Community, Legacy and Local Impact in Data Centre Development | Live at Datacloud Global Congress 2026

In the fifth episode of our series recorded live at Datacloud Global Congress 2026 in Cannes, Andy Davis is once again joined by co-host Rory Flashman from Spa Communications to explore one of the biggest themes running through this year’s event: community. 

Joining the conversation: 

Ilker Essener, Bulk Infrastructure 

Wes Cummins, Applied Digital 

Together, they discuss why community engagement has become a central part of data centre development, and why the industry can no longer afford to treat it as an afterthought. 

The conversation explores how data centre operators can create long-term value in the regions where they build, from jobs and skills to tax revenue, infrastructure investment, apprenticeships and local supply chain opportunities. 

Wes shares Applied Digital’s experience of developing large-scale infrastructure in smaller US communities, including how data centres can support local economies, create high-quality technical careers, strengthen public services and help bring people back to rural towns. 

Ilker also discusses Bulk Infrastructure’s approach in Europe, highlighting the importance of local engagement, circular economy thinking, skills development and creating meaningful opportunities for communities throughout the development and operational lifecycle. 

The episode also looks at the importance of legacy, why listening to local communities matters, and how the industry can support education, vocational training and new career pathways as demand for data centre talent continues to grow. 

Recorded live at Datacloud Global Congress 2026 in Cannes. 

Key Topics: 

• Why community engagement is now central to data centre development 
• How operators can create lasting value in the regions where they build 
• The role of data centres in supporting rural and smaller communities 
• How large-scale infrastructure can improve local tax bases, utilities, roads and schools 
• Why technical jobs and career pathways matter for long-term local impact 
• How Applied Digital is working with communities in North Dakota and Louisiana 
• Bulk Infrastructure’s perspective on community value creation in Europe 
• Why listening to local priorities is critical before development begins 
• How operators can support apprenticeships, internships and vocational training 
• The importance of shaping education and curriculum around future industry needs 
• How offsite manufacturing and prefab models can still create local opportunity 
• Why legacy should be part of every data centre development strategy 

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_02 0:00

The data centre industry is moving faster than ever, and behind the scenes some seriously smart people are making it all happen. Welcome to the Inside Data Centre Podcast, where we dive into the stories, insights, and innovations driving real change across the industry. From hyperscale campuses to game-changing technologies, we're talking to the people shaping the future of digital infrastructure. Whether you live and breathe data centers or just want to understand what's powering our connected world, you're in the right place. Welcome to Inside Data Centre Podcast. We're back on the terrace, uh the global commissioning networking terrace, as we've been told to say, um, in Cannes. Really looking forward to this episode because we have already talked. We've done this is our episode five, I think we've recorded four or five. Communities coming up on every single conversation. Everyone you speak to is talking about the challenges around community. So I really want to dig into that one. Delighted to be joined by Ilke from Bulk and Wes from Applied Digital. We'll let you guys introduce yourselves. So, Ilka, do you want to start?

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Thanks. Thanks for the invite, uh Andy. So Ilka Esner. So I'm leading uh design and uh procurement uh for bulk infrastructure, uh, you know, based out of Norway.

SPEAKER_03 1:03

Um uh Wes Cummins, thanks for having me. I'm um founder CEO of Applied Digital, which build large-scale infrastructure in the US. Your market is brilliant as well, as I always say.

SPEAKER_02 1:14

But the docuseries is out now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:17

So I'll I'll give the plug. It's called Behind the Build. Uh we've released two episodes, kind of a Netflix style, you know, documentary on no glossing over what actually happens. It's you can see what happens in these communities, these small towns, as we go to build a big infrastructure project. So highly recommend.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

No, 100%. And it's exactly what the industry needs. That's why I wanted to plug it myself as well. But um community, it's I say it comes up in every conversation now. Like when you're developing or you're entering a region, is it now a key factor in your development? So when you're looking to build in a region, is community like at the heart of what this industry does now? Uka?

