Crossroads: The Infrastructure Podcast
Aug 7, 2026 · 25 min · 10 segments
Kirkland & Ellis partner Kim McGrath joins the Crossroads podcast to discuss the rapidly evolving environment for data center finance, from ever-higher project dollar values and financing mechanisms…
Kim McGrathGuestChuck StanleyHostIn the United States and around the world, the data center sector has exploded in recent years with the advent of commercial AI applications and seemingly bottomless demand for compute from hyperscalers.
Deal values continue to climb, while competition for resources ranging from skilled labor to access to energy and power have grown more intense.
I'm Chuck Stanley, senior reporter for InfoLogic, and today I'm joined by Kim McGrath, a partner with law firm Kirkland & Ellis, where she's advised on multi-billion dollar data center finance and M&A deals for investors like Related Digital and Blue Owl.
Today, we'll be talking about the state of play for data center finance, what trends are driving the sector, and what challenges are stakeholders encountering as they look to close the next big deal.
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In the United States and around the world, the data center sector has exploded in recent years with the advent of commercial AI applications and seemingly bottomless demand for compute from hyperscalers.
Deal values continue to climb, while competition for resources ranging from skilled labor to access to energy and power have grown more intense.
I'm Chuck Stanley, senior reporter for InfoLogic, and today I'm joined by Kim McGrath, a partner with law firm Kirkland & Ellis, where she's advised on multi-billion dollar data center finance and M&A deals for investors like Related Digital and Blue Owl.
Today, we'll be talking about the state of play for data center finance, what trends are driving the sector, and what challenges are stakeholders encountering as they look to close the next big deal.
