State Of The West Coast Data Center Market: Navigating Growth In 2025 And Beyond

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  Arman Khalili

  Arman Khalili is the Founder and CEO of Foundation Data Center and is a Board Member of Evocative and brings with him over 25 years of experience in Internet Infrastructure industry. Prior to joining the company, Arman served as a Principal at Industry Capital a real assets based private equity firm in San Francisco. He was the founder and CEO of CentralColo also known as Element Critical. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Black Lotus, a leader in DDoS mitigation company, which was acquired by Level 3, and was the Founder/CEO of UnitedLayer, the largest privately held colocation provider in San Francisco. He was the founder of Sirius – one of the first ISPs in Silicon Valley, as well as the Co-founder and CTO of MusicBank, the first music subscription company. He has held numerous senior consulting positions at Level3, AT&T and Apple Computers.

  Blackstart Infrastructure Partners

  Partner

  Arman Khalili

  Partner

  Blackstart Infrastructure Partners

• 

  Scott Peterson

  CEO

  Global Compute Infrastructure

• 

  John Sheputis

  John Sheputis is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at Primary Digital Infrastructure, an independent data center investment platform. From 2019 through 2023, John was a Managing Director at GI Partners where he led the technology real estate acquisitions and headed the Essential Tech + Science Real Estate Fund. Prior to GI Partners, Mr. Sheputis was President of Infomart Data Centers. In 2018, the Dallas Infomart was acquired by Equinix and the remaining Infomart assets and operations were acquired by IPI Partners to be the initial properties for STACK Infrastructure. Prior to Infomart, Mr. Sheputis was Co-Founder and CEO of Fortune Data Centers. Mr. Sheputis received a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA and an MS Engineering from Northwestern.

  Primary Digital Infrastructure

  Co-Founder and Managing Director

  John Sheputis

  Co-Founder and Managing Director

  Primary Digital Infrastructure

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  Chelsea Pullen

  Chelsea Pullen is an experienced digital infrastructure and commercial technology lawyer assisting companies with virtually all of their contractual needs, both domestically and internationally and arising from early inception to large-scale global operations. In the digital infrastructure space, Chelsea represents many of the world’s largest data center operators and developers, private equity firms, infrastructure funds, real estate investors across a broad range of transactions, including data center leases, master services agreements, service level agreements, power purchase agreements, indefeasible rights of use, dark fiber leases, cell tower and rooftop leases, internet exchange service agreements, DAS and WiFi system builds, and subsea cable systems. Chelsea’s practice also includes negotiating a broad range of technology agreements, on both the vendor and customer side, including software and AI license and services agreements and other license agreements for cloud enterprise platforms and applications. Chelsea also works with clients to modernize their commercial contracting processes to streamline negotiations, mitigate risk, and ensuring operational efficiency.

  Greenberg Traurig

  Shareholder

  Moderator

  Chelsea Pullen

  Shareholder

  Greenberg Traurig

Financing the Future: Adapting Capital Strategies for Surging Demand

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  Peter Hopper

  Peter Hopper is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at Primary Digital Infrastructure, an independent data center investment platform. In prior roles, Mr. Hopper was a Managing Director at DigitalBridge Investment Management. Mr. Hopper was responsible for the identification, evaluation, and implementation of growth opportunities for DigitalBridge’s investment management franchise. Prior to joining DigitalBridge, Mr. Hopper was Co-Founder and CEO of DH Capital, a firm specializing in assisting growing businesses in the Internet Infrastructure, Telecom and SaaS industries. Prior to founding DH Capital, Mr. Hopper founded and served as President and CEO of DURO Communications, one of the largest privately held ISP/CLECs in the U.S. Mr. Hopper received a Bachelor of Science from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.

  Primary Digital Infrastructure

  Co-Founder and Managing Director

  Peter Hopper

  Co-Founder and Managing Director

  Primary Digital Infrastructure

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  Graeme Kavanagh

  Graeme N. Kavanagh is a seasoned infrastructure real estate executive with over 25 years of experience leading business development, origination, and investment strategies across a broad range of asset classes. A recognized deal maker, Mr. Kavanagh has successfully originated, structured, and closed billions of dollars in transactions across telecom, renewable energy, data centers, billboards, EV charging infrastructure, and logistics.As Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at Accelerate Infrastructure Opportunities, Mr. Kavanagh oversees the firm’s acquisition and capital deployment strategy, directing originations and the acquisition of income-producing real property interests under critical infrastructure. He has led the acquisition of thousands of real estate assets and built high-performing teams that consistently deliver value through strategic growth and disciplined execution. Under his leadership, Accelerate has emerged as a market leader in aggregating ground lease and fee simple interests into a diversified, scalable portfolio. His customer-first approach, combined with deep industry knowledge, fosters long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with landowners, tenants, and stakeholders. Prior to joining Accelerate, Mr. Kavanagh co-founded Landmark Dividend, serving as Executive Vice President and playing a pivotal role in launching the first IPO in the ground lease asset class. He also held leadership positions at Wireless Capital Partners, where he originated the industry’s first secondary market financing for wireless infrastructure ground leases, and at Falcon Financial, a specialty finance firm focused on real estate-backed investments. Earlier in his career, he was Vice President at Enterprise Mortgage, part of the Financial Services Division of Koch Industries. Throughout his career, Mr. Kavanagh has been defined by his unwavering commitment to execution, his deep understanding of complex real estate transactions, and his ability to unlock value in niche and emerging infrastructure sectors. His tenacity, vision, and leadership continue to shape the evolving landscape of infrastructure real estate investment.

