Lumentum

Copper is hitting a hard physical limit.

As a long-time advocate for sustainability, Earth Day has always held a special significance in my career. Every year, I set aside time today to reflect on my personal and professional goals in sustainability and where I want to go next. This year, Earth Day is especially important, not just for me but for leaders across all industries. The rapid development of technology is putting a strain on natural resources. Data center scaling, AI infrastructure, and supply chain growth are all accelerating at rates that current resource models are not built for. Sustainable alternatives are necessary for progress. That's why this Earth Day, I'm excited to see my professional and personal interests in sustainability align through non-water liquid-based cooling for data centers. I am also looking forward to seeing the trend grow as more leaders and companies start developing or employing their own green solutions. What projects are you keeping an eye on?

Success is a result of repetition. When we don't get it right the first time, we try again. Transformation and industry shifts are making every client's needs complex and dynamic. Traditional solutions aren't delivering the same quality of experience. What customers are relying on isn't partnership perfection but consistent effort, flexibility, and communication. As Forbes emphasizes, this resilience and trust begin with the employee experience. When teams trust the iterative progress to deliver results, they can invest in them with the confidence and passion it takes to make it successful for clients. This trust comes from leaders and the culture they build. By being on the ground with teams during busy cycles, leaders can model the resilient problem-solving and confidence in their colleagues that they want their teams to embrace. It is also my firm belief that the experience creates better leaders who are more tapped into what employees and customers need.

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AI, infrastructure, and supply chains are all hitting limits in their expansion. Capital and investment are flowing into digital infrastructure, data centers, and new technology, but environmental review and local concerns are slowing the pace of growth. As a firm advocate of sustainable technology, I believe that one does not have to evolve at the expense of the other. Instead, organizations can integrate green infrastructure, processes, and missions into their initial expansion. By relying on environmentally-friendly alternatives for cooling, transportation, and facilities, companies limit their impact on the local environment and meet regulations. Their thoughtfulness and conscious approach to expansion also appeals to consumers and local communities who can connect to the underlying values and mission.

The biggest bottleneck in AI right now isn’t GPUs...it’s cooling and power infrastructure. We’re hitting the limits of traditional approaches, and the industry is going to have to rethink how we design data centers for extreme density. I had a chance to talk about this with DCD, including why waterless, two-phase cooling is becoming part of that conversation. Curious how others are thinking about this, especially operators dealing with real-world constraints today. Equinix Digital Realty Flexential ZutaCore

Before you step into a position of leadership, it's important to know who you are. This is a lesson I learned during my first managerial role. When faced with big decisions, even equipped with all the data and guidance of my peers, I found myself going back to my instincts and values as a professional. In truth, we all do, whether we realize it or not. As leaders, it is our responsibility to acknowledge and identify our guiding values and align ourselves with the larger organizational mission. This requires going beyond slogans and embodying the lived experiences and purpose of the people at the organization. When we distill them, they can serve as a guide for us to access. It doesn't have to be formal or complicated. Simply pausing to reflect makes a difference.

Energy costs are rising. Companies are getting strategic and creative about their consumption. For companies with data centers, water usage adds additional costs. Traditionally, energy and water expenditures were essential and consistent. Since they were primarily outside of management’s control, there was no strategic way to decrease or adjust them. Now, developing a strategy is the only way to stay competitive and grow without being limited by them. The fastest way to decrease the cost is by investing in green technology and products. Solar panels, energy-limiting lightbulbs, natural light, water-saving faucets, and more can all help shrink the bill without impacting operations. In addition to individual shifts to sustainable processes, businesses can also transform their large-scale operations. For example, switching from evaporated cooling to non-water cooling for data centers. As more companies lean into sustainability as a strategy, green solutions expand and more options emerge. It’s a pressure that industries are facing together, and their combined effort can develop solutions together too.

AI is here to stay, and, like these speakers, I firmly believe that a sustainable AI-driven nation is possible. At the Festival of Innovation, speakers at the Building a Climate-Resilient Digital Nation panel emphasized three structural elements necessary to achieve sustainability: 1) Policies just reward efficiency. 2) Efficient computing infrastructure. 3) Cleaner energy supply. I have been in the sustainability technology field for years, and especially in recent years, I’ve seen strong progress in infrastructure. In addition to limiting energy usage, there has been an increased focus on developing cooling solutions that eliminate or reduce the use of water. The water usage demanded by current evaporative cooling models is limiting future growth and putting a strain on resources and communities during expansion. As such, solutions like non-water liquid cooling offer functional alternatives without the drawbacks. What progress have you seen in elements (1) and (2)?