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Yeah, no, 100%. And um look, I was uh you know lucky enough like to spend my whole career on data center uh you know, built started in the US, work with uh, you know, uh big companies, and um, and when I see the the change from like 20 years ago when I started and today, it's absolutely uh a big factor right now. So I mean if you don't show that you're returning um, you know, the favor to the community, creating that circular economy, and I don't think like you can build a sustainable business. So especially like constraints around resources. I mean, starting with uh, you know, with energy or or water. Um, I mean, these communities like Ruzu looking for um, you know, the the return of the resources that we're using there. So uh, and unfortunately data centers, they're not like you know other industries, right? So we don't create like thousands of jobs like you know once we build our buildings. But I think there are so many different ways like to um to show the value, right? So either community outreach or creating opportunities, uh, you know, job opportunities locally. I'm on the development side, not on the operation side, uh, but you can just you know establish your strategy in a way that the local community really benefits from you know years of development. So even though you bring like you know your international supply chain, I think there's so many ways to um to show the value to the local community. And once you uh hit that and and I think you get the support you know behind you, and then you can you can build a sustainable business in that uh locality.

SPEAKER_02 3:33

So yeah, Wes, I know you've done some cool stuff in North Dakota from a community perspective, which is really shaped that community to become part of the development.

SPEAKER_03 3:42

Yeah. So so for us, it it's obviously you need to you know know what you're doing from a data center build perspective. So we you know, the first for us was figuring this industry out. It was brand new, it's been brand new for everyone, not data center, but large scale, high power density. Uh so we put all the people in place to to figure that part of it out. But then the the way we approach the market is you know, where did these fit best? And we're looking for power. Uh, and then kind of my background, which gives me a uh a huge amount of pride in what we do. So I I grew up in a in a small town that was uh uh 200 people. I grew up on a potato farm in Idaho, so it's really stereotypical, actually. Uh so um, but you know, I watched what happened to the community I grew up in. And what happened is, you know, family farming has largely disappeared, uh, at least in the US, um, but but in a lot of places. And so these communities get pretty decimated from what they used to be. So it goes to commercial farming, uh, a lot fewer people, a lot more um automation. And so these communities have just been slowly dying for decades. And so we've we're able to find the the ones that you know have the ingredients that we need, but we go to these communities uh that really need some economic boost. And it's it's not just can we uh enhance the community a little bit? It's a complete game change for that community. So we're in Ellendale, North Dakota is 1100 people. We're in Harwood, North Dakota, it's 800 people. Now we're in Louisiana, we're in Boise, Louisiana, 600 people. Um uh we're in another town in North Dakota, it's uh 600 or 400 people. And then so what we bring is really community first. And so we come in and we build, you're gonna really enhance the tax base um for them. So we we were able to walk in and say, how does you know hundreds of millions of dollars in tax and economic um you know production sound over over a 20 or 25 year period? It's amazing for these communities. They get to fix their fresh water, they get to fix their sewer, they get to fix their roads. Would you like to have the wealthiest school district in the state almost overnight? Right. Um and then the the things that really hit home is we bring high-paying technical jobs and we train locally for those. So we can get 80% of the workforce. And and to your point earlier, you know, the bad rap for data centers is that we don't create enough jobs. But when you're dealing with a community this size, we create just the right amount. They don't want 10,000 jobs, right? They live in this small community because they want it to stay small, but they want it to be small and prosperous. Uh, so we bring just the right amount. If we can bring two or three hundred jobs, and it's just it's that town, and then it's a it's a commuting area, right? So people are used to driving 45 minutes and they'll live in another small town nearby. And so it lifts the whole area up um dramatically. And the thing that really hits home for people, and what's great is it's not just a story for us. We're telling the story of what's already happened because we've done this and uh we have lowered electricity bills for people in the in the area we've been operating for about four years now. We've lowered the electricity bill uh by about $38 million for the ratepayers over that time. How do you lower the electricity bill? There was already excess power, and then we utilize the infrastructure more, we pay the utility, the utility makes more money, they have to give it back. Uh, that's just the utility model where we're operating. And so we save, so hey, we save people on electricity. We pioneered closed loop liquid cooling. Why? Because I can use a lot of energy and electricity that exists in a farming community. They're not going to let me use the water, right? Like that that's their lifeblood, is water. So we we we basically said, look, we can't use water, so we don't use water. We use the same amount as a house would use. Um, then we we create jobs, but it's better than jobs. We we create a place where people can have a career, they can advance. These are not just like, hey, you you got a job at a food processing plant because you're doing agriculture, and this is where you're kind of stuck, and but at least it pays the best. Right now, we create a career that people can advance, they're proud of their job. And what we've seen is people that grew up in these small towns and they moved away because there was no job. They went to university, they moved and you know, got a job in Denver or some other city. We've had people that are moving back, they bring their kids back, they get to raise their kids in the same town, and then you know what really resonates is what they see for the future is not only do they get to raise their kids there, but as they grow and mature in this community, they have an opportunity for their kids to get jobs in that community and their grandkids to be near them and everyone to grow up in in the same area. So it's a complete change from for the fortunes of that community from where it was to what to what is the future now. And there's no opportunity like this for them. And and it's the leading edge of technology. So we're when I grew up, like we get we were our community was like the last to get the internet, right? I would go to my parents' house after I graduated college, I've been working a job. I go out and and still log into their AOL dial-up account in 2015, right? So we're like the last to get it. This is the first, the leading edge of technology created in these communities. It's it's really a boost. And then what that does is we do a good job, we get to do it again in another community. And then we have I get people to write letters to me and I have them show up at my office that are begging me to come to their community to do the same thing. And and I think this is where the future is in the data center industry, right? Does the community in Dallas, Texas want, you know, a hundredth data center? No. Uh, does Northern Virginia want a 500th data center? No. Uh they they don't want this, but these towns where it really creates something completely different and a future for them and a future for their kids and a future for their grandkids, like they get it and they want this infrastructure there and they understand the benefits. And so they're welcoming. And then we have a partnership, right? And we are, we really work hard to be good partners, hear what the problems are that we create. We create some problems, there's no doubt, especially in construction. Um, but as it operates, it's you know, it's a pretty smooth operation, creates the right amount of jobs. It's it's really, it's a as you can tell, I think it's a it's a big point of pride for me that we're able to do this in these locations. And then we get welcomed into more. And that that's the model of our company. Not only do we know how to do these things, but we create this partnership with communities, and then we get welcomed into new communities so we can do it again.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

