A look inside a Great Falls data center

Visionet, a Montana-based company headquartered in Great Falls, has been in the data center business for over 20 years. The company provides statewide fiber optic network services, serving large mobile providers and offering internet and managed services to clients such as state government, school districts, colleges, and universities. Visionet is currently adapting its data centers to support the growing demands of artificial intelligence. The company operates smaller edge data centers in Great Falls, Helena, Billings, and Missoula, which are designed to reduce latency by being closer to customers. CEO Warden explains that these edge centers complement larger hyperscaler data centers by easing the burden on electrical grids, as Visionet's distributed assets allow for incremental increases in AI capabilities without requiring significant spikes or new capital upgrades to the power infrastructure. In related news, the Great Falls Development Alliance has established a data center task force, which has already held its initial meeting. The task force is focusing on community concerns and identifying opportunities to develop data centers responsibly within the area. Warden is scheduled to speak at the next task force meeting, where he will discuss Visionet's role and the future of data centers, including the potential for containerized AI pods to further reduce latency on specific campuses.