The iMasons Innovation Podcast Thought Leadership

Where do you put a data center when the grid queue is seven years long and the neighbours are already pushing back? Three founders say: the ocean floor, the job site, and cislunar orbit.

In this episode of iMasons' Innovation Exchange, three infrastructure pioneers make the case for AI's next physical frontier:

Riley McAdams (Seabase) on modular compute pods deployed on the seafloor near ports and cable landing stations — turning warm coastal water into a cooling advantage and sidestepping NIMBY fights entirely.

Duhita Kothe (Crusoe) on the labor crisis behind hyperscale construction, and how autonomous excavators, robotic welders, and fleet robotics are closing a skilled-labor gap on remote, multi-thousand-person job sites.

Chris Stott (Lonestar Space) on building the first sovereign data storage network in orbit — from the ISS to cislunar space — with free cooling, uninterrupted solar power, and a legal case for data sovereignty that doesn't exist on Earth.

Then all three join a live panel to debate collaboration vs. competition, how you get infrastructure right the first time when you can't just send someone to fix it, environmental impact from synthetic reefs to carbon credits in orbit, and what happens at end-of-life for a data center you can't easily walk away from.

If you think you know what a data center looks like, this conversation will change your mind — three times over.

Follow iMasons' Innovation Exchange for more conversations on the future of infrastructure.

In this episode of the iMasons Podcast, host Romain Tranchant sits down with Luis Schilling, CEO of Tropical IT, and Andrew Jones, EVP of Sales, to tackle one of the most pressing challenges facing the data center industry today — supply chain. 

From structural inefficiencies and fragmented procurement to the concept of "supply flow," Luis and Andrew break down why the traditional supply chain model is failing global enterprise and what a smarter, more connected approach looks like in practice. 

They also explore Latin America as an emerging and often misunderstood market for AI infrastructure investment — covering clean energy availability, engineering talent, evolving regulations, and why early movers have a significant advantage. 

In this episode: 

• Why supply chain is a global problem that power and talent shortages are not 
• The difference between supply chain and supply flow 
• How technology and platform integration can remove procurement friction 
• The role of AI and predictive analytics in forecasting hardware needs 
• Latin America as a data center growth market — myths vs. reality 
• Why Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay are attracting AI infrastructure investment 
• How to simplify technology procurement across the Americas 

Guests:  

Luis Schilling, CEO, Tropical IT 

Andrew Jones, EVP of Sales, Tropical IT 

Moderator:  Romain Tranchant, iMasons Innovation Committee Chair 

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Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. 

#iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

Originally streamed live on May 19, 2026. 
To participate in future sessions, live—and ask questions in real time—visit the Events – Infrastructure Masons page and register.  

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Cooling accounts for up to 40% of a data centre's operational costs — so how do you optimise it? In this Meet the Startups session, moderator Romain Tranchant is joined by two innovative companies from the iMasons Innovation Incubator with very different — but equally compelling — answers. 

🔹 George Hancock, Co-Founder & VP of Strategic Partners at OptaiPipe, presents ACE (AI for Cooling Efficiency) — an AI-driven cooling control system that combines deep reinforcement learning with a guardian AI agent to deliver safe, explainable, and actionable energy optimisation. Deployed entirely on-premise, it's built for the realities of mission-critical data centre operations. 

🔹 Matt Stroud, P.E., CEO at Icebox Energy, showcases an innovative reutilisation of proven technologies, purpose-built for the demands of modern data centres — tackling the mounting complexity of liquid cooling at scale. 

The conversation goes beyond the technology, exploring how operators build trust in new systems, the gap between investor metrics and industry decision-making, and the lessons learned from a year inside the iMasons Incubator programme. A must-watch for anyone navigating the future of data centre innovation. 

👉 Want to get involved? Visit the iMasons website to learn more about the Innovation Accelerator program, join a working group, or share your own thought leadership with the community via our Innovation Engagement Hub. 

📅 Upcoming Events: https://imasons.org/initiatives/innovation/#events 

#DataCentre #StartupIncubator #AI #EnergyEfficiency #Cooling #Innovation #iMasons #TechStartups 

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Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. 

#iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

What does it take to build data centres fit for an AI-driven world?

In this Innovation Exchange session hosted by iMasons Innovation, three industry experts explore the forces reshaping AI data center development.

Pritesh Indore (Crusoe) breaks down why site selection is no longer a real estate decision — it's an energy procurement and geopolitical one.

Eric Closson (Stream Data Centers) examines the sustainability challenges of extreme-density compute, from water use to power efficiency. 

JP Buzzell (Eaton) dives into the evolving design strategies needed to future-proof facilities built for AI workloads.

Together they tackle the big questions: Where will the power come from? How do we bring communities along? And what does the next generation of infrastructure actually look like?

💬 Topics covered: site selection, power availability, liquid cooling, SMRs, behind-the-meter energy, community engagement, and the future of AI factories.

🔗 Learn more & join upcoming sessions: imasons.org/events 

Guests:

🎤 Speakers: 

• Pritesh Indore, Crusoe — How AI is reshaping global site selection strategies
• Eric Closson, Stream Data Centres— AI-driven scale and design agility
• JP Buzzell, Eaton — Tackling waveform impacts from AI loads

Moderator:

Romain Tranchant, iMasons Innovation Committee Chair

In this episode, host Romain Tranchant speaks with Geene Alhady, President of Clark Pacific, about how industrialized, product‑driven construction is reshaping data center and AI infrastructure delivery.