Yeah, and is it the same in Europe? Have you seen the same in Europe from a uh community perspective? It's obviously a very different market, but have you seen the development? Because obviously bulk in itself develops in some quite remote locations. Are you seeing the similar?

SPEAKER_01 10:22

Yeah, 100%. And and uh same as like you know, Wes said, so when you built in these small communities, they all have histories. Like I worked in uh northern Sweden uh as well in the past. Like, you know, the major industry was steel, and uh, you know, Christian sat very close to you know oil and gas, like uh, you know, but obviously people want to learn you know new uh you know technologies, like this next generation uh jobs. So when you create opportunities like apprenticeship programs or internships, like bringing you know college grads like to data centers, you know, either during development stage or operational stage, you know, they learn they can become a fiber technician, they can become uh, you know, the facility office engineer or electrician, you know, plumber. Like, I mean, you introduce them like to uh you know a variety of opportunities. And I think it's beyond that uh that project only, right? So they can take that skill and they can grow. And um, you know, when I started data centers, like I didn't know everything, but you know, slowly uh, you know, you climb the letters and you learn more and more. So we want to provide the same opportunity to people, and and that's what they're looking for. So to answer your question, yeah, it's exactly uh the same. And and because they want to put uh their city on the map, right? So they want to know that they're open to like you know, these data center companies, like new technology, you know, coming in and developing new skills, like the kids can um you know grow their families, like you said, Wes, in in those towns. So I think, yeah, a lot of similarities to US.

SPEAKER_00 11:54

So it's interesting. Like one of the biggest things I'm getting from you guys is you're not just building digital infrastructure platforms, you're you're building legacies for the future. And I think that uh one of the most positive changes in this industry in recent years has been the fact that there are operators who are willing to go so far to engage with the community. It you know, speaking from your own perspective, what what can the industry do to kind of make sure that community engagement remains a priority? And what what advice would you offer? Personal advice.

