerships are becoming essential to meeting global demand efficiently and sustainably.”

Shih also highlighted opportunities in pre-development and edge-scale projects, where new entrants and established providers alike are finding innovative ways to meet demand closer to users.

A Measured but Positive Outlook

Despite capital market challenges, supply chain constraints, and growing power demands, Shih’s conclusion was optimistic, grounded in data and real-world momentum.

“I’m more confident today than I was two years ago,” Shih said. “We’re not overbuilding, we’re building smarter, globally, and with a clearer sense of what’s next.”

The session ended with a strong message: while the sector must navigate its cycles carefully, the long-term trajectory remains firmly upward.

Infra/STRUCTURE 2026: Save the Date

Want to tune in live, receive all presentations, gain access to C-level executives, investors and industry leading research? Then save the date for infra/STRUCTURE 2026 set for October 7-8, 2026 at The Wynn Las Vegas. Pre-Registration for the 2026 event is now open, and you can visit www.infrastructuresummit.io to learn more.

The post Measured Optimism: Balancing Growth and Realism in the Global Data Center Market appeared first on Data Center POST.