# 1003: Building an AI Data Center End to End, with Lightning AI’s Frank Basso

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/super-data-science/1003-building-an-ai-data-center-end-to-end-with-lightning-ai-s-frank-basso
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/super-data-science/1003-building-an-ai-data-center-end-to-end-with-lightning-ai-s-frank-basso.md
Podcast: [Super Data Science: ML & AI Podcast with Jon Krohn](https://stenobird.com/podcast/super-data-science)
Published: 2026-06-23T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/E581B9/arttrk.com/p/VI4CS/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/SUPERDATASCIENCEPTYLTD7078318207.mp3
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/E581B9/arttrk.com/p/VI4CS/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/SUPERDATASCIENCEPTYLTD7078318207.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/super-data-science/episodes/1003-building-an-ai-data-center-end-to-end-with-lightning-ai-s-frank-basso
Duration seconds: 4321

## Resource

Frank Basso, VP of Infrastructure at Lightning AI, joins Jon Krohn for a rare ground-level tour of the one layer of the AI stack the show had never covered in over a thousand episodes: the physical data center. Frank explains how Lightning AI provisions its 35,000-plus GPUs through hyperscale co-location, why everything new is liquid-to-chip cooled, how GPUs talk to each other over ultra-fast east-west networks, and what it’s actually like to stand inside a 110-decibel AI data hall. He also debunks the most persistent myths about data-center water and electricity use, and makes the case for fuel cells, nuclear power, and 800-volt DC distribution as the path forward. Additional materials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.superdatascience.com/1003⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information. In this episode you will learn: (02:47) What actually makes an AI data center different from a traditional one (06:04) How Lightning AI provisions its 35,000+ GPUs through hyperscale co-location (24:01) Why liquid cooling doesn’t waste water, debunking the biggest data-center myth (29:46) East-west vs. north-south networks, explained (43:47) “Screaming banshees”: why AI data halls run at 105–110 decibels (51:52) Why data centers don’t actually drive up your power bill

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/super-data-science/episodes/1003-building-an-ai-data-center-end-to-end-with-lightning-ai-s-frank-basso/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/super-data-science/1003-building-an-ai-data-center-end-to-end-with-lightning-ai-s-frank-basso.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.