“These networks aren’t big enough, they’re not fast enough, they’re not secure enough, and Lumen is fixing all of that,” said Kate Johnson, CEO of Lumen Technologies, talking with Bloomberg this week on her company’s vision to become the digital infrastructure powering the AI economy. With a recent agreement to connect Amazon’s data centers, Lumen is positioning itself at the forefront of a new wave of demand for secure, high-speed, and high-capacity data solutions.

Johnson explained that Lumen’s long-term leases with major tech companies like Amazon underscore the company’s role as a critical infrastructure provider.

“We own the network,” Johnson said, pointing out how Lumen’s ownership and continuous improvement of its digital infrastructure put it in a unique position to support large-scale digital and AI needs. According to Johnson, this infrastructure will not only benefit Amazon but will also attract additional clients who require the same high standards in connectivity.

One of Lumen’s key growth vectors, Johnson explained, is supporting the AI economy by building a “backbone” for high-bandwidth data transfer, necessary for both training and using large AI models.

“Hyperscalers are building out to train their models, and enterprises are building to use those models,” she noted, before adding that the rise of AI is driving “a massive increase in the amount of data required and the pathways to support it.” Lumen’s network, she says, is tailored to handle this explosive growth and the high-security requirements that come with it.

In addition to physical infrastructure, Lumen is also expanding its service offerings to cater to businesses needing agile and secure network solutions.

“Enterprises are saying, ‘Our networks aren’t sufficient to serve us in the AI economy,’” Johnson said, describing a surge in demand for Lumen’s high-bandwidth, low-latency services. With this digital platform, businesses can access networking services “quick, secure, and effortlessly” — a standard Lumen is pioneering for the industry.

While Johnson’s vision for Lumen is ambitious, she insists that the recent multimillion-dollar deals are only the beginning. Lumen has secured $5 billion in business tied to AI growth this year alone, with an additional $7 billion in potential sales actively under discussion.

“The message is we’re just getting started,” she remarked. This signals that Lumen’s progress is an indicator of the expansive demand the company is poised to meet in the coming years.

For Johnson and Lumen, this growth trajectory is clear: “These are long-term, multi-decade deals where companies are effectively leasing critical infrastructure, providing annuity streams for us.” 

With AI at the core of her strategy, Johnson envisions Lumen as an essential pillar in the data-driven economy, transforming connectivity to support the next generation of digital advancements.