If it feels like you are suddenly hearing about data centers everywhere, that is not a coincidence. A handful of trends are stacking on top of each other, and together they are driving one of the fastest infrastructure buildouts in modern history.

his is the story of how a mathematics graduate with a taste for three-piece suits became known as the father of the internet, what he actually did to earn that title, and what he now thinks about the next technology poised to reshape the world: artificial intelligence. He has opinions, and unlike many executives who choose their words carefully for legal reasons, he tends to just say them.