  Accelerate

  Partner & CRO

  Graeme Kavanagh

  Partner & CRO

  Accelerate

• 

  Jeffrey Moerdler

  Jeff Moerdler is chair of the Haynes Boone Data Center and Digital Infrastructure Practice and a real estate partner in the New York office. He has more than 40 years’ experience in general commercial real estate law. Jeff’s real estate practice includes acquisitions, sales, development, leasing, and borrower’s side financing. Jeff also has a particular focus on real estate challenges facing communications, technology and energy companies, and represents property owners and telecom companies in telecom real estate matters, particularly in data center development, acquisitions, sales, leases, colocation agreements and service level agreements. His clients include both large national companies and smaller, local clients, and includes representation of landlords and tenants in all types of leases; counseling owners and developers in the acquisition, sale, joint venture, development, and renovation of property as well as sale-leaseback transactions; advising lenders and borrowers in commercial loans; and the representation of all parties in real estate litigation. He is actively involved in settling real estate, partnership, and inter-family disputes. He also represents many not-for-profit entities and is active in health care, senior living, and educational real estate. During the past 35 years, Jeff has developed considerable experience in the intersection of real estate with communications, technology, and energy issues. He has extensive experience representing landlords, tenants, developers, and communications service providers in the leasing, purchase, sale, and financing of data centers, colocation facilities, radio and television broadcast antennas, distributed and in-building wireless systems, rooftop antennas, and fiber-optic transactions as well as the wiring of buildings for broadband communications access. Jeff has also negotiated thousands of data center leases, master services agreements, colocation agreements and service level agreements, rooftop and cellular antenna leases, inside wiring agreements, and antenna tower leases throughout the country – covering over 500 million square feet. He has also devoted a considerable portion of his practice to power and energy issues related to real estate and other technology matters, including large solar and wind installations, battery storage facilities, and bulk power purchases. Jeff is a frequent speaker on real estate, data center, and telecom topics around the country. He is Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and on the faculty of the Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute. He regularly speaks as a panelist at data center, digital infrastructure and real estate conference around the United States. In addition, he is regularly quoted in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Bisnow, Commercial Property News, Real Estate Weekly, and other publications. He co-authored the first treatise chapter on telecom real law for Powell on Real Property in 1999. Jeff has previously served in numerous governmental positions, including as a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a member of the New York State Banking Board, a member of the New York State Financial Control Board, a member of the Departmental Disciplinary Committee of the Appellate Division of the First Department of the New York State Supreme Court, Assistant to the First Deputy Mayor of the City of New York, and assistant to the Deputy Borough President of the Borough of Manhattan. From 1981 to 1982, Jeff served as a law clerk to the Honorable Charles L. Brieant, US District Judge, and later Chief Judge, for the Southern District of New York. Jeff is also an emergency medical technician on his local volunteer ambulance and President of his local chapter, as well as having served for 8 years on the Board of Trustees of the umbrella organization which is the largest volunteer ambulance service in the United States.

  Haynes and Boone

  Partner & Chair, Data Center & Digital Infrastructure

  Jeffrey Moerdler

  Partner & Chair, Data Center & Digital Infrastructure

  Haynes and Boone

• 

  Samidha Thakral

  Samidha Thakral is a vice president and investment officer at Prologis. She is responsible for Capital Deployment and investment activities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to joining Prologis in 2021, Samidha spent 14 years collectively at Hines, EQR and Lendlease where she led the ground-up development and acquisition of projects valued at over $5 billion including 1,400 apartment units, 6 million square feet of office and over 800 condominium units. Having lived and worked in three different countries on multiple real estate product types, she brings a unique perspective. Samidha has a demonstrated track record of creating successful projects that uniquely combine multiple product types that deliver real estate that is valued by both the end user and the investor. She is passionate about innovation and technology in real estate and currently serves as Co-Chair of the ULI San Francisco Innovation Council that brings together leaders in Real Estate, technology, and Venture Capital. Samidha has a Master’s in business administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a Bachelor’s in Architecture from the Sushant School of Art & Architecture and a Masters in Music from the University of Delhi. When not at work, she enjoys cooking and pottery-painting with her two daughters and supports charitable initiatives in India that help educate children.

  Prologis

  VP, Data Center Investments

  Samidha Thakral

  VP, Data Center Investments

  Prologis

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  Raj Vohra

  Raj leads Thor’s Data Center program across the Americas, bringing 20+ years of sr. management experience from Google and Deloitte. Before joining Thor Equities, Raj led Data Center acquisitions across the Americas for Google. During his tenure at Google, Raj also held roles as Global Lead of Economic and Community Development (ECD) and regional leadership roles overseeing Google’s Data Center acquisitions in the US-Central and Latin American regions. In leading Google’s ECD program, Raj led global programs in Economic Development, Public Affairs, Workforce Development, Social Impact and Content Development. Prior to Google, Raj was a Sr. Manager in Deloitte Consulting’s Real Estate and Location Strategy practice group where he advised a wide range of multinational Fortune 500 companies on global location strategy engagements. Raj holds a BA in Biology from Denison University and a JD from the University of Notre Dame. Raj lives in Pleasanton, CA with his spouse, 3 children and 2 dogs.

  Thor Equities

  EVP, Data Center Investments - Americas

  Raj Vohra

  EVP, Data Center Investments - Americas

  Thor Equities

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  Christian Deputy

  Christian has over 20 years of experience in the commercial insurance brokerage industry. He has held various leadership positions including Chief Sales Officer and President. He is dedicated to helping organizations grow and build value. As a relationship-focused leader, Christian engages with people to understand their needs and builds teams capable of creatively solving problems. His extensive experience spans start-ups, non-profits, and multi-billion dollar public and private organizations. Christian has consulted numerous mergers and acquisitions. He also has vast expertise working with Digital Infrastructure and Technology companies, helping them navigate complex insurance environments and implement innovative risk management solutions.

