Originally posted on Data Center POST
Data Center POST recently interviewed Josh Snowhorn, CEO of Quantum Loophole, an innovative developer of first-of-its-kind Gigawatt-scale master planned data center communities. In the interview, Josh shared his unique insights into the latest industry trends, including the development of adjacent markets and the importance of supporting sustainable solutions and innovation. Read on to discover more about Josh’s vision for Quantum Loophole and the exciting initiatives they will share at ITW 2023.
Data Center POST (DCP) Question: The first ITW Keynote panel features some of the industry’s largest players sharing their perspectives of the industry. What is the top trend that you and your company has its sights on, and why?
Josh Snowhorn, CEO, Quantum Loophole (JS) Answer: Core to what Quantum Loophole has already achieved in Frederick, Maryland, is the development of adjacent markets. At Quantum Loophole, we are seeking adjacent, low-latency markets with massive power and entitlement, particularly in brownfield and industrial locations, that we can repurpose for the data center industry. Key to that is QLoop, a 40+/- fiber ring constructed at a massive scale that is meant to be a wholesale conduit and fiber system for the industry.
As a result of the unprecedented scale we are building at, we act as a wholesaler to the wholesalers, enabling adjacent markets with unlimited scale of potential bandwidth.
DCP Q: The cloud continues to be a hot topic. Some say it’s continuing to grow even bigger, others are saying businesses are starting to repatriate from the cloud into managed infrastructure, such as bare metal. What are you experiencing in your business and how are you adapting to that?
JS A: As the cloud and hybrid cloud ebbs and flows with companies going completely in the cloud and then pulling some infrastructure out of it until they find a balance is something that can be expected. While Quantum Loophole isn’t necessarily directly experiencing this in/out shift, the logic of where the cloud sector is going, and our ability to support it with our wholesale infrastructure is something we always look at, and consider, in our plans.
DCP Q: What makes digital infrastructure smart and sustainable and what is your business doing to help bring the industry forward in this fashion?
JS A: For Quantum Loophole, there are a number of initiatives we are working on. I’ll share two of them with you today. The first is automation. To manage cross-connections across our 3.5 square mile campus, we are implementing two network operation centers that will host Telescent’s automated cross-connection platform, which will robotically process cross-connections between our campus, any data center developed on our campus and any QLoop customer connecting to our campus. The second is that we have filed a patent on energy orchestration, which we think will bring together digital infrastructure and the grid more homogeneously than ever before. Automating cross-connects and rearchitecting microgrids to support our massive campus to drive digital infrastructure innovation are great examples of how we are helping to bring the industry forward with smart and sustainable solutions.
DCP Q: What are you most looking forward to sharing about your company at ITW 2023?
JS A: We are most excited to share the progress of QLoop, our massive 40 +/- network that connects Quantum Frederick, in Maryland, to the Northern Virginia internet ecosystem in under a millisecond. We will be sharing ready-for-service dates, updates on power and other infrastructure construction projects across the campus, and more. It’s a great time to get the inside scoop on what is happening at Quantum Loophole.
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