Building for the Future: Data Centers, Water Stewardship, and Decarbonization

​Two of the hardest problems in corporate climate action right now are water and energy, and both are being tested in real time by companies making infrastructure decisions with long lifespans. This event brings together cross-sector practitioners to discuss what’s working, what’s stuck, and what needs to change to achieve meaningful, shared solutions at scale.

​Panel one — data centers and water:

​Water is an increasing source of tension as data center development accelerates. Data center developers are setting water positive commitments that include reducing water demand and increasing reuse, and also investing in water replenishment that goes beyond the fenceline to invest in watersheds. In this panel, we will bring together speakers representing hyperscalers, utilities, and communities to explore what is needed to effectively support communities and ecosystems while reducing data center risks.

​Panel two — portfolio decarbonization:

​Setting a corporate emissions target is straightforward; delivering it across a portfolio of facilities built over decades is not. Public and private sector panelists will discuss how large organizations sequence capital across sites with different ages, uses, and local grids — where electrification pencils out, where it doesn't yet, and what actually moves a portfolio rather than a single flagship building.