The surge of data centers and their intense appetite for electrons and water has commanded headlines, given their integral role in quenching the growing global thirst for more cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI).
In the power business, it’s an unavoidably hot topic — never more evident than at the latest CERAWeek, billed as the world’s premier energy conference.
During that March gathering in Houston, top global energy sector executives and thought leaders in attendance included many from global critical infrastructure leader Black & Veatch, embracing the opportunity to share their expertise in speaking roles and in conversations with the media.
Black & Veatch Chairman and CEO Mario Azar was on a panel entitled “Terawatts for Terabytes: Powering the Coming Wave of Data Centers,” joining leaders from Amazon Web Services, GE Vernova and Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation to discuss the rise of AI-driven data centers and the impact on our grid infrastructure.
Charlie Sanchez, the company’s Infrastructure Advisory business president, participated in a strategic roundtable discussing AI applications and its impact on the power grid. Sanchez doesn’t see the data center boom — and the complementary promise of AI in addressing the challenges ahead — abating any time soon, and he shared these thoughts with CNBC Worldwide Exchange’s Frank Holland .
Black & Veatch’s visible presence at the conference was a no-brainer. For all of that and more, Black & Veatch has emerged as a uniquely positioned partner for clients pursuing a sustainable hyperscale data center — a formidable claim to fame that not many peers can make. Simply put, not many companies know how to build the most power-efficient data centers and adapt to what artificial intelligence means to the infrastructure, power and energy sectors.
Black & Veatch has managed the intersection of power, water and land since its founding in 1915. It’s a rare and deep skill set and, in the age of AI, more imperative than ever to building modern infrastructure.