Geene explains why Clark Pacific has moved away from traditional project‑by‑project construction toward a manufacturing mindset focused on standard products, repeatability, and market share. He dives into design for manufacturing, logistics, and assembly (DFMLA), the shift from risk avoidance to guaranteeing success, and how early collaboration with owners and designers unlocks speed, cost certainty, and scalability.

The conversation also explores sustainability through Clark Pacific’s Carbon Shield low‑carbon concrete, the realities of scaling prefabrication at pace, and why shared values—not just contracts—are critical to transforming one of the world’s most risk‑averse industries.

A must‑listen for anyone interested in the future of construction, prefabrication, and sustainable building innovation.

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Guest: Geene Alhady President at Clark Pacific

Moderator:  Romain Tranchant, iMasons Innovation Committee Chair

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Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.

#iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership

This episode of Innovation Unwrapped offers a behind‑the‑scenes look at how innovation is being shaped within the iMasons community. 

Romain Tranchant, Chair of the iMasons Innovation Committee, shares a clear update on the Committee’s priorities and initiatives—from working groups and thought leadership to the progress of the iMasons Incubator Program. 

He is joined by Rudolf Gordon‑Seymour, EMEA Regional Director at iMasons who brings a regional perspective on innovation across EMEA and APAC, exploring how market conditions, regulation, and infrastructure challenges are influencing local approaches to innovation. 

The episode also features a fireside discussion with Angela Chan, Founder of Hackathons International, on how hackathons surface practical innovation and connect creative thinking with industry execution. 

Together, these conversations reflect iMasons’ approach to innovation: collaborative, grounded in real‑world challenges, and driven by active member engagement. 

🔗 Engage with the Innovation Committee 

All opportunities to get involved are available in one place, including: 

• Working groups 

• Open meetings 

• Thought leadership 

• Startup Incubator 

• Innovation content 

👉 Access the Innovation Engagement Hub: 
https://forms.gle/nPuU8rq8N8Cq8UhTA 

This is your single entry point to participate in iMasons Innovation. 

Guests 

• Rudolf Gordon‑Seymour – EMEA Regional Director, iMasons 

• Angela Chan – CEO, Hackathons International 

Moderator 

• Romain Tranchant – Chair, iMasons Innovation Committee 

About Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) 

Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.  

#iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

Originally streamed live on February 3rd, 2026. 
To participate in future sessions, live—and ask questions in real time—visit the Events – Infrastructure Masons page and register.  

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In this episode of the iMasons Innovation Committee series, we introduce a brand‑new format: ten‑minute spotlight presentations from cutting‑edge innovators shaping the future of digital infrastructure. 

Hosted by Romain Trunchant, Chair of the Innovation Committee, this session features two start‑ups from the iMasons Incubator program—each tackling critical challenges facing data centers as the industry scales rapidly to meet AI-driven demand. 

🔋 First, we hear from Dr. Hector Lancaster, co‑founder and CEO of SuperSix, who shares how next‑generation supercapacitors could transform short‑duration energy storage, improve power quality, reduce fire risk, and unlock new efficiencies across compute, grid interface, and backup power systems. 
Hector breaks down why traditional batteries struggle with high‑power needs, how supercapacitors differ fundamentally, and how SuperSix’s breakthroughs in advanced materials could reshape data center power architectures. 

💧 Next, Priyanka from Water From Air presents a radical rethinking of industrial cooling and water generation. Her team of mechanical engineers has developed a low‑energy atmospheric water extraction system powered by data center waste heat—producing ultra‑pure water for adiabatic cooling, reducing peak power demand, and offering new ways to manage water scarcity in hot and arid regions. 

Following both presentations, Romain brings Hector and Priyanka back for a rich conversation on entrepreneurship, product‑market fit, working with the iMasons community, and the guidance and partnerships they’re seeking as they move toward pilots and real‑world deployments. 

Whether you're passionate about energy innovation, sustainability, or the future of digital infrastructure, this episode offers fresh perspectives from two emerging technology leaders shaping what comes next. 

Guests: 

Hector Lancaster, CEO & Co-Founder at Super6 Ltd 

Priyanka Kompella, Chief Operating Officer at Water From Air 

Moderator: 

Romain Tranchant, iMasons Innovation Committee Chair 

Originally streamed live on Oct 8, 2025.
To participate in future sessions, live—and ask questions in real time—visit the Events – Infrastructure Masons page and register. 

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This panel brings together leaders in AI optimisation, power management, and infrastructure innovation to examine how data centre operators can enhance efficiency while maintaining resilience. The conversation covers the critical balance between energy efficiency and operational risk, the adoption of predictive analytics and real-time monitoring, and the role of AI-driven cooling strategies. 

The panel also discusses low-capex efficiency measures, the risks of introducing advanced technologies into existing sites, and how modular, scalable infrastructure can support fluctuating demand while enabling more sustainable operations.

Guests:

Danel Turk , Global Portfolio Manager, ABB Data Centers. 

Eric Topham, CEO and Co-Founder, OctaiPipe.

Joshua (JP)Buzzell, Vice President, Data Center Chief Architect, Eaton. 

Dr. Parag Mehresh, Director of Technical Sales, Vertiv.

Moderator:

Romain Tranchant, iMasons Innovation Committee Chair