Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Join us for a summer webinar series exploring how AI, energy, sustainability, and global infrastructure are reshaping supply chains. Registration is Free; see the link at the end of this email.
As AI accelerates, data centers are expanding at unprecedented scale and becoming essential infrastructure for the global economy. In the U.S. alone, data center electricity demand is projected to grow from roughly 4–5% of total demand today to as much as 9–17% by 2030, according to EPRI. This rapid growth raises major questions about energy systems, water use, supply chain resilience, environmental impacts, and the policies needed to manage AI-driven infrastructure expansion.
Our first webinar on Tuesday, June 9 will focus on the energy dimensions of data center growth and the broader systems challenges associated with powering the AI economy.
The session will feature:
- https://search.asu.edu/profile/1471405. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-linkindex="9">Gary Dirks, Senior Director of the Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University and former President of BP Asia-Pacific and BP China, who will provide a systems-level perspective on the evolving global energy landscape and the geopolitical, sustainability, and resilience challenges associated with AI-driven electricity demand.
- https://usea.org/profile/nidhi-santen. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-linkindex="10">Dr. Nidhi Santen, Area Manager in the Energy Systems and Climate Analysis Group at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), who will discuss an end-to-end approach to grid planning for data centers that supports reliability, sustainability, and affordability amid rapid load growth.
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendon-baatz-76118516. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-linkindex="11">Brendon Baatz, Energy Market Development at Google, who will discuss the energy requirements of Google's global data center network and the regulatory, market, and sustainability challenges associated with securing reliable power for AI infrastructure.
The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Kenneth Richards of Indiana University, an expert in environmental economics and environmental policy design.
Join us for a timely conversation on one of the most significant infrastructure and sustainability challenges emerging from the AI economy.
Please register for the first session on June 9 at 9:00 AM MT |12:00 PM ET | 6:00 PM CET by clicking the link below:
We look forward to your participation.
Karen Donohue
Professor and W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair
Director, Center for Responsible Supply Chain Management
NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management
W. P. Carey School of Business | Arizona State University
Owen Wu
Associate Professor, Grant Thornton Scholar
Founding Director, Institute for Environmental and Social Sustainability
Department of Operations & Decision Technologies
Kelley School of Business | Indiana University