RadiusDC has taken a big step in its growth strategy with the acquisition of Miami I, a highly interconnected data center located in Sweetwater, Florida. Known for its carrier-neutral environment and robust network connectivity, Miami I is a strategic asset that connects South Florida to European and South American markets. With support from IPI Partners, RadiusDC plans to invest heavily in the facility, increasing its capacity from 3.2 MW to 9.2 MW of critical IT power by 2026. The two-story building, designed to withstand Category 5 hurricane winds, covers 170,000 square feet and is home to a diverse ecosystem of fiber optic and network service providers. Mike Krza, CEO of RadiusDC, emphasized that Miami I aligns perfectly with the company’s connectivity-focused platform, saying, "We believe Miami I is an ideal asset to expand the geographic reach of our connectivity-focused platform given the strength of its existing network and immediately available growth potential," stated Mike Krza, Chief Executive Officer of RadiusDC. "We are excited to deliver new strategic data center capacity in the South Florida market over the coming year." This move is part of a broader strategy to address the needs of hyperscale customers in highly connected environments. With the backing of IPI, RadiusDC continues to expand its footprint across North America’s urban centers, reinforcing its role in supporting the next wave of IT infrastructure growth. As the Miami I facility transitions under new ownership, it remains a critical hub for regional and international digital connectivity, set to play a pivotal role in the area’s ongoing tech evolution. Read the full press release here .

Edged Energy has officially opened its first North American data center in Atlanta, marking a significant step forward in sustainable digital infrastructure. Located at the transformed Tilford Yard site, the facility is the first of three data centers planned for the 168 MW Edged Atlanta campus. The state-of-the-art facility is designed for high-density AI workloads and features cutting-edge waterless cooling systems that save nearly 664 million gallons of water annually while delivering industry-leading energy efficiency. The grand opening event highlighted the project's economic and environmental benefits to the region, including $70 million in tax revenue over the next decade. Edged CEO Bryant Farland emphasized the significance of the $1.69 billion investment in Atlanta, which will create hundreds of jobs, support local schools and boost public services. With the first building now live, delivering 27 MW of capacity, the Atlanta campus is set to be a key player in the region's growing digital economy. Edged continues to expand its presence with additional data centers under construction in major U.S. cities like Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix. As a subsidiary of Endeavour, Edged is rapidly advancing its mission to build a global network of sustainable, water-efficient data centers. Read the full press release here .

August 13, 2024 - FiberLight been selected to build a 10 Gbps fiber network for the Region 16 Education Service Center in the Texas Panhandle. This project will significantly improve internet access for rural schools and communities. Key features: Covers 26,000 square miles, serving 59 of 60 school districts Benefits 80,000 students and 11,000+ educators Utilizes FCC's E-Rate program for funding Potential for broader community impact The network aims to enhance educational experiences and catalyze broader economic growth. FiberLight's Chief Strategy Officer Ron Kormos noted the project's potential to benefit local governments, emergency services, and businesses beyond schools. While focusing on education, this infrastructure is expected to enable last-mile providers to extend connectivity to homes and businesses across the region. FiberLight plans to break ground in Q1 2025, setting a model for rural connectivity nationwide. Read the full press release here .

Vantage Data Centers has broken ground on a new 256MW data center campus in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, marking a significant expansion of its Asia-Pacific operations. This development, announced on August 6, 2024, represents Vantage's largest APAC campus and underscores Malaysia's growing importance in the global digital economy. Key highlights of the new KUL2 campus include: 35-acre site adjacent to Vantage's existing KUL1 campus 256MW of IT capacity at full build-out Dedicated substation for enhanced flexibility and speed Design supporting both cloud and high-density computing deployments This expansion is part of Vantage's previously announced US$3 billion investment plan in Malaysia. Once completed, Vantage's total capacity in the country will reach 287MW, cementing its position as a leading data center provider in the region. The new campus strategically aligns with Malaysia's digital ambitions, particularly in AI and smart manufacturing. As noted by government officials, this development will not only contribute to Malaysia's goal of creating 3,000 smart factories by 2030 but also position the country as a regional hub for AI-enabled manufacturing, fostering optimism for the future of Malaysia's digital economy. Vantage has also secured a significant power agreement with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) for 500MVA-rated capacity, ensuring a reliable and sustainable energy supply for the new campus, providing reassurance about the project's sustainability. This expansion strengthens Vantage's market position and contributes to Malaysia's digital infrastructure, supporting the country's vision to become a leading digital economy in Southeast Asia. For more information on Vantage's APAC operations, which now span five markets with 452MW of operational and planned capacity, visit their website at vantage-dc.com . Read the full press release here .

