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.

In this exclusive interview with W.Media, Brandon Smith, Vice President of Global Sales and Product at ZincFive, discusses how AI is reshaping data center power requirements and why Immediate Power is becoming increasingly important for AI infrastructure, discussing: • How AI Dynamic Power is changing data center power requirements and challenging conventional UPS architectures • Why Immediate Power is emerging as a critical new layer of AI infrastructure and how it can help stabilize dynamic GPU workloads • Why battery chemistry matters and how nickel-zinc technology supports high power density, cycle life, safety, and sustainability • How dual-mode battery systems can support both AI Dynamic Power and traditional backup power • How ZincFive’s BC 2 AI battery cabinet can improve operational efficiency, reduce footprint, and lower total cost of ownership  

The Nordics are fast becoming the backbone of Europe's AI infrastructure and this session unpacks exactly why hyperscalers are betting big on the region. In this second session of the w.media CEE & Europe Webinar Series 2026, our expert panel explores the Nordic region's strategic role in Europe's AI and hyperscale expansion, covering the renewable energy advantage, accelerating deployments across Sweden, Norway, and Finland, and the power and sustainability challenges shaping the next wave of investment. Topics include why hyperscalers are scaling multi-site, multi-country strategies in the Nordics, the role of clean energy as a competitive differentiator, and what the region's growth means for Europe's broader digital infrastructure landscape.