THE DATA CENTRE INTERVIEW
“THE MONETISATION OF AI WORKING MODELS OR INFERENCE IS THE NEXT BIG WAVE”
STEVE CARLINI, CHIEF ADVOCATE FOR DATA CENTRE AND AI, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC
Environmental benefits of retrofitting Beyond operational advantages, retrofitting offers meaningful sustainability improvements.
Steve highlights two key areas where AI-ready retrofits can enhance environmental performance.
“ Closed loop liquid-cooling systems use much less water than traditional cooling,” he points out.“ Additionally, a new generation of 800VDC electrical power distribution to the AI servers will use less current and produce less heat in the future.”
These efficiency gains matter increasingly as data centres face growing scrutiny over their environmental impact.
Retrofits that reduce water consumption while improving power efficiency can help operators meet ESG commitments while preparing for AI workloads.
Why 2026 marks a turning point According to Steve, the convergence of several trends makes retrofitting particularly critical in 2026. He sees AI applications reaching a maturity threshold that will drive unprecedented demand for distributed computing capacity.
“ As production-ready AI inference applications start gaining momentum, companies improve
28 February 2026