  Lockton Companies

  President, Utah

  Moderator

  Christian Deputy

  President, Utah

  Lockton Companies

Redefining Reach: Innovating Site Selection for the Edge Era

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  David Bell

  Dave has been in the utility industry for over 10 years helping support temporary, or long-term power generation requirements to industry, either behind or in front of the meter, using large reciprocating engines. Dave has worked with, industry, utilities, ISO’s and RTO’s to support capacity requirements, emergency response challenges and help improve planned work requirements. Dave joined the VoltaGrid in 2022 where VoltaGrid been supporting large industry by electrifying their processes when they have been completely stranded or have limited access to their utility. By supporting their customers they have reduced emissions by over 38%.

  VoltaGrid

  VP, Utility & Micro Grid Development

  David Bell

  VP, Utility & Micro Grid Development

  VoltaGrid

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  Erica Garaffo

  Erica Garaffo is a public sector innovator focused on building resilient, sustainable cities through technology and data-driven infrastructure planning. At the City of San José, she leads strategies integrating energy and utility systems with economic development, advancing civic partnerships that unlock innovation and investment. With a background in Industrial Engineering and a Master’s in Public Policy from Cal Poly SLO, Erica brings a systems-thinking approach to complex urban challenges—bridging technical analysis with policy design. A San José native, she is passionate about co-creating solutions that leave her community stronger and more connected for future generations.

  City of San Jose

  Large Load Energy Customer Development Lead

  Erica Garaffo

  Large Load Energy Customer Development Lead

  City of San Jose

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  Maria Poyer

  Maria is the Head of Acquisition at Verrus, leading efforts to grow digital infrastructure through strategizing, sourcing, negotiating, and acquiring new sites. Verrus, a data center platform launched by Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP) in 2024, is focused on reimagining data centers as active energy assets by integrating behind-the-meter generation and storage, positioning data centers as critical players in transforming energy systems. As a full-service developer, owner, and operator, Verrus is building a national platform across primary and emerging data center markets. With a strong background in land development and acquisition, Maria most recently served as Senior Acquisition Manager on Microsoft’s Infrastructure Planning & Acquisition team, overseeing land sourcing, site selection, and contract negotiations. She has been involved in over $5.6 billion in real estate transactions, expanding logistical and digital infrastructure for Amazon and Microsoft, and has also held key roles at JLL, Bank of America, and Amazon, where she helped scale Amazon’s real estate portfolio and logistical network. Passionate about community-building and inclusion, Maria serves as a board member of CREW Seattle, while remaining actively engaged in key data center industry conferences to drive collaboration and diversity within commercial real estate and digital infrastructure.

  Verrus

  Head of Acquisition

  Maria Poyer

  Head of Acquisition

  Verrus

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  Tejo Pydipati

  Tejo manages the design processes and leads the construction of Stream Data Centers’ expanding portfolio of Hyperscale Data Centers, Private Data Center™ facilities, Build-to-Suit Data Centers and Ready-to-Fit™ powered shells. Tejo leverages his design, construction and mission critical background to support Stream’s ongoing growth, driving alignment across the design and development of new data center facilities and bolstering success for customers seeking to expand their IT footprints and capabilities. Tejo holds a Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University.

  Stream Data Centers

  CTO

  Tejo Pydipati

  CTO

  Stream Data Centers

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  Anthony Vera

  Anthony Vera is Kimley-Horn’s West Coast mission critical project manager, specializing in civil engineering for data centers, industrial, and technology-driven developments. His broad project portfolio includes innovative data centers, corporate and commercial campus redevelopment, industrial facilities, tenant improvements, and associated streetscape and off-site infrastructure. Anthony has developed deep expertise in civil engineering design conformance, site development, due diligence, and construction best practices. He is passionate about building strong client relationships and applying his technical knowledge to deliver high-quality, efficient, and resilient infrastructure. His leadership and industry insight have guided the successful delivery of multiple high-profile mission critical projects across the Bay Area, consistently ensuring exceptional client service. When he’s not managing complex projects, you’ll find Anthony visiting local farmers markets with his kids or hitting the trails with his dog.

  Kimley-Horn

  West Coast Data Center Lead

  Anthony Vera

  West Coast Data Center Lead

  Kimley-Horn

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  Mark Calvano

  Headquartered in San Francisco, Calvano Development, Inc. is a privately held development company specializing in urban infill projects in the Bay Area. Our Bay Area focus allows us better to understand market trends allowing us to be responsive to opportunistic projects that contribute to the communities we serve. As a privately held firm, together with creative problem solving, we can take on complex projects that others cannot. A native of Silicon Valley, Mark Calvano started his real estate career at Marcus and Millichap in 1986. Over the last 35 years, Calvano has been involved in the sale, leasing, and development of projects totaling over 1.8 million square feet of office, retail, and R&D projects valued at over one billion dollars. Mark Calvano graduated from S.F.S.U. with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Calvano serves as a member of the Silicon Valley branch of the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP) and is a member of Bay Area Council.

