Jim Fagan is EXA Infrastructure’s new CEO. On the cusp of the PTC event, which has a focus on network infrastructure, Telecom Review Americas felt it would be interesting to get Jim’s perspective on many of today’s changes in the network infrastructure environment. Below are some of the questions we posed for Jim and his thoughts on the market.
How is EXA Infrastructure responding to the rapid changes in network demands driven by AI?
Out-investing the market in critical digital infrastructure has been our focus over the last three years. We’ve invested over $300M to expand and enhance more than 155,000 km of fiber optic connections. Our network investment approach is carefully considered. We are not a ‘build and they will come’ player – meaning we listen and respond to our customers, we stay close to what is happening with technology and across the market, and we make sure each investment decision is connected to our overall strategy. In fact, core to our strategy is the flexibility that allows us to scale and adapt to the evolving needs of AI. Scale is everything when it comes to digital infrastructure, and more so when we think about enabling AI. Thanks to the depth and breadth of our network and the cutting-edge technology we deploy, EXA Infrastructure is uniquely positioned with a future-proofed network in regions where AI-driven demand is accelerating. Beyond our first-mover advantage in key geographies, we’ve anticipated the need to manage massive volumes of data traveling to and from data centers across the Atlantic. Addressing this demand requires scalable networks equipped with the latest fiber technology and significant investments in new infrastructure. That’s exactly what we’re delivering.
Thanks to the depth and breadth of our network and the cutting-edge technology we deploy, EXA Infrastructure is uniquely positioned with a future-proofed network in regions where AI-driven demand is accelerating.
Is AI truly shaping a “Transatlantic story” in your experience?
Absolutely. The transatlantic route remains one of the busiest for content providers, now driven even more by AI-related needs. A significant amount of data is moving from the U.S. to Europe and beyond, where it’s distributed across hyperscale data centers and emerging cloud regions. While AI training in distant data centers has its advantages, it also demands reliable and secure data transport over longer distances.
Subsea connectivity is the clear answer, but it must meet high standards. Transmitting mission-critical data across vast distances requires robust networks with numerous routes and landing points to handle growing traffic volumes. While AI applications are not overly latency-sensitive, they demand constant availability. Redundancy and high bandwidth are critical, underscoring the need for trusted partners offering diverse routing options.
How does EXA Infrastructure ensure this “always-on” connectivity in practice?
For our customers, "always-on" means having at least three or four diverse routes to ensure business continuity. There is heightened awareness of resiliency as customers look to mitigate risks like cable cuts, outages, or bottlenecks. One of the design principles of our network strategy is diversity, and where we can, we look to have multiple routes to serve the diversity or triversity requirements of customers. Our geographic focus means we become experts in doing this, and we leverage some of our unique capabilities including the 20 cable landing stations across our network footprint.
One of the design principles of our network strategy is diversity, and where we can, we look to have multiple routes to serve the diversity or triversity requirements of customers.
Does AI necessitate a rethink of both data center construction and infrastructure planning?
Absolutely. AI-driven traffic is reshaping the entire ecosystem. It demands more power, better connectivity, and increased data center capacity. Submarine cables now need to land in unconventional locations—away from populated areas and closer to reliable power sources.
We’re seeing the internet topology shift as AI-related data traffic increasingly moves to regions with abundant power, such as the Nordics, Portugal, and Southern Europe. In response, we’ve expanded our infrastructure to connect large data center campuses in these areas, ensuring reliable, high-capacity networks.
Our strategic investments and expansion to the edge of Europe focus on distributing large workloads efficiently. This robust, secure backbone supports organizations leveraging AI to innovate, differentiate, and grow.
Are there other AI-related challenges EXA Infrastructure is addressing?
One significant challenge is the need for shorter service delivery times. To address this, we launched our Managed Fiber Network (MFN) service, enabling organizations to scale quickly with secure, geographically resilient networks.
MFN combines the benefits of dark fiber and equipment ownership with operational simplicity. Offered as a full turnkey solution, it lets customers deploy into new markets cost-effectively and without delays. Our service also leverages state-of-the-art Network Operations Center (NOC) capabilities, robust operations management, and dedicated engineering resources to ensure optimal performance, proactive monitoring, and rapid issue resolution.
MFN provides the scalability and simplicity needed for organizations to innovate without being constrained by infrastructure limitations.
What’s ahead for EXA Infrastructure in 2025?
We continue to execute our strategy to be the ‘go-to’ digital infrastructure partner for customers across Europe, the bridge between Europe and North America, and the gateway connecting Europe to Asia. What makes EXA unique is our focus. First, we are laser focused on the geographies we serve, which means we are experts in these markets. Second, we are focused on a narrow portfolio of products which means we can be brilliant at what we do. And lastly, we are focused on serving a set of customers that require critical infrastructure, meaning we don’t have to be everything to everyone. We are in active discussions on new partnerships and potential M&A, and I hope to share more about these in the coming months.
We continue to execute our strategy to be the ‘go-to’ digital infrastructure partner for customers across Europe, the bridge between Europe and North America, and the gateway connecting Europe to Asia
Read News About EXA Infrastructure:
EXA Infrastructure and SOCAR Fiber Boost EU-Middle East Connectivity
EXA Infrastructure and HGC Bring Together Network Footprints Across Asia, Europe, and the US
EXA Infrastructure and Telecom Egypt to Reshape Intercontinental Traffic via ‘WeConnect’