Global InterXchange (GIX) launched a groundbreaking dark fiber route across the Hudson River, marking a significant leap in New York metro area connectivity. This privately owned, carrier-neutral installation is the first in two decades. Key features of this new, activated dark fiber network include: Two unique paths into 60 Hudson Street, boosting network diversity and resilience The southernmost Hudson River dark fiber crossing 1.4 miles of fiber cables through PATH tunnels 8,000 feet of buried greenfield fiber across Jersey City, Kearny and Newark Advanced security measures, including state-of-the-art manhole systems and 16-ton floodgates This infrastructure upgrade promises to deliver the lowest latency and fastest data transmission speeds between Lower Manhattan and Northern New Jersey. It's expected to significantly benefit financial institutions, telecom companies, hyperscalers and colocation facilities in the region. Joe Falco, GIX's President, emphasized the route's potential to empower businesses and communities through enhanced connectivity. The timing aligns with growing data demands in the AI era, promising a future of unprecedented possibilities. GIX, committed to pushing the boundaries of connectivity, plans further expansion with the Port Authority. This expansion is a testament to our dedication to continually improving regional connectivity standards, ensuring a reliable and efficient network for all. This development represents a major step forward in the region's digital infrastructure, and it is set to drive innovation and improved connectivity for years to come. Read the press release here: https://gixfiber.com/gixs-revolutionary-dark-fiber-route-goes-live-redefining-connectivity-across-the-hudson-river/

Featured in the LIT (Ladies in Tech) Newsletter The idea of having a mentor isn’t new. However, not everyone takes advantage of mentorship. Mentors can help with a variety of situations, not all of which are business-related. Some mentors do a stellar job for certain individuals but may not hit the mark for others. Finding a mentor isn’t a once-and-done exercise for most, as people’s needs for mentorship change. But how does one go about finding a mentor?    First and foremost, look in the mirror. Set your expectations for the immediate and long-term future. What do you need from a mentor? What are your goals? Where do you want to go? Are your goals something a single mentor can help you with, or would you do better with a few? What duration will suit your needs? These questions will help provide guidance. After all, how do you ask someone for their time and expertise if you don’t know what you need?   Conversely, sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. At other times, your needs may outgrow your mentor. Start with a statement of need, if you will. “I need a mentor to…” Once you figure out what you are after, it is easier to find a mentor. You can have multiple mentors for multiple tasks and at various times throughout your career. Asking for help can be the brightest career move you can make.   The qualities you seek in mentorship(s) will depend on your focus. A mentor will help with tasks but also can help see things from a different perspective. You may pick a mentor to help you understand and work your way into management. Someone else may want a mentor to help with sales or accounting. Others may wish to find mentors for both. Figure out where you are uncomfortable. One way to help is to look at job descriptions for the jobs you aspire to hold. Talk to some folks in those jobs. What tasks are expected in that position? Which looks foreign to you? If that task was on your plate, could you take it on, or would you have to outsource the work? Before you find a mentor, do some due diligence and determine what tasks and knowledge work towards your goals.    Look around your church, neighborhood, and networking and work contacts. Look at incubators and professional growth groups. What type of mentor do you want? Do you want a friend? Some people prefer a “non-friend” mentor and a more formal program. If you think about it, you can always ask your friends. However, your friends may not provide a different viewpoint or the “tough love” that gets you to the next level.    Sometimes, companies offer mentorship programs as part of their employee benefits program. While these benefit the company and employees, some prefer to garner mentorship outside of a company’s walls. Many people grow into management through mentorship that turns into sponsorship within a company’s walls.    Professional organizations can be fantastic places to find formal and informal mentors. Peer review and input can be invaluable, even if they come from a competitor.    While one may quickly think a mentor inside your company is the way to go, if your long-term goals don’t include working for that company or you would instead not share your goals and insecurities with someone you don’t know inside the company, external mentors may be the way to go. Seek those in and around the position you aspire to hold. If you want to grow into management, speak to managers. Talk to high earners if you want to be the best at your sales game. Tips can come from anywhere. All tips that help you are mini mentorships. Not all mentorships are formal.   Be an active participant for your best success. Don’t expect your mentor to read your mind. If your goals change, convey those changes. If you don’t feel like the mentorship is working for you, be confident enough to express your feelings so you can change to more fitting topics. If it doesn’t work for you, give your mentor their time. If you have assignments, complete them or communicate that you won’t be on time. The habits, traits, and work ethics you show during mentorship help your mentor pick areas of focus for improvement in the future. Give your mentee duties the same time and diligence you give your position. Some of your mentor’s suggestions may prove beneficial, even when off-topic. The nice thing is that you can learn from your mistakes. You can understand what you don’t know. Mentorship learning is generally outside of your job performance and performance reviews. You can fail up comfortably and with purpose. You can grow through the challenges. Most of all, you can learn a lot about yourself.    For the best success, never be afraid to ask. Ask a lot. Seek advice and opinions from others. You may not always agree with that opinion, but it helps to know how others think. You won’t always agree, but you should listen. Even advice from people you wouldn’t usually take advice from can be helpful.   As this newsletter moves forward, we are starting a feature. This mentorship corner will be full of advice from women in the industry. Send any questions to Carrie Goetz or Laura Noland, and we will get some fantastic women to provide insight. You will find it right here in this mentorship corner.  CarrieG@strategitcom.com  | laura@monarchtelecommarketing.com

