Dark fiber, not just data centers, unlocks AI growth

If the data center is the brain powering artificial intelligence (AI), dark fiber is the central nervous system. So it makes sense that companies are spending big on such a critical piece of the puzzle. Almost $200 billion in capex last year went toward AI, according to DigitalBridge CEO Marc Ganzi, and it’s not just data centers using that chunk of cash. DigitalBridge has a hand in various digital infrastructure baskets, such as fiber, enterprise and edge data centers, towers and small cells. It’s invested in DataBank, GD Towers, Surf Internet and Zayo, among other companies. When it comes to fiber, DigitalBridge has noticed a “tremendous resurgence” on the enterprise side, particularly with dark fiber, which provides high-speed and low latency connectivity required to support AI, 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), you name it.