Where hyperscalers and major platforms choose to deploy compute will determine which assets become core infrastructure and which become optional. This panel will explore how AI networks are evolving, with centralised training clusters alongside distributed cloud zones and edge deployments, and what this means for future infrastructure demand.

Understand how hyperscaler roadmaps influence where operators should prioritise capacity expansion, how flexible hyperscalers can be on contract structures, and as deployment accelerates and social license becomes a site-selection and financing variable in its own right, what this means for development planning and long-term financing.

Policy and regulation are core drivers of European data centre development, shaping where capacity can be built, how quickly projects progress and how confident investors can be in future demand. With the EU aiming to triple its data centre capacity, this session asks a simple question: if you were allocating capital in Europe tomorrow, which policy signals would you watch most closely? Explore what the EU's new Cloud and AI Development Act and AI gigafactory programme mean for private investment, how energy reporting and upcoming efficiency standards will affect asset performance, and how UK and EU approaches compare on energy costs and grid access.

The discussion will also look at how congestion in established hubs, grid investment and renewable supply are shifting attention towards emerging markets, why data centres that act as partners to the energy system may gain a planning advantage, and how data sovereignty requirements are accelerating demand for in-country capacity.