Skip to content
MarketScale
‹ Back to IndustriesProfessional AV

Modern Data Centers Fuel Demand for Flexible Fiber Infrastructure

The demand for flexible fiber infrastructure is escalating as AI and cloud computing drive data centers to the edge. This shift compels fiber providers to adapt, particularly in boosting connectivity in rural areas and enabling edge data centers close to end users. The episode explores strategies to meet hyperscalers' needs for dense, micro cable solutions.

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Professional AV teams put it to work with Customer Stories & Case Studies.

Promoted content from Pro AV Today on MarketScale.

By Ben Thomas · Artificial IntelligenceBrian RileyCloud ComputingConnected America 2025
Share

Key takeaways

01

Hyperscalers like Amazon demand ultra-compact micro cables.

02

Edge data centers are being developed to reduce latency.

03

Rural areas are increasingly seeking fiber connectivity for telehealth and other services.

Get featured

Want to get featured in MarketScale Professional AV?

Create a free MarketScale workspace and get your company's expertise featured across our Professional AV coverage. No credit card, no demo required.

Start free

The rise of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and remote services is reshaping how and where modern data centers are built. Edge computing is pushing facilities closer to users, and hyperscalers are demanding smaller, denser fiber connectivity solutions. According to Synergy Research Group, hyperscale data center capacity is expected to triple by 2030.

Hyperscale data center capacity is expected to triple by 2030.

How are fiber providers adapting to the explosive growth in bandwidth demand—and what does it mean for rural communities, healthcare networks, and the edge data centers of tomorrow?

Continuing our conversation at Connected America 2025 on Pro AV Today, host Ben Thomas sits down with Brian Riley, President of Hexatronic. Together, they unpack how fiber infrastructure is evolving alongside the rise of data center miniaturization, AI-driven bandwidth demands, and rural connectivity challenges. From hyperscaler expectations to public-private fiber strategies, the episode sheds light on where fiber is headed and who it's meant to serve.

Key Highlights from the Episode:

  • Miniaturization is king: Hyperscalers like Amazon are demanding ultra-compact micro cables to maximize fiber density within limited conduits.
  • Edge data centers are rising: Infrastructure is moving closer to end users, with city-level and neighborhood-level modern data centers supporting latency-sensitive applications.
  • Rural demand is growing: Broadband needs in remote areas—especially for telehealth, education, and smart agriculture—are driving interest in localized data centers and public-private fiber investment.

Brian Riley is a seasoned telecommunications executive with deep expertise in fiber-optic network development, business transformation, and high-growth operations. He has led multiple startups, capital raises, and M&A deals, and played a key role in scaling fiber businesses for both private and public markets. As CEO of Hexatronic US, he brings decades of experience in strategy, deployment, and executive leadership across the fiber broadband and data center sectors.

Pro AV Today

Part of this channel

Pro AV Today

Pro AV news, trends, and expert voices for the AV industry

Visit the channel

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Professional AV starts with a company putting its integrators, design engineers, and product specialists on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

When a spec writer or facilities lead searches this category, your integrators are what they find instead of a competitor.

Get your team featuredSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

About the author

Ben Thomas
Ben ThomasHead of Pro AV, MarketScale

Ben Thomas serves as Head of Pro AV at MarketScale, where he leads content and media strategy for the pro AV sector. With over 15 years of award-winning experience across large-scale events, network television, OTT platforms, and podcasting, he has guided major B2B brands including Intel, Sennheiser, Samsung, and Philips to billions of content interactions. He holds a B.A. in Mass Communications and is recognized for his expertise in podcast hosting, public speaking, marketing, and content strategy.

Follow Professional AV Insights

Get new expert content in your inbox.