SPEAKER_03 12:24

Yeah, I I I love the word that you you said there is a legacy. And you you you need to have that mindset. And it I I think this is super important. So we're we're in an industry where you know it's the hottest industry in the world, you know, at at the moment. And there's a huge amount of demand and there's a huge amount of opportunity. And so you'll have people that come into the industry and they're you know, they're focused on I can be in this industry and I can make a lot of money. And that's their focus. And how much money can I make and I can do it fast? And so then you you start to force things to happen that shouldn't happen, right? It's like, hey, I don't I don't care that I have this piece of land that's you know half a mile from a school. I can make a lot of money if I can just build it and get the permit, and I don't care the fight that I'm gonna be in. Uh and so you you we have to deal with that. And and the the way we think, which is back to the legacy, is how is it gonna impact this community, not just this year or next year, but a decade from now and two decades from now. And that's how we work with the community and how we think through uh what is gonna be the lasting impact? What is gonna be our legacy as a company? What are we gonna help with this community? We need to have this kind of thought, otherwise, you you get to do one project, you get to do it horribly, and then you're done. No one no one else is gonna want you there, right? This is this is a thought of how we improve these communities, how we be a great partner and how we build a legacy, not just for our company, but for that community as well, because each one has you know their own identity. And and to your point, that there's there's great pride in these communities, always is. And I and and I love that aspect. And they want to put their town on the map, right? They want their village on the map. Um, and so you're you're helping them do that. But you need we can't dictate everything. So we spend a lot of time. We're really good, our team is really good at spending a lot of time of listening when we go. So, like I said, every single one of these is different. What are their priorities? What are they looking for us to do? What do they not want us to do? Um, and so we just make sure that there's a lot of listening and intake and then work collaboratively with the community. Obviously, you know, we build our building the way we have to build our building. Um, and we need to operate it the way we operate it because we have SLAs and we have all of these things. Uh, but there's a lot of things that you can shape around what the priorities of that community are, but you need to listen to a lot of people, right? It can't be there's there's different priorities from different people inside of that. Um, so it's it is really, you know, how do we create this legacy and how do you have a long-term vision and you think about the future versus just like, what can I do today? What can I announce today? Uh, how do I make money really fast? Uh it it needs to be a lot more thought out than than just that and what the lasting lasting impact is.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

How about you, Selfie? Totally agree. I mean, the listening part I think is really important because every community they have different needs. But when it comes to advice to answer your question, I think I would look at it in two folds, right? So, I mean, first one, just look at the life cycle of development. I mean, especially in Europe, like the when it comes to you know, permitting zoning, environmental impact assessments, like there's a long time we we spent to prep the site, like ready for any kind of development, right? But during that period, like, you know, I think people need to look at like how much of a disturbance, like, you know, you create and and how can you uh bring that back like on other places in in the community, right? And as you develop your design, as you start getting into like construction, et cetera, it opens up other opportunities. Um, so if you um, you know, look at the past, like when we try to build uh things fast, like we try to bring like thousands of people, like you know, electricians, like plumbers there. So obviously it creates an economy. But right now, the industry demands faster builds, right? So we're moving more OSM, like the offsite manufacturing, like prefab solutions, like vertically integrated uh models. And sometimes it takes the jobs away from the locality, but there are ways of uh tackling this, right? So, you know, your your offsite manufacturing strategy can be established in a way that maybe you you you take care of certain things like you know outside that community, or you create these assembly centers like locally, right? So and then you can flat back things and and send them to there and then you know create that kind of fun opportunity. And um, and then the second part is uh I guess as you get close to um you know the operations uh you know side, not just um you know going and helping the community with but parks or you know, helping schools, uh as we said, like creating those apprenticeship programs and and um and internship programs, reaching out to college uh you know students ready to graduate, because I'm sure all of them are scared at the moment because of AI. So I mean when I read the white papers, I I'm scared, like, you know, what's gonna happen to our jobs, right? So uh so I think um, you know, educating them, like sharing your your your um you know knowledge with them and and maybe shaping their career, even though they don't end up working in in your um you know facility, you may influence them in a way that they go to the right industry for the future and they will be ready for the the future with AI in our lives.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

It's interesting to hear you say that, right? Because uh Andy and I are involved in an initiative in the UK at the minute is kind of trying to champion kind of earlier engagement in terms of education. There's a massive skill shortage, obviously, lots of kind of opportunity for people to build a brilliant career, to your point as well. Whereas do you think that uh engaging at college level you know obviously it's important, but do you think actually there's a better opportunity to engage earlier with schools? Talk about kind of the role in the infrastructure.

SPEAKER_03 18:03

So so the way the way we operate with this is uh one of the first things we do when we go into a community is we go to the technical schools, the vocational colleges um that are training for these skill sets. And we help actually set the curriculum and we put money to work there. So we'll we'll we'll invest money into these uh, I think into into these trade schools. And I think we in the Dakotas we're doing like six different schools. Um it's one of the first things we did in Louisiana uh because we we need that, right? And this is where to to your point, you're trying to help kids go, okay. It used to be that I I wanted to be a coder, right? That was the thing I was gonna do. Or I mean it's still thinking of doctors away, so those those types of careers. So you have that, but like we need kids to think about a different career path. And when you show them, hey, you could go through this program, you get an apprenticeship, and instead of four years, you're done in two years, uh, and you're gonna make $120,000 a year, $150,000 a year right out of your school. And there's really great job opportunities um to make a a great living, to create a career for yourself. Like that becomes really appealing. So that's that's the first place we go is we go right to those schools, help shape the curriculum. Here's what we need. Uh, here's the skill set so that the again, just it's this partnership. That one is one that we have to have. We we need those skill sets. We need to be able to scale this up, and we're doing it in these small places, so we need to help kind of create the workforce for ourselves. Uh, and that's that's one of the big bottlenecks. I think you all know in the industry that the labor force is a huge bottleneck. Um, so all of us have to solve that. But that that's something that we focus on in a huge way.

