Putting Communities First in the Future of Digital Infrastructure | Digital Infrastructure Alliance

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The Digital Infrastructure Alliance is championing a community-first approach to the future of digital infrastructure, emphasizing that industry leaders act as public servants dedicated to the betterment of society. Mark Gusakov, the organization's CEO, argues that successful deployment requires active engagement with local residents rather than dismissing their concerns or making light of them. The alliance prioritizes listening to community needs before implementing solutions, focusing on responsible and sustainable practices that address critical issues such as noise pollution, water usage efficiency, and grid connectivity. By ensuring that data centers do not impose undue financial burdens on individuals, the organization aims to create an environment where technological advancement serves humanity without compromising local quality of life. A central pillar of this strategy involves securing reliable and sustainable energy sources, with nuclear power identified as a vital solution for meeting the growing demand for electricity required by data centers. The alliance is actively partnering with entities like Idaho National Labs to advance nuclear initiatives and has organized global summits to foster collaboration between utilities, digital infrastructure companies, and community members. A key initiative mentioned is Project Uprise, an executive order designed to add five gigawatts of capacity to the grid by 2029, which includes exploring the restart of facilities like Three Mile Island with support from major tech investors like Microsoft. These efforts are intended to build a more robust and effective power grid that can support the expansion of digital infrastructure while maintaining environmental sustainability. To achieve these goals, the alliance is committed to changing the current narrative within the industry by moving away from meme-making and skepticism toward genuine dialogue and cooperation. They believe that because data centers will inevitably be built everywhere, the focus must shift to how they are integrated responsibly into existing communities. This involves bringing together diverse stakeholders to define what responsible deployment looks like for the future, ensuring that projects benefit all people rather than just a select few. Through direct engagement and transparent communication, the alliance seeks to demonstrate that digital infrastructure can coexist harmoniously with local environments when proper precautions and community input are respected. For those interested in learning more about the Digital Infrastructure Alliance's ongoing work and upcoming initiatives, the organization encourages following their activities on LinkedIn and visiting their official website. They also produce podcasts and plan to feature significant developments on national television soon, aiming to keep the public informed and engaged with the latest trends in the sector. The alliance remains dedicated to its mission of serving the people through responsible innovation, inviting viewers to stay curious, remain connected, and participate in the evolving conversation about how technology shapes our world.

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Welcome to JSA where we are covering the latest news trends and innovations live from Data Cloud USA here in downtown Austin. I have a very special guest with me today, friend of the fam, the JSA fam, Mark Gusakov, CEO of the Digital Infrastructure Alliance. Thank you for being with us today, Mark. >> Thanks for having me. I always love doing these things. And this is our first one, so I'm so excited. >> I know. I'm so happy you could come on. >> Me, too. >> Um so let's hop right into it. Tell me um how you guys are supporting the community engagement initiatives and and kind of, you know, where that's going for us. >> I mean, it's just been an just a just an incredible whirlwind with everything that's going on in the industry right now. At the Digital Infrastructure Alliance, we've really decided to take a community-first approach. Ultimately, we are all like like it or not, we are all public servants to this industry and we serve the people. Our goal is to provide an environment for the betterment of all humanity and society, and that starts at the local community level. So I mean, today we had some folks that were outside and they were voicing their opinions on how they felt about that deployment, and it's really about having conversations with people where they come from, where they stand, uh and and we take a very active approach and we're not shy about it. We listen first, we talk second, we understand third, and we are understood fourth. And it's that simple. We've encountered a lot of people in the space that they make memes, they make fun of people, you know, they they they don't have the best interest of the community at heart, and we're changing that entire narrative. We're stopping, we're taking the time, we're engaging with these folks because ultimately it's their backyard. And and we're serving them. I I the things that we're doing within the digital infrastructure community are there to benefit all of the people of the world. And we want to do that right. And the best way that we can do that is through responsible, sustainable deployment, and listening to what it is they want and how they want this to play. No one's going to be able to just avoid having data centers all over. But we really need to make sure that when we're doing that, looking at noise quality, we're looking at water use effectiveness, we're looking at power use effectiveness. Do we have good connectivity to the grid? And then, how can we provide these services so that people aren't paying for it out of pocket, and that they're able to subsidize some of the costs. Those are the things that we're focused on at the digital infrastructure line. >> No, I think that is you guys are doing the work that needs to be done. So, thank you so much on behalf of the entire industry, might I say. Um so, hopping over to nuclear, which is a hot topic for you guys. What's going on there? >> Hot. Yeah, hottest thing going right now. I mean, as far as we're concerned, you know, getting our position to be able to bridge to get to the power considerations that we have, everybody's going to need to connect to the grid. Behind the meter is great. It It's It's one of many steps that we can do to be able to get to this, but nuclear is the answer, and it's it's the answer for a sustainable, greener energy solution for everybody. I'm really honored and lucky to be partnered with Idaho National Labs. We did a global nuclear summit here yesterday. It was incredible. We had all the people in the room that needed to participate. That was Jeff up here from DC Blocks. He's working on federal land. He's one of the people that got selected to do a data center deployment on federal land, which is incredible for him. Congrats to him and the DC Blocks team. And then, Brian Smith and myself, we put on another one of these, and we actually did one in Can back in June. We did We did this one here. It's incredible turnout. Everybody's really talking. And part of this is going to prep us for what we're going to do at Idaho National Labs in October. This will be our third year doing a nuclear summit. We're bringing in people from the community, bringing in people from the utility, bringing people from digital infrastructure and nuclear, so that everybody comes together, we figure out what responsible deployment looks like for our future. Right now, the best scenario we've got through an initiative called Project Uprise, that's where we're putting an additional 5 gigawatts on the grid uh by 2029. It's an executive order. And in order to do that, you know, there's a lot going on in there. People not Not many people don't know the fact that Microsoft has invested in Three Mile Island to do a restart and and get uh power consideration from that, but we need to see more of that. We need to see a lot more of that happening within the industry. So, we are getting investments from the digital infrastructure community to support the grid, build up the grid, and get us better, more reliable, and effective power. >> Awesome. Well, Mark, thank you for all you're doing to push the industry forward. Um tell us where we can learn more about the Digital Infrastructure Alliance. >> Yeah, so www.thedigitalinfrastructurealliance.com. It's that simple. We're all over LinkedIn. We've got podcasts. Going to be some cool stuff coming out on national television really soon, so keep an eye open uh for that. And uh otherwise, always a JSA interview. That's the best way to see what we're up to. >> Very good to see you, Mark, and thanks for coming on the show again. >> you so much. >> And thank you, viewers. Thanks for tuning in. Stay curious, stay connected, and happy networking.