  Calvano Development

  President

  Moderator

  Mark Calvano

  President

  Calvano Development

Advancing Cooling: Meeting High-Density Demands

• 

  JP Baladjia

  VP, Engineering

  Core Scientific

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  Kyle Chien

  Sr. Director

  Digital Realty Trust

• 

  Javi Martin

  Javier Martin is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of international operational and senior management experience in commercial, technical, and service-based corporations. Currently, Javier is focused on business development as a Strategic Account Executive for Neo-Cloud and semiconductor mission-critical infrastructure at Schneider Electric, Inc., where he has been contributing since October 2019. Before joining Schneider Electric, Javier served as Chief Executive Officer of Xzact, leading the company until its acquisition by Solutionz, Inc. Throughout his career, Javier has been instrumental in designing, integrating, and managing complex, mission-critical technology solutions for enterprise customers, the telecommunications sector, and the higher education sector. His expertise spans the design and build of high-density data centers, including Liquid-to- Liquid requirements, power distribution solutions, and infrastructure for AI factories and HPC.

  Schneider Electric

  Strategic Account Executive

  Javi Martin

  Strategic Account Executive

  Schneider Electric

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  Jeff Wood

  Jeff T. Wood is a senior executive with more than 25 years of experience in sales and marketing across the power, cooling, and data center sectors. Based in Colorado, Wood has held leadership positions at organizations including Wesco, Anixter, Schneider Electric (MGE UPS Systems), and Tripp Lite, where he consistently drove sales growth, expanded market presence, and built strategic partnerships. At Wesco, Wood served as Vice President of Power, HVAC, and DCIM, leading initiatives to expand data center solutions across North America. During his tenure at Anixter, he advanced from Director of Marketing for Power & Cooling to National Sales Director for Power, Cooling & DCiM Solutions, where he strengthened market exposure and solution sales. Earlier roles include Vice President of Sales at MGE UPS Systems, where he supervised national sales operations and agency networks, and Western Regional Manager at Tripp Lite, where he built and managed a sales team of 42 representatives across multiple agencies. His expertise spans sales management, business development, product management, and strategic planning, with a proven record of driving efficiency and measurable results in global markets. Wood holds a degree from Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business.

  Uptime Institute

  VP

  Jeff Wood

  VP

  Uptime Institute

• 

  Adam Wiggins

  Adam Wiggins is the Data Center Segment Manager for Camfil, a leading global manufacturer of clean air solutions. He is responsible for Camfil’s data center strategy, market share, and technical support in the US. Adam brings over 12 years of experience in optimizing air filtration systems for many Fortune 500 companies such as Cardinal Health, AT&T, HCA Healthcare, Tyson Foods and Nissan. He is an expert in modeling data center TCO air filtration system costs using Camfil’s Life Cycle Cost (LCC) software. LCC software can accurately project various costs associated with a data center air filtration systems using ASHRAE filter loading data. Air filtration Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) optimization will drastically reduce kWh usage, CO2 emissions, labor hours, and environmental landfill impact. Adam passionately believes the best solutions for his customers are the best solutions for our planet too. Recent publications include Air Pollution In Data Centers: New Resource Tackles the Issue and Offers Remedies for Costly Equipment Downtime, and also Famous Music City Venue Provides Healthier Indoor Air and Reduces Costs Significantly published by Yahoo News. Adam resides in Nashville, TN with his wife and son.

  Camfil

  Manager, Data Center Segment

  Moderator

  Adam Wiggins

  Manager, Data Center Segment

  Camfil

From Blueprint to Build: Best Practices for Physical Security Throughout Development

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  Yong Kim

  Yong has two decades of experience securing mission-critical infrastructure, currently leading the design and execution of technical and administrative controls that safeguard sensitive physical media and high-value components within a planetary-scale data center organization. He is an expert in bridging the gap between physical and cyber security across hyperscale data centers, a focus that consistently delivers exceptional security and business value. His foundation in high-stakes physical security and risk management is rooted in a decade of service in the U.S. Army—including company command in Afghanistan—and a decade of experiences at Meta and Google. Based in the Bay Area, Yong is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and holds a Master of Information and Cybersecurity degree from UC Berkeley.

  Google

  Data Center Security

  Yong Kim

  Data Center Security

  Google

• 

  Teresa Giralt

  Teresa Giralt is the National Business Development Lead for Ameristar Perimeter Security, an ASSA ABLOY Group brand, where she focuses on securing mission-critical infrastructure with an emphasis on enterprise and colocation data centers. She works closely with general contractors, developers, and operators to deliver scalable, future-ready perimeter solutions—from early planning phases to complex retrofits. Prior to joining Ameristar, Teresa led business development and marketing efforts for Turner Construction Company in South Florida, giving her a strong foundation in large-scale construction and client strategy. Her unique blend of construction and security expertise makes her a valuable voice in conversations around data center protection.

  Ameristar Perimeter Security USA

  Business Development Specialist, Data Centers

  Moderator

  Teresa Giralt

  Business Development Specialist, Data Centers

  Ameristar Perimeter Security USA

Keynote - The Unseen Future: Forces Reshaping Data Centers and AI

• Keynote

  Chris Dolan

  Chief Data Center Officer

  Crusoe

• 

  Peter Gross

  Peter Gross is a technology and energy internationally recognized expert whose career spans over three decades. He is presently the Managing Partner of PMG Associates a consulting and advisory firm. In addition, he sits on several boards of directors and boards of advisors for public, private and not-for- profit companies. Until recently, he was the VP of Mission Critical Systems at Bloom Energy, the premier supplier of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell systems. Before his Bloom stint, Peter Gross was Vice President and Managing Partner of HP Global Technology Consulting at Hewlett Packard. Prior to HP, he was the co-founder and CEO at EYP Mission Critical Facilities, Inc., a consulting company specialized in strategic technology planning, design and operations support for large-scale data centers. In this position, he has played a pivotal role in the rapid growth of EYP MCF’s business since its founding in 1997, leading to its acquisition by HP in 2008. Peter is recognized as a thought leader in the mission-critical digital infrastructure domain, has published numerous technical papers in the field, authored several patents and is a frequent speaker at international events. His focus centers on mission-critical facilities, high-reliability design, power quality, energy, and sustainability. Peter is the recipient of 2010 Data Center Dynamics "Outstanding Contribution to the Industry" award, is a Senior IEEE Member and was one of the contributors to IEEE Standard 3006.7-2013, “Recommended Practice for determining the reliability of 7x24 Power Systems in industrial and commercial facilities”. He also received the 2020 award for Outstanding Contribution to the Digital Infrastructure Community and was inducted in the Infrastructure Masons Hall of Fame.