SPEAKER_01 19:44

Yeah. I I want to double-click on the curriculum part because uh I'm a civil engineer by degree, and and when I look at my education, and and I think it still happens to a degree, like it's so theoretical, right? And then you come into the real business world, and then you see like, okay, I need to develop on this side, I need to develop on that side. So I think what we can do is just reaching out to colleges and influencing their you know curriculum in a way that um you know the grads like come to the you know business world more ready. I mean, think about like mechanical engineering, right? So it's um there's so many different paths you can follow as a mechanical engineer. But now I'm looking at last uh three, four years with liquid cooling coming in, like there's so many interesting challenges like you know you're introducing, right? So the the CFDs on the air side. So I mean, if you influence them in that fashion, you can create like this special program, like people might be ready for like mechanical engineering in data centers, like and and how that works. So I think it's uh it was spot-on comment on that side.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

So I think we're about to be invaded by lunch, so wrap this one up. But um obviously we could talk about community all day and everything, but from an event perspective, I don't know if you've been to data cloud before, where this might be your third, my third, but there you go. You've got everyone. But what's been your key highlight so far, both of you, and what are you looking forward to, and kind of what what's this event all about for yourselves?

SPEAKER_01 21:05

Yeah, you want me to start? Um, I think this is my sixth uh you know data cloud, and every year it amazes me, like the number of people, the type of uh people. We were talking about it before uh you know start recording. I think the full pyramid is here, and uh and I see more and more US presence. Like I think it's the location is very attractive. That is, that is. Um, but I mean seeing finance community, like the full supply chain. So it amazes me every year, like it gets better and better, and and um you know it's a great place to to connect with uh you know colleagues and build partnerships. So uh the highlights there is just the scale. The scale is just amazing and and uh very heading, and also different types of supply chain coming in, like second, third tier, like they're trying to get into the data center world. So uh they want to learn, and um, and obviously a lot of people coming in on on the um the events, like speaking, sharing their experiences. So I mean this is really uh a good uh event for the the community, and this is the one that I don't miss. Like there's so many of them, as you know, and but this is definitely the one that uh you know I never miss and I enjoy. So it's same so far, very busy. You keep running between uh you know meetings and and events, but uh, really enjoy.

SPEAKER_03 22:20

So I mean this is this is the premier global event, right? This is Europe, Asia, US, uh everyone here's Africa is here. So it's great to have the full data center community because you get to see everything that's going on around the globe, full stack, as you mentioned, all all the suppliers all the way through the finance, um, the financing of the facilities. So like this is the global event, and you get to hear a lot of you know interesting perspectives and ideas. Um plus I get a meet with you know all of my suppliers and my customers and companies, people that I hope are gonna be customers, it's probably the most important meetings for me. Um so it's it's just it's the premier global event. So I love being at this. And it has versus even you know the two years ago that I was here, it's just insane.

SPEAKER_02 23:10

Yeah, I think every every year it gets bigger. I always say it gives you a great insight into like the the evolution of the industry because it you you you live and breathe this industry and you don't really see what's happening, but every year you come back to the same place and you think there's a few more thousand people, yeah, a few more hundred vendors, you know, new faces. It's my it's my trying to get hotel rooms every year. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. And then we book Leg Martinet events. So thanks you both for coming on. The community's really important to the industry, I think. So I appreciate you both sharing your story. You're doing some great things, both your companies are doing some great things. So thanks for your time. Go you can now go and enjoy the uh the French sunshine. Thanks. Thanks for appreciating it. That's it for this episode of the Inside Data Centre Podcast. Thanks for tuning in. This show is brought to you by Data X and Data Exec, the recruitment partners powering global talent across the data centre and digital infrastructure world. If you enjoyed today's conversations, don't forget to follow, like and subscribe. It really helps us grow the podcast community. Stay tuned for more stories, insights, and conversations with the people shaping the future of our industry.