Featured in the LIT (Ladies in Tech) Newsletter In our series on Technology Terms, we're focusing on AI—Artificial Intelligence . AI is technically applied theory over data, resulting in a solution set. It generally provides information based on an ask, analyzing details within its language model. Large language models (LLMs) can be built from internet search metadata attached to pictures, posts, messages, or anything, demonstrating the broad capabilities of AI in processing and understanding vast amounts of information.   Why it matters:  The first thing you will hear about AI is the power requirements. Very similar to thinking about how long it would take you to pour over a blob of data, a computer uses more resources to do the same task in less time. So, if it takes you ten weeks to go through a file box, it may take the computer 10 seconds, but it has many cores working through the data, like lots of tiny helper bees.   The controversy:  Garbage in, garbage out, to start. That problem is going to stay in computing. While people can do their best to ensure that output information is factual, the hours required to ensure the original large language model is correctly populated are sometimes prohibitive. Further, we know that coding carries the bias of the coder.   Sometimes, that bias makes the outcomes incorrect. For instance, a recent company launch of generative AI failed to draw anyone white, even if they were white. There were problems with facial recognition for people of color when it first launched. Critical thinking and lots of testing will be essential! Also, most large language models are based on recent info. 95% of the world's data was created in the last few years. Some results warn you that they are "accurate."   Things change! Do the due (diligence, that is)! Also controversial, who will watch AI? Will we have AI that checks AI? Which language model will be "correct?" Will controversy happen faster?   Further controversy: Holy cow at the power! A typical ChatGPT search is 5x the power of a traditional web search engine. Use it when you have to use it to be a good environmental steward. Generative AI can use 20-30x the power of other applications. Some of that consumption goes away after the generative part. But it's still a lot.   Tidbits and things to know:  If you create content with AI, it is automatically considered part of the public domain and cannot be copyrighted. If you do use that content, it is at your own risk.   Also, if you upload company docs to an AI engine, whatever you upload becomes part of the learning model. Upload confidential info and docs at your own risk. It's probably worth paying attention to the warnings. Some AI that is trained on smaller LLM may have greater accuracy.   For instance, a program that runs over helpdesk tickets has fewer bits of fixed information for its reference set.   Want to know about other technology terms? Email CarrieG@strategitcom.com