Talking Data Centers With Compass Datacenters CEO Chris Crosby

This week we sit down with Chris Crosby, the CEO of Compass Datacenters, for a wide-ranging conversation about the latest trends in the data center sector. Chris is an industry veteran who was in on the ground floor of the data center boom in working with Nortel, CoreSite, Digital Realty and now Compass. Our discussions explores demand trends from edge to cloud, what clients look for in a single-tenant data center, how and where new data centers are being built, and why a data center developer has a research and development unit.

DCF Show 15: Talking Data Centers With Chris Crosby

Listen to today’s show:

Here’s a timeline of topics Chris and I discuss on the podcast:

• 4:00 – Demand for edge computing, and where we are on the growth curve.
• 6:39 – How Compass approaches client-centric data center design and construction
• 9:55 – Why Compass has a Research & Development division (most developers don’t), and why it matters.
• 20:35 – The primacy of the network
• 22:45 – Data center site selection, and how Compass has been early in identifying cloud computing hubs
• 25:20 – “Availability Zone Thinking” and how resiliency designs guide where data centers are built
• 26:30 – Investors love the data center industry. Chris discusses the benefits of patient capital.

Here are some stories we’ve done at Data Center Frontier on the stories that tie into our discussion:

• Making Concrete Greener: Addressing Cement’s Carbon Problem:  This story looks at Compass Datacenters’ use of low-carbon concrete from CarbonCure for its data center campuses, which Chris mentions in the podcast.
• Compass Scales Up For Growth in Top Hyperscale Markets: This story looks at the benefits of investor interest in the data center sector, and how a new capital partner has helped  Compass build big in the three hottest hyperscale data center markets.
• Compass EdgePoint Sees Opportunity in Building Better Networks: This story provides additional context on our discussion about the importance of network infrastructure for both cloud and edge use cases.

Be sure to check our our free Annual Forecast, outlining the DCF take on the most important trends to watch this year:

• The Eight Trends That Will Shape the Data Center Industry in 2021

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