Connected Nation Holds Summit on Network Infrastructure for AI Leadership

Sept. 17, 2025 — Experts in broadband and internet infrastructure gathered in Wichita, Kansas, last week to discuss how the U.S. can lead in the AI economy at “An AI Interconnection Summit: Network Infrastructure for AI Leadership in Kansas and Beyond.”

The summit covered a broad range of topics, including the establishment of Kansas’s first internet exchange point, the construction of modular and underground data networks, the rise of GPU-as-a-Service, and the importance of low-latency interconnection for next-generation AI applications. Speakers emphasized that local infrastructure, not just cloud platforms, will determine how communities can participate in and benefit from the AI economy.

“We are at the precipice of a great democratization of power — and risk — because of it,” said Tom Ferree, chairman and CEO of Connected Nation, in his opening remarks. “The vast prosperity and, on the other side, the risk containment that AI promises rests heavily on the mass diffusion and its accessibility.”