Professional AV: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Professional AV buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free plan

You just read one Professional AV expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your integrators, design engineers, and product specialists into the articles, video, and social content Professional AV buyers are searching for. Create a free workspace and see it with your own people. No credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What you get, free

Your own MarketScale workspace, up to 10 people
One professional video edit a month for qualifying companies
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
$0, no credit card, nothing that expires

More Professional AV Insights

Campus AV-over-IP: a 10GbE switching and one-dashboard control buy

Campus AV-over-IP: a 10GbE switching and one-dashboard control buy

AV refreshes are starting to read more like network procurement decisions. Many designers now specify 10 Gigabit Ethernet for headroom, and campuses want a “single pane of glass” to monitor and control rooms. That shifts cost and risk to the IP network: bandwidth, governance, and the support model.

  • 01Many designers are specifying 10GbE headroom for AV-over-IP devices such as 4K monitors, according to Church Production Magazine, which turns classroom and venue upgrades into a switching and backbone procurement decision.
  • 02IMS Technology Services frames campus-wide standard room packages and a “single pane of glass” for monitoring and control as the support model, fewer room variants means fewer configs, spares, and escalation paths.
  • 03Church Production Magazine points to the cost jump as baseband routers grow from 16x16 to 64x64 and beyond, a pain point that underpins AV-over-IP’s argument for commercial-off-the-shelf switches over vendor-specific distribution hardware.

Sep 14, 2026

$1,499 SDM module puts Dante AV Ultra inside the display

$1,499 SDM module puts Dante AV Ultra inside the display

Adtechno’s $1,499 DAV-03SBL is designed for Intel SDM-L displays and projectors, per rAVe [PUBS]. It makes the display the Dante AV Ultra endpoint, which can mean fewer edge boxes but concentrates risk in switching, power, and device management.

  • 01If a display can be the decoder, the RFP shifts from “which wall box?” to “which switch config and management plane?” That’s where risk and labor move.
  • 02A single 1GbE link carrying 4K60 4:4:4 plus embedded audio (per Adtechno via rAVe [PUBS]) makes per-endpoint bandwidth assumptions, uplink sizing, and multicast policy central to planning.
  • 03Adtechno is building a family around Dante AV Ultra, with DAV-02 encoder/decoder (Digital Signage Today) and an SDM module that can standardize endpoints across signage and rooms.

Sep 13, 2026

Microsoft's MDEP Signage: From NRF Preview to InfoComm Demo

Microsoft's MDEP Signage: From NRF Preview to InfoComm Demo

Microsoft, MediaTek, and IAdea previewed what they described as the first digital signage solution built on Microsoft's Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP) at NRF 2026 in January, and Avocor and IAdea demonstrated a pairing of MDEP-based signage with Avocor's new B Series displays at InfoComm 2026 in June, according to AV Magazine and invidis. Neither report describes the technology as shipping in commercial deployments.

  • 01MDEP adds identity management, conditional access, device attestation, and centralized lifecycle control to signage displays, enabling management like traditional IT endpoints.
  • 02MediaTek's Genio 720 system-on-chip, used in MDEP previews, provides industrial-grade performance with 10 TOPS AI acceleration and supports up to ultra-wide 5K or dual 2.5K display outputs.
  • 03MDEP-based signage remains in preview and demonstration status as of June 2026; buyers should verify current availability and understand MDEP licensing costs before purchase decisions.

Sep 11, 2026

Explore More Professional AV Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Professional AV.

Browse Professional AV Hub

About the Experts

Ben Thomas
Ben Thomas

Host, Pro AV Today

MarketScale

Ben Thomas is the host of Pro AV Today, a platform exploring the dynamics and innovations within the professional audiovisual industry. He engages with industry experts to discuss emerging trends and technologies reshaping the pro AV landscape.

BR
Brian Riley

President

Hexatronic

Brian Riley is a seasoned telecommunications executive with deep expertise in fiber-optic network development, business transformation, and high-growth operations. He has led multiple startups, capital raises, and M&A deals, and played a key role in scaling fiber businesses for both private and public markets.

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Professional AV and beyond.

Book a 15-minute demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512