AWS's David Harding on building AI infrastructure

What happened: David Harding, who leads advanced construction at AWS, joined the show. Austin noted an Nvidia backed data center builder pulled a $5 billion IPO after investors balked at the price. Harding said SpaceX filed an FCC application in January 2026 for 1,000,000 satellites.
Austin's take: Austin compares the build out to the internet era, where infrastructure ran ahead of demand, and argues companies have to go all in or get left behind. He is excited that everyday people can now do expert level work, citing a story of an amateur using Claude and NASA records to find an undiscovered planet.
Why it matters: Harding says power, cooling, and construction are the strategic bottlenecks: buildings that should take 24 months are being pushed to 18 or less, materials like switchgear are scarce, and cold climates good for cooling make winter construction hard. He likens AI to the oil boom, with breakthroughs as the gusher and data centers as refineries, and expects a dot com style shakeout where many players lose money.
What to do: Treat infrastructure, not model quality, as the pacing item for AI access, and expect some overbuilding and failures along the way.
Not confirmed yet: Harding says it's unclear whether the industry is outbuilding demand or still falling short, and says plainly he doesn't know where AI will be in 12 to 24 months.

The Loop