  PMG Associates

  Managing Partner

  Keynote

  Peter Gross

  Managing Partner

  PMG Associates

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  Dean Nelson

  Dean Nelson is a seasoned technology executive with 32 years of experience deploying $10B of digital infrastructure projects across 3 continents. Dean is currently the CEO of Cato, a software platform that unlocks stranded power in datacenters, the Founder and Chairman of Infrastructure Masons, a professional association of industry executives and technology professionals uniting the builders of the digital age, and the Founder and CEO of Dean Nelson Inc, a strategic advisory and consulting company serving startups, fortune 500 companies and investment firms. Previously, Dean led Uber’s Metal as a Service function supporting Uber’s ridesharing business delivering over 100 million trips a week in more than 600 cities spanning 6 continents, as well as UberEats, UberFreight, UberHealth, UberForBusiness, and Autonomous vehicle and UberAir development. Prior to Uber, Dean worked at eBay Inc for 7 years as the Vice President of Global Foundation Services, which served over 300 million active users enabling over $250B of enabled commerce volume annually. At the end of his tenure, his team successfully integrated, then split eBay and PayPal infrastructures into two independent internet companies. Prior to eBay, Dean worked at Sun Microsystems for 17 years in various technical, management and executive leadership roles. His final project was the consolidation of Sun’s multi-billion dollar global technical infrastructure portfolio of over 1,000 facilities. Dean holds four US patents.

  Cato Digital

  CEO

  Keynote

  Dean Nelson

  CEO

  Cato Digital

• Moderator

  Mihir Nandkeolyar

  Director, Thermal Management

  Johnson Controls

From Deal to Delivery: Mitigating Risk Across Planning, Build, and Beyond

• 

  Emily Guglielmo

  Emily is a Principal, Vice President, and member of the Board of Directors at Martin/Martin, where she manages the firm’s San Francisco Bay Area office and leads its data center, industrial, manufacturing, and process-driven building design practice. She has delivered innovative structural solutions for a wide range of mission-critical and technically complex facilities, serving both public and private clients. With more than 20 years of experience designing data centers, Emily has partnered with a wide variety of clients to deliver high-performance, mission-critical facilities. Her expertise lies in balancing the rigorous demands of security, redundancy, efficiency, and resilience with the practical realities of construction, budget, and schedule. She has worked across diverse sites and conditions, ensuring that structural systems support the evolving requirements of today’s data-driven economy. Emily is also a recognized leader in seismic resilience. She currently serves as Chair of the ASCE/SEI 7-28 Seismic Subcommittee, Chair of the Structural Engineers Institute (SEI) Technical Community ExCom, and Chair of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) Code Advisory Committee, where she helps shape the standards that guide resilient structural design nationwide.

  Martin/Martin

  Principal, Vice President

  Emily Guglielmo

  Principal, Vice President

  Martin/Martin

• 

  Ajay Marar

  Ajay Marar is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Quantum Technology Systems, a company revolutionizing the way data center infrastructure is built and delivered. Ajay is the driving force behind the global operations that power the company’s mission: to create a true end-to-end supply chain company purpose-built for the complex, rapidly evolving needs of the data center industry. He oversees the worldwide optimization of people, products, systems, and processes to flawlessly execute Quantum’s smarter, more agile model with global delivery capabilities. Drawing on multiple years of experience leading complex operations across the retail, ecommerce, and cloud infrastructure industries, Ajay’s expertise is critical to eliminating traditional inefficiencies. Through his leadership, Ajay ensures that Quantum Technology Systems is perfectly positioned to help clients accelerate deployments while reducing costs and risks.

  Quantum Technology Systems

  Co-Founder & COO

  Ajay Marar

  Co-Founder & COO

  Quantum Technology Systems

• 

  Bakty Motiram

  Sr. Global Accessibility Program Manager

  Microsoft

• 

  Craig Pennington

  Craig Pennington is CTO of Montera Infrastructure. Previously he was Oracle’s Vice President of Data Center Engineering for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). In his role, he was responsible for the specifications and designs for datacenter infrastructure supporting OCI’s services in over 150 locations worldwide. His teams drove innovation, lead the rapid deployment of new regions, advance OCI’s sustainability stance. Prior to joining Oracle, Craig was Vice President of Design for Equinix, where he delivered improved quality and cost improvement for the company’s global portfolio of datacenters. He was also the engineering lead for support of Equinix’s sustainability goals and accelerated innovation in datacenter design, construction and management. Craig joined Equinix from NTT where he worked for 10 years in the European Managed Services business, eventually as VP of Operations overseeing the design, implementation and support of a wide range of customers and accreditation programs.

