Scaling AI: Adaptive Reuse, Power-Rich Sites, and the New GPU Frontier

In this panel session from the 2025 Data Center Frontier Trends Summit (Aug. 26-28) in Reston, Va., JLL’s Sean Farney moderates a high-energy panel on how the industry is fast-tracking AI capacity in a world of power constraints, grid delays, and record-low vacancy.

Under the banner “Scaling AI: The Role of Adaptive Reuse and Power-Rich Sites in GPU Deployment,” the discussion dives into why U.S. colocation vacancy is hovering near 2%, how power has become the ultimate limiter on AI revenue, and what it really takes to stand up GPU-heavy infrastructure at speed.

Schneider Electric’s Lovisa Tedestedt, Aligned Data Centers’ Phill Lawson-Shanks, and Sapphire Gas Solutions’ Scott Johns unpack the real-world strategies they’re deploying today—from adaptive reuse of industrial sites and factory-built modular systems, to behind-the-fence natural gas, microgrids, and emerging hydrogen and RNG pathways. Along the way, they explore the coming “AI inference edge,” the rebirth of the enterprise data center, and how AI is already being used to optimize data center design and operations.

During this talk, you’ll learn:

* Why record-low vacancy and long interconnection queues are reshaping AI deployment strategy.

* How adaptive reuse of legacy industrial and commercial real estate can unlock gigawatt-scale capacity and community benefits.

* The growing role of liquid cooling, modular skids, and grid-to-chip efficiency in getting more power to GPUs.

* How behind-the-meter gas, virtual pipelines, and microgrids are bridging multi-year grid delays.

* Why many experts expect a renaissance of enterprise data centers for AI inference at the edge.

Moderator:

Sean Farney, VP, Data Centers, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL)

Panelists:

Tony Grayson, General Manager, Northstar

Lovisa Tedestedt, Strategic Account Executive – Cloud & Service Providers, Schneider Electric

Phill Lawson-Shanks, Chief Innovation Officer, Aligned Data Centers

Scott Johns, Chief Commercial Officer, Sapphire Gas Solutions