The Open Compute Project Podcast

Rob Coyle sits down with David Hirst, CEO of Macquarie Data Centres, for a deep look at the rapid changes shaping data centers in the age of AI.
David shares why Australia’s sovereign approach matters, how AI workloads are shifting design from “real estate” to “chip-out thinking,” and why early collaboration across hyperscalers, government, and the supply chain is becoming essential.
They explore the unique nature of the Australian market, the rise of liquid cooling and megawatt-per-rack designs, what it takes to build IC3 Super West, and how culture, regulation, and geopolitics all influence where and how AI infrastructure gets built.
A thoughtful conversation for anyone working in AI infrastructure, colocation, hyperscale strategy, or global data centre planning.
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:27 – Why Australia Is a Prime Data Centre Hub
01:52 – How AI Changed Everything
03:23 – Planning for Bursty, Unpredictable AI Workloads
04:28 – Liquid Cooling and Blurred Boundaries
06:17 – What Makes the Australian Market Different
08:35 – Building in Dense Cities and Working With Communities
10:12 – AI, Culture, and Data Sovereignty
11:22 – Local Requirements and Power Challenges
12:57 – Long-Term Operators vs Short-Term Developers
16:20 – Compliance as a Market Advantage
18:45 – The Critical Role of Data Centres in Modern Life
20:22 – Inside IC3 Super West
21:56 – Designing for a Fast-Changing Future
23:51 – Why AI Behaves Differently Than Cloud
26:43 – The Rise of CDU Innovation
28:09 – Building for 2030 and Beyond
33:27 – What Keeps David Optimistic

Texas Instruments is known for semiconductors, calculators, and decades of design expertise. In this episode, Chris Suchoski shows how TI is becoming a full grid-to-chip partner for the next wave of data center growth. Rob and Chris break down what it takes to power AI, how architectures are shifting, and why TI’s deep experience outside the four walls of the data center matters now more than ever.Chris outlines the pressure facing the industry. AI workloads are growing at a rate the traditional design cycle cannot match. Time-to-market has gone from years to months, yet the expectations for density, power, sustainability, and reliability continue to climb. TI’s response is to support the entire power path from the grid to the GPU. Their goal is to help customers move faster and build systems that can take on the new wave of compute demand.They discuss the shift from conventional rack design to high-voltage architectures like 800V, the rise of megawatt-class racks, and what happens when unpredictable AI workloads collide with an aging set of power assumptions. Chris explains why this shift impacts every part of the ecosystem, from AC distribution to cooling to storage systems. He also talks through how TI’s decades of work in automotive, industrial, and grid power translate directly into the needs of hyperscale and AI operators.The conversation also highlights how collaboration through OCP speeds progress. Standards development, shared learning, and early visibility into architectural trends help companies build aligned solutions. Chris explains why TI participates heavily in OCP working groups and why he sees it as one of the best ways for operators and engineers to keep up with rapid change.Chapters:00:00 Introduction01:00 Meet Chris Suchoski and TI’s data center focus03:00 Why timelines are shrinking04:00 AI workloads and unpredictable power demand06:00 TI’s role beyond the compute tray08:00 Grid-to-chip: TI’s end-to-end approach10:00 Lessons from automotive and grid power12:00 Why OCP collaboration matters14:00 The shift to 800V architectures17:00 What Gen4 power architectures may look like19:00 Cooling, reliability, and emerging risks21:00 TI’s latest hardware and reference designs24:00 Hidden bottlenecks and future challenges26:00 What operators and engineers should prepare for28:00 How to engage with TI and get involved in OCP

AI clusters are exploding in size and pushing the limits of today’s data center power and network designs. In this episode, host Rob Coyle sits down with JP Buzzell, VP and Data Center Chief Architect at Eaton, to break down why power architecture has become the next big bottleneck and how the industry can respond.
JP explains how data center design has hit a turning point. Density jumped from a few kilowatts a rack to more than 100 kW almost overnight. The move from many small, varied workloads to massive, synchronized GPU clusters has changed everything from physical layouts to network physics. Packet loss now dictates rack layout. Space inside the rack has run out. Cooling had to evolve not just for efficiency, but simply to fit the gear. And power distribution needs a complete rethink.
The conversation covers the shift toward direct current power, why AC inside the rack cannot scale to the clusters coming next, and the role OCP is playing in driving standards, regulation, and cross-industry cooperation. JP also shares the human motivation behind this work, from medical breakthroughs to a cleaner, safer grid.
This is a clear and practical explanation of a topic that will shape the future of data centers for years to come.

00:00 – Why data center design is changing
02:15 – The jump in rack density
04:20 – Liquid cooling’s real driver
06:50 – Power congestion inside the rack
08:30 – JP Buzzell’s background
10:45 – Building hyperscale GPU clusters
14:40 – The power bottleneck hits
18:00 – Training vs inference reliability
20:40 – We’re still in the “light bulb era” of AI
22:10 – What slows DC adoption
25:00 – Inside the OCP power distribution effort
29:30 – Grid stability and load drops
34:00 – Modular power and offsite build
38:45 – The next wave of power tech
41:00 – Global standards and interoperability
51:55 – Final message: feed the good wolf

Nabeel Mahmood returns to the OCP Global Summit — and the OCP Podcast — with momentum, mission, and a message. In this follow-up conversation with host Rob Coyle, Nabeel shares the growth of Nomad Futurist’s education efforts, bringing students and new voices to the forefront of the data center ecosystem.

The episode dives deep into why building the future of infrastructure starts with people, access, and understanding. From debunking misconceptions about data centers to spotlighting programs supporting students in underserved regions, Rob and Nabeel explore the true meaning of open innovation and industry responsibility.

Key Themes:

The importance of global education in tech

Empowering communities to understand digital infrastructure

Social responsibility in the data center industry

Bridging policy, power, and people through open knowledge

Nomad Futurist’s collaboration with OCP

Evolving power architectures and AI-driven infrastructure

The 1% concept: How small contributions make big impact

Chapter Markers:

00:00 – The Barrier of Access
00:45 – Global Student Sponsorships
02:00 – Why Community Literacy Matters
03:10 – Debunking Myths About Data Centers
05:00 – Responsible Progress
07:15 – Education as Industry Defense
08:00 – Scaling the Mission Globally
10:00 – Infrastructure Evolution & Opportunities

As the Open Compute Project continues to grow and diversify, our role is more than managing projects, it’s fostering an experience that helps members thrive across technical and business goals. 

The focus of OCP remains open participation and collaboration. But with the investment our members make, they also need to see outcomes. This has never been more important than with the new requirements in the hardware ecosystems and the rush to support AI workloads.

Our Community grows through the strength of our member’s contributions, our knowledge sharing through events, webinars and virtual workshops, and the opportunity to shape the future of computational infrastructure through open standardization. 

Though each of these programs can be great, the value is not in just selecting one, it's in the journey for our members, provided by the framework for a thriving open community. 

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