At New York Tech's 20th Annual Energy Conference: Energy and Data Centers, PMC Group I leaders Peter Curtis and David M. DiQuinzio examined two interconnected challenges facing the data center industry: how to support rapidly expanding digital demand and how to ensure the infrastructure behind it performs reliably.
For Peter Curtis, the industry is approaching what he described as a digital paradox. Computing capacity, artificial intelligence, energy demand, and human knowledge are advancing at a pace that can exceed the industry's ability to build and support the infrastructure they require. Behind every digital transaction, online service, communication, and application sits physical infrastructure operating continuously. As dependence on that infrastructure grows, so does the responsibility to understand the energy and resources required to sustain it.
Peter challenged the idea that this conversation can be reduced simply to how much power or water data centers consume. Instead, he emphasized efficiency, responsible computing, and the value produced from those resources.
Advances in computing illustrate that distinction. New generations of processors provide increasingly greater computational capability, while AI can dramatically increase professional productivity. The question, therefore, is not only how much energy these technologies require, but how intelligently that computing capacity is being used.
Using Intelligence Responsibly
AI sits at the center of this transformation, but Peter emphasized that access to greater intelligence also creates greater responsibility.
Not every question requires intensive computational resources. AI should be applied where its capabilities create meaningful value—solving complex problems, identifying risks, generating insights, and helping professionals move from routine work toward more strategic decision-making.
AI should support critical thinking rather than replace it. Peter stressed the importance of reviewing AI-generated information, understanding the underlying subject matter, and going beyond surface-level answers. Intelligent tools can accelerate work considerably, but professionals remain responsible for evaluating and refining their output.
The same principle applies to the industry's broader energy challenge. Alternative technologies including photovoltaics, wind, geothermal systems, fuel cells, small modular reactors, tidal energy, and other emerging approaches all have potential roles to play. No single solution addresses every requirement.
As computing environments continue expanding, the challenge becomes one of smarter engineering—producing more computational value while continually improving the efficiency of the infrastructure supporting it.
That evolution also creates an opportunity to preserve critical industry knowledge. With significant expertise expected to leave the profession in the coming years, Peter highlighted the potential for trusted, industry-specific AI systems built from vetted sources to help bridge knowledge gaps and support future professionals.
"Don't fear the digital future; embrace it and use AI as your co-pilot to shape what you want your world to be."
Peter Curtis, PMC
Reliability Begins With Evidence
Where Peter explored the forces reshaping digital infrastructure, PMC Group I Managing Director David M. DiQuinzio focused on a fundamental question: how do we prove that increasingly complex facilities will actually work? His answer is commissioning.
Commissioning brings together reviews, analysis, planning, testing, inspections, measurements, and collaboration to establish whether systems will perform as intended before a mission-critical facility becomes operational.
As data centers have evolved from comparatively small enterprise facilities to massive colocation and hyperscale environments, commissioning has become significantly more complex. Larger facilities, higher equipment counts, tighter schedules, increasing thermal densities, and greater financial exposure all raise the consequences of failure.
For David, however, more complexity should not automatically mean more paperwork. He argued that effective commissioning must remain grounded in metrology—the ability to take meaningful measurements and use evidence to determine whether critical systems actually perform as required.
"Process and governance are means to an end. The objective is reliable evidence."
David M. DiQuinzio, PMC
Reliability Begins With Evidence
David proposed viewing commissioning fundamentally as risk management.
Not every component deserves the same amount of testing effort. Limited time and resources should be directed toward the systems whose failure would have the greatest operational consequences. In a modern data center, that includes systems such as power infrastructure and increasingly critical cooling systems supporting high-density computing environments. As equipment densities increase, an interruption to cooling can create consequences within seconds.
A risk-informed commissioning strategy therefore asks a different question. Instead of focusing primarily on whether every procedural step has been completed, teams should ask: Where can failure create the greatest impact, and what evidence do we need to demonstrate that those systems will perform correctly? This approach helps address risks ranging from personal safety and escalating construction costs to delayed completion, performance shortfalls, and downtime.
Engineering for Continuous Change
Peter and David's presentations ultimately converge on the same reality: the mission-critical industry cannot afford to stand still.
Computing density is changing rapidly. Energy requirements are evolving. AI is reshaping professional workflows. New infrastructure models are emerging. Standards and established practices can struggle to keep pace with the speed of technological development. Meeting that challenge requires both innovation and discipline.
For Peter, that means continuously developing professional knowledge, using AI responsibly, and applying intelligent tools to move from routine work toward greater strategic capability.
For David, it means continually questioning whether established commissioning practices are producing meaningful evidence and directing resources toward the risks that matter most.
Both perspectives reinforce the importance of continuous learning. In an industry where technologies, infrastructure, and operating requirements can change within months, professional relevance depends on the willingness to keep learning, questioning, measuring, and adapting.
Looking Ahead
The next generation of data centers will require more energy, greater computational capability, new technologies, and increasingly sophisticated operating models. But building more infrastructure is only part of the challenge.
The industry must also ensure that energy is used responsibly, intelligence is applied thoughtfully, knowledge is preserved, and the systems supporting digital society are proven to perform when they are needed most.
Watch Peter Curtis and David M. DiQuinzio's presentations from the 20th Annual New York Tech Energy Conference: Energy and Data Centers to hear their complete perspectives on AI, energy, continuous learning, commissioning, and the rapidly changing data center industry.