  Montera Infrastructure

  CTO

  Craig Pennington

  CTO

  Montera Infrastructure

• 

  Tim Schrotenboer

  Tim Schrotenboer is the Western Regional Manager at GPLA Structural Engineers, part of the DPR Construction Family of Companies. With more than 18 years of experience in structural engineering and a design-to-build focus, Tim leads teams that integrate design and construction to deliver innovative, high-performance projects. His expertise in HD BIM™, leveraging a single model from design through construction, and his passion for collaboration enable design for manufacturing and assembly integration while compressing design and construction schedules. Tim focuses on building strong partnerships between engineers, architects, and builders to create structures that are both elegant and efficient. He is dedicated to empowering great teams to make a lasting difference in how the industry designs and builds, with the ultimate goal of making clients reconsider what’s possible.

  GPLA

  Western Regional Manager

  Tim Schrotenboer

  Western Regional Manager

  GPLA

• 

  Paul Vaccaro

  Project Executive - Mission Critical

  BNBuilders

• 

  Gary McKitterick

  Gary is a career real estate lawyer handling some of the largest and most complex real estate transactions in the country. He represents large technology companies and office, retail, industrial, medical, and residential developers and investors in a wide range of projects including data center and digital infrastructure projects across the United States, Canada, and internationally. Public and privately held companies rely on Gary to structure and negotiate complex transactions. For example, he was the lead lawyer for the acquisition of a skyscraper in Chicago that was, at the time, the largest single asset transaction in the history of Chicago. He also handled one of the largest land transactions in the history of California when Gary structured the sale of over 437,000 acres of land to the Bureau of Land Management and a private conservancy. In the last three years alone, Gary has structured development, acquisition, disposition and investment deals totaling multiple billions of dollars. Gary is also involved in some of the most high-profile active digital infrastructure construction projects across the United States and Canada. Gary is one of the leading transactional development and construction experts on the West Coast and has authored a chapter on construction management issues for legal publisher Mathew Bender. He has lectured on construction matters for graduate schools at USC, UCLA and UCI and has written numerous articles covering such subjects as "Organizing and Planning a Project" and "The Role of Construction and Development Management.

  Allen Matkins

  Partner

  Moderator

  Gary McKitterick

  Partner

  Allen Matkins

The Power Factor: Grid, Growth & the Future of Data Center Expansion

• 

  Cisha Adams

  Director, Utility Engagement

  QTS Data Centers

• 

  Jeff Barber

  Jeff Barber is the Vice President of Global Data Centers at Bloom Energy, where he drives transformative change in the industry. A global leader with more than 20 years of experience in the digital infrastructure markets, Jeff has held key roles at EMC/Dell, Oracle and Prime Data Centers prior to joining Bloom. At Bloom Energy, Jeff oversees the data center vertical supporting businesses in meeting their mission-critical power needs. In his role, he is dedicated to empowering data center developers, tenants and operators to take control of all their data center power requirements and is passionate about paving a more sustainable path forward for data centers. His dedication to reliable, sustainable and efficient power remains at the forefront of his work, enabling the industry to take control of their most critical asset: Access to power.

  Bloom Energy

  VP, Global Data Centers

  Jeff Barber

  VP, Global Data Centers

  Bloom Energy

• 

  Geoff Bland

  Geoff is responsible for the leadership of the sales, marketing, and strategy at Life Cycle Power. He is a tenured Professional Engineer with 20 years’ experience in designing power generation equipment and projects across 70 countries and has a deep understanding of the commercials and challenges facing the market. As the SVP of commercial strategies, he has brought strong leadership to the team and allowed Life Cycle power to be a trusted partner to many of our clients.

  Life Cycle Power

  SVP, Commercial Strategies

  Geoff Bland

  SVP, Commercial Strategies

  Life Cycle Power

• 

  Ron Godinez

  Ron Godinez is the founder and driving force behind RC Power, a premier electrical contracting company based in the heart of Silicon Valley, CA. With 30 years in the industry and over 20 years in business, RC Power stands out for its deep expertise, problem-solving capabilities, and ability to tackle highly complex projects. The company leads in AI and data center design and implementation, providing innovative, efficient, and cost-effective solutions while staying at the forefront of a rapidly evolving market. Backed by a talented team—including in-house engineering, knowledgeable and efficient project managers, strong procurement relationships, and seamless operations—Ron leads with an “anything is possible” mindset. He prioritizes culture, integrity, and delivering the best value while driving innovation in the industry.

  RC Power

  Founder

  Ron Godinez

  Founder

  RC Power

• 

  Ujvalla Gupta

  Ujvalla Gupta is a recognized leader in the Utility and Power/Energy sector, with 19 years of experience driving strategic initiatives and technological innovation, managing multi-billion-dollar investment portfolios and de-risking utility operations in California and the Americas to advance load growth while maintaining grid reliability and affordability. Currently, she serves as Senior Director of Enterprise and Operational Risk at Pacific Gas and Electric Company. In this role, she oversees management of operational and strategic risks for the company, development of enterprise-wide strategy and policy advocacy to shape the organization’s risk posture. Prior to this role, she led the Energy Strategy and Delivery organization at Amazon Web Services Infrastructure for the SW Americas and Latin America regions. In that role, she was responsible for power and energy strategy development and execution for the data center sites through establishing public-private partnerships, negotiating complex contracts, and implementing innovative energy technological solutions to unlock reliable capacity at scale for mission-critical workloads. Her impact spans leading transformative risk programs, launching innovative energy strategies for large load customers, delivering generation and transmission power infrastructure for data center campuses, and developing effective collaboration across utilities, regulators, and private sector partners. Beyond her executive roles, Ujvalla is co-founder of Delhi Public International School in Bikaner, India, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing girls’ education in STEM. Ujvalla holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering, India and an MBA from the University of California, Davis.

  Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E)

  Senior Director, Risk & Grid Resiliency

  Ujvalla Gupta

  Senior Director, Risk & Grid Resiliency

  Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E)

• 

  Shilen Jhaveri

  Shilen Jhaveri is a Program Manager at Google, where he is the lead PM for YouTube’s global data center capacity planning, scaling infrastructure to support ML workloads. Additionally, he drives the strategic roadmap across North American locations, ensuring data center infrastructure is optimized and AI-ready, and leads a program that safeguards the health data centers worldwide. Prior to Google, he managed enterprise SaaS implementations for Fortune 500 clients, scaling products to multi-million dollar ARR and launching logistics optimization solutions that delivered substantial savings during the global supply chain crisis. His expertise centers on building and managing scalable, resilient infrastructure in resource-constrained environments and developing products that address complex real-world challenges. Shilen brings a unique perspective to infrastructure management, combining deep technical knowledge with strategic program leadership to solve some of today's most pressing scalability and operational challenges in the tech industry.

  Google

  Program Manager, Data Center Capacity Planning

  Shilen Jhaveri

  Program Manager, Data Center Capacity Planning

  Google

• 

  Michael Collins

  Mike has been a forward-thinking leader in the energy space for over 28 years covering many facets of energy solutions from power generation / CHP, electric and natural gas infrastructure, load response, energy efficiency, and LNG / CNG / RNG solutions. Experience navigating large and small utilities, developers, multinational corporations, military branches, universities, large and small companies creating innovative solutions to meet each project’s specific target and requirements. Mike is responsible for growing Jenbacher North America’s Hydrogen and Natural Gas Generator Market.

  INNIO Jenbacher

  Manager, North America

  Moderator

  Michael Collins

  Manager, North America

  INNIO Jenbacher

The San Jose–PG&E Keynote Conversation

• 

  Patti Poppe

  Patti Poppe is the CEO of PG&E Corporation. Patti and PG&E’s 29,000 coworkers deliver energy to 16 million people across Northern and Central California and are helping lead the state’s decarbonized future. Patti joined PG&E in January 2021 after five years as President and CEO of CMS Energy and its principal subsidiary, Consumers Energy. She previously served in other leadership roles at Consumers Energy, as Power Plant Director at DTE Energy in Michigan and started her career at General Motors. She is also the first female executive to serve as the CEO of two different Fortune 500 companies consecutively.

  PG&E Corporation

  CEO

  Keynote

  Patti Poppe

  CEO

  PG&E Corporation

• 

  Matt Mahan

  Matt Mahan is the 66th Mayor of San José. He was raised in Watsonville, California by working parents, a school teacher and a letter carrier, who taught Matt and his sisters to value hard work, the importance of education, and the power of community. His love for San José was ignited early on when he decided to make the long, often four-hour-a-day commute by bus to San José to attend Bellarmine College Prep. Matt went on to attend Harvard University, where he served as student body president and graduated magna cum laude before joining the Teach for America program, where he taught English and History at George Joseph Middle School in Alum Rock, San Jose. Matt went on to the business world, where he founded and served as CEO of two civic tech companies dedicated to empowering neighborhoods and holding government accountable. These core tenets have remained key to his policy priorities – both during his time as District 10 Councilmember and now as San Jose Mayor. Matt decided to run for San José’s top office in 2022 because he knew local government needed significant reform to get back to basics and deliver results on homelessness, public safety and housing affordability. Since taking office, Matt has led the city to build more housing, expand solutions to homelessness that have reduced the number of people living on our streets, and brought crime rates down to historic lows. His efforts to bring AI tools and performance management practices into City Hall have yielded a more efficient and accountable government. Mayor Matt Mahan, his wife Silvia, and their two young children live in the Almaden neighborhood.

  City of San Jose

  Mayor

  Keynote

  Matt Mahan

  Mayor

  City of San Jose

• 

  Joanna Lohkamp

  Joanna Lohkamp is the Chief Executive Officer of Smart Wires and has been a member of its Board of Directors since 2021. She brings more than 30 years of global leadership experience spanning technology, manufacturing, and the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sectors. Before joining Smart Wires, Joanna served as Managing Partner (co-CEO) and Chief Financial & Operating Officer at NBBJ, and as President and Chief Operating Officer at Isonics Semiconductor. She spent 12 years at Intel Corporation in senior roles across finance, operations, manufacturing, leadership development, and M&A. Joanna has served as an Independent Director and held board committee leadership roles at several public and private companies across a range of sectors. She co-founded the Better Boards Initiative, a nonprofit focused on advancing effective, diverse board practices. She is a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Board Leadership Fellow and holds the NACD Directorship Certification®. Joanna earned her MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University.

