Synopsis: As AI workloads, cloud services, and digital infrastructure continue to expand, data centres face increasing demands for security, resilience, and operational efficiency. In this episode, Steve Katanas of HID and Filip Borg of ASSA ABLOY joins the conversation to explore how modern data center operators can build trust through a layered security strategy that extends from the facility perimeter all the way to critical infrastructure and rack-level assets. The discussion covers the importance of incorporating security early in the design phase, balancing compliance and operational requirements, and addressing the unique challenges of data centre environments. Topics include trusted identities, access control, multifactor authentication (MFA), biometrics, and the growing need for integrated solutions that support both security and business continuity. You’ll also learn why a holistic approach to physical access control is essential for protecting people, assets, and data, while ensuring a seamless experience for authorized personnel. Whether you’re a security leader, data center operator, consultant, architect, facilities manager, or systems integrator, this episode provides valuable insights into designing secure, scalable, and future-ready data center environments. Key themes: Data Center Security | Physical Access Control | Trusted Identities | Biometrics | MFA | Compliance | Perimeter to Core | Digital Infrastructure | Critical Infrastructure Protection | HID | ASSA ABLOY

Two and a half years ago, custom silicon was crazy talk. AI was NVIDIA. Recorded live at W.Media Sydney 2026 in Darling Harbour, JP Vasquez, founder of AI Foundry, explains why that has changed: purpose-built inference chips can use as little as a quarter of the power while delivering three to five times more tokens per second.   JP breaks down where GPUs excel and where custom silicon takes over, why air-cooled 40kW racks like Positron AI’s can land in data centres that already exist, and how a few gigawatts of legacy capacity across Asia Pacific could be turned into AI factories. He also covers why Australia and New Zealand are well placed to serve both US and Asian markets around the clock, what it takes to get your money back on AI infrastructure, and where to start if you want to learn the space. Plus: Utes, Toyota Corollas, and hot dog or not a hot dog.

Thailand's data center sector is growing fast but the workforce needed to run it is not keeping pace. With 42 data centers currently operating and that number forecast to nearly double within five years, the industry is looking at a potential shortfall of 4,000 to 6,000 trained professionals. There is no data center degree. There is no obvious pipeline. And the people who could fill those roles largely do not know the industry exists. This panel examines where the talent will come from, why Thailand's high-tech manufacturing base may be the most overlooked pipeline in the industry, and what operators, universities, and governments need to do before the silver tsunami hits.

As AI workloads push data center design into uncharted territory, operators are being forced to make infrastructure decisions without knowing who their tenants will be, what cooling technology will be standard, or how fast the next generation of hardware will arrive. This panel examines how to build infrastructure that stays relevant as technology evolves faster than construction timelines, why modularization is becoming a core design principle, and what sustainability demands look like beyond carbon targets.