Sadek Wahba: We’re building AI data centers, just not chasing the ‘over-exuberant’ megaprojects

Investment Strategy & Focus - I Squared Capital manages over $50 billion in assets and has completed $5 billion in deals recently [1] - The firm is investing in AI data centers, exemplified by a project with Google involving a 400 megawatt data center in Illinois with 90% carbon capture [2][3] - I Squared Capital is providing debt to fund data centers in Texas and investing $800 million in battery construction in Indiana to support data center power needs [4] - The company focuses on "singles and doubles" rather than "home runs," indicating a preference for lower-risk, long-term infrastructure investments [8][11] Risk Assessment & Market Perspective - The firm is cautious about allocating tens of billions to data centers without a fundamental understanding of contracts and technological changes [6] - There is uncertainty regarding the AI consumption model and the potential dominance of companies like Google or Open AI, leading to higher risk [7] - The risk-return profile of investing directly in tech company stocks like Nvidia is currently more attractive than investing in some data center subsectors [10] US Industrial Policy - The new US industrial policy is changing long-term investment approaches, with the government directly investing in companies [13] - This policy involves investments in areas like lithium batteries and rare earth elements [13]