Nvidia has reportedly approached private equity firm Apollo Global Management with a proposal to convert some of Brightspeed’s more than 130 buildings into small AI data centers. The buildings, located across numerous states, are primarily former telephone exchange hubs belonging to the struggling internet service provider.
Repurposing existing buildings could help avoid the long timelines, local opposition and regulatory hurdles often associated with building new, large-scale data centers. Because the sites already have power and connectivity, Nvidia could potentially bring its AI chips online sooner. The proposal reflects a broader industry trend of reusing brownfield sites for technology infrastructure.