The data center conversation has changed quickly. In only a few years, the industry has moved from conversations about cloud migration and capacity growth to a much more complex discussion about power availability, rack density, cooling design, workload placement, and the infrastructure required to support artificial intelligence (AI) at scale.
That shift is real, and it’s changing how customers, operators, investors, utilities, and communities think about digital infrastructure. AI training clusters, GPU-as-a-service platforms, hyperscale campuses, enterprise hybrid environments, cloud regions, content networks, broadband providers, and public sector systems all sit inside the same broad ecosystem. Yet they do not all require the same type of facility, the same network model, or the same location strategy. That distinction matters.
As AI continues to reshape infrastructure planning, the industry has an opportunity to be more precise about the role different data center models play. Large-scale compute campuses are essential for certain types of AI training and cloud capacity. Purpose-built facilities with advanced cooling and high-density power are becoming increasingly important for intensive workloads. Traditional colocation environments continue to serve a range of enterprise and cloud-adjacent needs.
Carrier hotels serve a unique, critical purpose. They are the fiber-dense, neutral meeting points where networks, cloud platforms, enterprises, public sector organizations, and service, content, and broadband providers connect. They are often located in established urban cores, where population density, major fiber routes, cloud access points, and regional business activity converge. Their value is not only measured in available cabinets or megawatts; it’s measured in the number of networks present, the efficiency of interconnection, the reduction of latency, and the digital services they help make possible across a region.
As the infrastructure conversation becomes more focused on power and scale, it is important not to overlook the facilities that enable connected digital ecosystems.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amber Caramella is Chief Revenue Officer at Netrality Data Centers. With more than 20 years of sales and leadership experience in the digital infrastructure industry, Caramella is responsible for Netrality’s revenue generation strategy and execution, where she oversees sales, marketing, interconnection, network solutions, strategic alliances, and channel partnerships. Prior to joining Netrality, she served as SVP of Sales at Zayo, where she built the company’s global cloud, software, infrastructure, and data center vertical segment.
Caramella is on Bluebird Network’s Board of Directors, Cato Digital’s Board of Directors, and Infrastructure Masons’ Advisory Council. She also serves as iM Women’s Global Executive Sponsor and is part of the Inclusion Committee, working to raise awareness and education for underrepresented groups. Caramella’s goal is to increase the visibility and career advancement of women by transforming industry culture and ideology, leading to the development of a diverse pipeline for future industry talent.
