Oz Nicco-Annan, CFO, InfraPartners – Interview Series

Oswald (Oz) Nicco-Annan is a seasoned finance professional with two decades of experience in Technology Finance encompassing everything from Project Finance, Accounting and Strategic Business Initiatives.

Over the course of twenty years and across three continents, his career has spanned infrastructure, hardware, and software. Most recently focused on the intersection of cutting-edge technologies and critical infrastructure, Oz has led and executed strategic vision for organizations around the world. He has built business cases, forecasted and analyzed large-scale infrastructure investments, and driven pricing strategies for major international enterprises, mid-cap firms, and startups alike—always balancing operational efficiency with strong economic outcomes for both clients and customers.

With your extensive experience in financial strategy and leadership role at InfraPartners, how do you see the intersection of government-backed initiatives and private sector partnerships shaping the future of AI data center infrastructure?

Governments increasingly recognize AI infrastructure as a strategic asset and we’re seeing a clear shift in how nations approach this area. While governments are acknowledging its importance, they are placing growing reliance on their partners who are closer to the technology to deliver cutting edge solutions. Considering the innovation uptick introduced by AI, reliance on these companies is now stronger than ever.

For instance, the UK Government’s partnership with OpenAI to bolster the country’s AI infrastructure illustrates this dependence on private partnerships. Looking to the future, as governments aim to bolster their sovereign AI capabilities, private providers can reduce risk by supporting state-backed initiatives that have high quality offtake agreements already in place. The propositions inherently carry significantly less risk for private companies, while in return, sovereign entities receive the advantage of experience and insights that technology experts can deliver.

This dynamic is giving rise to a hybrid model. While governments act as underwriters of demand and providers of low-risk capital, private players bring the technical capability and delivery track record. These collaborations combine state backing with execution expertise, unlocking projects that wouldn’t be viable through traditional models alone.

What role should infrastructure providers play in this evolving landscape?

As governments and private sector entities race to build out AI capabilities, the ability to deploy infrastructure quickly, efficiently and securely will be a critical factor in gaining a competitive edge. Infrastructure providers must do more than build. Their role is to make deployment less risky, more predictable and better aligned to fast-changing requirements, across the entire deployment lifecycle. That includes helping clients manage everything from timelines and budget control to adapting for different chip architectures and power needs.

This means designing for flexibility from day one, so clients are not tied to infrastructure that may fall short of future requirements. The providers that will be most valuable are those who can turn complexity into clarity and deliver infrastructure that can evolve, not just operate. This is not simply a matter of supplying equipment or space. It is about being a reliable partner who can navigate regulatory requirements, manage supply chain constraints and respond to labor market pressures.

InfraPartners’ upgradeable model emphasizes flexibility and rapid refresh cycles. How do you balance the financial implications of such a dynamic infrastructure approach with the need for long-term investment stability?

The focus is on managing risk, not just reducing cost. A phased, upgradeable deployment allows capital to be allocated in line with actual demand and evolving chip roadmaps. This avoids the financial strain of overbuilding or investing in capacity that becomes obsolete too quickly.

For operators and investors alike, this model supports better cash flow visibility, lowers the risk of stranded assets and allows infrastructure to adapt as AI technologies evolve. In a fast-moving market, flexibility is a fundamental part of financial stability.

With the global surge in AI infrastructure demand, how does InfraPartners’ expansion strategy, including the new facilities in Houston and Cluj, align with your financial objectives and the company’s growth projections?

InfraPartners’ manufacturing expansion is designed to support both the scale and speed the market now demands. Increasing our capacity means we can take on larger projects across multiple regions while still maintaining the level of quality, cost control and schedule certainty that clients expect.

Prefabrication also reduces our reliance on local construction labor, which can be a major source of cost overruns and delays. By shifting more of the work upstream into controlled factory environments, we reduce risk for both us and our clients.

Ultimately, the investment supports our growth by allowing us to take on more volume without compromising on execution. It also gives us the flexibility to respond to regional demand more effectively, which is increasingly important as AI infrastructure becomes a strategic priority in more markets.

Considering the geopolitical shifts and regionalization trends, how does InfraPartners’ offsite manufacturing model mitigate financial risks associated with supply chain disruptions and labor shortages?

Centralizing production helps us manage some of the most persistent risks in infrastructure delivery. By doing this in controlled environments, we reduce exposure to two main risks: unpredictable labor availability and fragmented supply chains.

Data centers are increasingly built in remote locations with limited skilled workers on the ground. By shifting complex construction activity to controlled factory environments, we reduce reliance on local labor and avoid the high costs and sustainability concerns of flying in skilled construction specialists. This limits our exposure to cost inflation and scheduling delays linked to labor availability.

Additionally, offsite manufacturing allows us to streamline procurement, ensure quality before components leave the factory and minimize rework as well as waste on site. From a financial standpoint, this model delivers greater cost certainty, simplifies forecasting and ensures schedule reliability, even in volatile markets.

A nation’s ability to build sovereign AI systems is becoming increasingly important given the gradual move towards tech deglobalization and stricter resilience regulation. What are some use cases for sovereign AI initiatives, and how does InfraPartners position itself in this evolving landscape?

Sovereign AI offers significant potential for organizations tasked with keeping sensitive data within specific geographical boundaries. This is particularly relevant for government and public sector. For instance, AI tools will transform public services like HMRC in the UK, helping to tackle tax fraud, streamline operations and build citizen trust.

InfraPartners’ role here is to make initiatives around sovereign AI projects as frictionless as possible. For example, by centralizing data center manufacturing offsite, delivery timelines  accelerate. Project teams gain greater schedule certainty, while technical challenges – for instance cooling and power density – can be addressed in advance, reducing deployment risk. Just as importantly, prefabricated designs are both scalable and upgradeable, ensuring facilities can expand to meet future workloads.  This enables end users to focus on delivering sovereign AI applications, confident that the infrastructure supporting them will remain adaptable and resilient as technology continues to evolve.

With AI-specific infrastructure projected to drive approximately 70% of global data center growth by 2030, how does InfraPartners’ financial strategy capitalize on this trend while managing potential risks?

The scale of projected growth is significant, but so are the risks that come with it. We’re not betting on a single trajectory but are building for adaptability. Rather than committing to large, fixed investments upfront, we emphasize phased delivery models that align infrastructure deployment with real-time demand and evolving technology standards.

This approach helps manage exposure to rapid shifts in chip design, power requirements and cooling technologies. It also provides more flexibility around capital allocation, which is essential in a market that is still taking shape. Ultimately, our aim is to support growth without overextending or overcommitting capital too early, and to help clients build infrastructure that holds its value as the landscape matures.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit InfraPartners.