  Smart Wires

  CEO

  Moderator

  Joanna Lohkamp

  CEO

  Smart Wires

Smart Construction: Design Innovation, Efficient Development and Scalable Builds

• 

  Anthony Canipa

  Seasoned data center leader joins to strengthen portfolio partnerships and drive global adoption of XYZ Reality’s construction delivery platform. London, UK – [4th November 2025] – XYZ Reality, the leading construction delivery platform for data centers, today announced the appointment of Anthony Canipa as Vice President of Customer Success. With more than a decade of experience delivering over 1.2 gigawatts of data center capacity worldwide, Canipa brings deep expertise in construction scheduling, project controls, and digital transformation – particularly in driving data-led clarity across complex, multi-site portfolios and informing executive-level decisions. Canipa joins XYZ Reality following senior positions at Microsoft and Yondr, where he led major global data center programs and championed the adoption of digital tools to improve performance, transparency, and accountability. A longtime advocate for innovation in construction, Canipa was an early adopter of XYZ Reality’s technology – using it to drive efficiency, enhance visibility, and even resolve a multimillion-dollar dispute through real-time portfolio data that informed decisions at executive level. “I’ve been incredibly passionate about XYZ Reality’s product for years,” said Anthony Canipa, VP of Customer Success at XYZ Reality. “I’ve used it at every level – from the boardroom to the construction site – and seen firsthand how it bridges the gap between guesswork and real progress. Joining the team feels like an inevitable next step. I believe we will transform the industry by giving project teams and executives the clarity and confidence they’ve been missing, and by building stronger, more data- driven relationships with our clients.” As Vice President of Customer Success, Canipa will focus on strengthening client partnerships, driving adoption and value realization across XYZ Reality’s customer base, and collaborating closely with delivery teams to ensure consistent excellence across projects. Waleed Zafar, Chief Revenue Officer of XYZ Reality, said: “We’re excited to have Anthony join XYZ Reality. He brings a rare combination of deep industry experience and forward-thinking innovation – someone who truly understands the challenges our customers face and how technology can transform the way projects are delivered. Anthony’s energy, authenticity, and customer-first mindset perfectly reflect who we are as a company – not just on individual projects, but across entire portfolios.” With the data center sector entering a new era of speed, scale, and digitization, Canipa’s appointment underscores XYZ Reality’s commitment to helping clients achieve more predictable, data-driven outcomes through the integration of advanced AR and intelligent project controls.

  XYZ

  VP, Customer Success

  Anthony Canipa

  VP, Customer Success

  XYZ

• 

  Donald Interdonato

  Don Interdonato is a senior AECO executive with over 25 years of experience spanning MEP design, construction, and facilities management. A recognized leader in BIM and VDC, he drives innovation and operational excellence through model-based strategies that improve constructability, accelerate delivery, and enhance lifecycle performance. As a senior leader at VEC, Don spearheads business development in mission critical and other core markets, aligning technology and process to achieve measurable results. His career includes senior roles at Lincolne Scott and Cupertino Electric, leading major initiatives in energy modeling, engineering, and BIM integration. Don is CM-BIM certified and holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Centenary University.

  VEC

  Senior Director

  Donald Interdonato

  Senior Director

  VEC

• 

  Steve Kundich

  Steve is a licensed architect with over 25 years of experience leading top tier data center design and construction teams. Prior to joining Ada Infrastructure, Steve was Strategic Engineering Team Director for Meta, where he built a team of architects to lead the development and global deployment of new data center designs. He was also the design leader for Meta's prefabrication strategy and next generation data centers. Before Meta, Steve was Senior Vice President of Global Design at Digital Realty, where he established lean processes, key vendor partnerships, and a product-based delivery approach that enabled the acceleration of DLR's rapid global expansion.

  Ada Infrastructure

  SVP, Global Design and Innovation

  Steve Kundich

  SVP, Global Design and Innovation

  Ada Infrastructure

• 

  Blake Roskelley

  An experienced Structural Engineer and Development manager, Blake Roskelley brings 14 years of experience in the construction industry to his current role at Clark Pacific, a leading provider of innovative engineering and construction solutions. Blake works across a spectrum of roles - Business Development, Preconstruction, and Product Management. He is on the front lines of project pursuits, developing innovative gravity and lateral systems while working closely with design teams to ensure project goals are met. Post award he continues to refine project specific solutions having successfully standardized these project-based solutions into cost effective market facing products. In addition to his role at Clark Pacific, Blake serves as a Director on the board of the US Resiliency Council. He endeavors to increase awareness of the importance of resiliency in building design, an issue of significant importance to the Mission Critical and Data Center market. His commitment to this cause underscores his dedication to the advancement of the construction industry and his drive to promote sustainable and resilient building practices.

  Clark Pacific

  Sr Preconstruction Manager, Mission Critical

  Blake Roskelley

  Sr Preconstruction Manager, Mission Critical

  Clark Pacific

• 

  Jeff Young

  Jeff is a technology sales professional with extensive experience spanning enterprise software startups, Fortune 500 global distribution, wireless mobility solutions, and entrepreneurial ventures. His perspectives cover data centers, enterprise networking, security, IoT, edge computing, mobile technologies, supply chain, and infrastructure solutions including power distribution and cooling systems

  GCG

  Director, Sales - Data Centers

  Jeff Young

  Director, Sales - Data Centers

  GCG

• 

  Kurt Lindorfer

  Kurt’s professional engineering career spans over 40 years. His expertise includes structural engineering design for Mission Critical Facilities such as Data Centers, Health Care Facilities such as Hospitals and Clinics and Life Sciences Facilities such as Biopharmaceutical Pilot Plants and Production Facilities around the United States and the World. His area of expertise is in designing buildings to be occupable after natural disasters including Tornados, Hurricanes and Earthquakes. He has been the structural engineer of record for conventional “fixed Base Buildings” ranging from 1-23 stories, “Base Isolated Buildings” ranging from 1-5 stories, and the retrofit and new construction of buildings incorporating Fluid Viscous Dampers ranging from 1-22 stories. He has published numerous papers on passive energy dissipation and presented the findings at various conventions in Boston, San Francisco and Milan. For over 23 years as the Founding Principal at PARADIGM Structural Engineers, Kurt spends most of his time developing new leaders at PARADIGM and mentoring staff in Chicago and San Francisco.

  PARADIGM Structural Engineers

  Founding Principal

  Moderator

  Kurt Lindorfer

  Founding Principal

  PARADIGM Structural Engineers