As AI workloads drive gigawatt-scale demand and grid queues stretch for years, onsite generation has become the new frontier of site selection. The calculus for where to build no longer starts with fiber and substation proximity. It starts with fuel logistics, microgrid potential, and power independence.

This session unpacks the leading behind-the-meter power strategies reshaping data center development in North America and beyond:

• Firm Gas and Modular Power Plants: The rise of containerized, dispatchable natural gas generation and hybrid CHP systems for hyperscale campuses.
• Advanced Onsite Energy Models: SMRs, fuel cells, and hybrid microgrids that blend renewables with firm backup.
• Land + Power Integration: How developers are pairing energy and acreage in early site identification and financing.
• Regulatory and Interconnection Pathways: How “non-wires alternatives” and direct utility partnerships can fast-track AI factory timelines.
• ESG and Permitting Realities: Navigating emissions, community acceptance, and sustainability frameworks as private power scales up.

This discussion will provide a clear-eyed look at the energy strategies now defining competitive advantage in hyperscale and colocation expansion; and what it takes to design, finance, and operate AI-era data centers that generate their own power.