The AI revolution has unleashed unprecedented demand for compute resources, fundamentally reshaping the infrastructure provider landscape. While some providers like Equinix are pivoting away from bare metal to focus on colocation and hyperscaling, others are seizing the opportunity to empower platform engineering (PE) teams with the freedom to build infrastructure on their own terms. As organizations scale their cloud-native and AI workloads, PE teams face a critical decision — continue with traditional hyperscalers or explore alternatives that offer greater control and flexibility across their global infrastructure footprint.
The Complex Reality of IaaS Operations
Building a successful infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) business in today’s dynamic technology landscape presents formidable challenges, even for established technical operators. For one, large enterprises with established operations often struggle to pivot quickly enough to drive the innovation necessary for staying competitive.
Having architected Equinix Metal’s offering, I have witnessed firsthand the multifaceted challenges of scaling IaaS services globally. Beyond the technical hurdles, providers must navigate a complex web of financial, supply chain, logistics, legal, tax, compliance and security considerations. The real differentiator lies in building a software platform that makes cloud infrastructure feel effortless — combining an intuitive portal with robust APIs and SDKs. This, however, is no small feat and separates true innovators from the rest of the field.
Why Bare Metal Matters for Modern Platform Engineering
Platform engineering teams have traditionally had to choose between managing colocation or relying on virtual machines. Bare-metal cloud services have emerged as a compelling third option, offering the best of both worlds — single-tenant performance typically reserved for on-premise deployments, coupled with the programmatic convenience of cloud APIs and SDKs. However, PE teams must exercise careful judgment in selecting their provider. Success lies in partnering with cloud providers who have invested in building their own automation and platform capabilities, ensuring consistent service delivery across global regions.
The IaaS Partner Differentiator for PE
For platform engineers, the cloud control plane serves as more than just a management interface – it is their stack’s ‘central nervous system’, which determines their ability to respond and adapt to dynamic infrastructure demands.
An effective control plane bridges multiple complex requirements such as:
- Robust APIs and SDKs for automated bare-metal provisioning and management
- Raw hardware performance with cloud-like flexibility
- Precise control over CPU/GPU configurations while maintaining automation
- Global resource management with region-specific compliance controls
- Scalability without compromising bare-metal performance advantages.
Real-world scenarios that highlight the value of a sophisticated control plane include:
- When ML workloads require sudden GPU capacity expansion
- When regional regulatory changes demand rapid hardware reconfiguration
- When workloads need to be scaled while maintaining bare-metal performance benefits.
The IaaS Path Forward for Platform Engineers
With enterprises navigating the complexities of large-scale applications, data security and regulatory compliance, the demand for high-performance, customizable infrastructure has never been greater.
The true power of bare metal lies in its ability to enable hardware-level customization, allowing organizations to build environments precisely aligned with their unique requirements. Before deepening their commitment to hyperscaler solutions, PE teams should seek cloud partners offering bare-metal capabilities that can flex to their needs — supporting any workload, in any location on their terms.
Platform engineers who embrace this approach position themselves to build more resilient, performant and future-ready infrastructure that can adapt to whatever challenges tomorrow brings.