Keynote: Future Forecast: Building AI Sustainably

AI’s buildout is moving faster than the systems that surround it. We’ll trace how AI gets built and the forces shaping whether it gets built sustainably. Each vantage point represents a distinct role in the system.

The goal: leave the audience with a clear map of the stakeholders, tensions and decision points that will determine whether AI’s growth aligns with the transition — or works against it.

OPENING REMARKS 

Opening remarks from Trellis Impact Executive Director Grant Harrison

Welcome remarks from San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie

BUILDING AI SUSTAINABLY: THE LIFECYCLE 

The Developer: The infrastructure company orchestrating the physical systems that AI relies on. Grounds the audience in what’s actually being built and maintained. Unpacks how design, siting and engineering choices compound climate impacts down the value chain. 

Heather Clancy (Trellis) + Danielle Decatur, VP Community Engagement, Cloverleaf Infrastructure

The Community: The voice of the resident and advocate living near the infrastructure. Recognizes potential conflicts between data-center growth and local communities.

Katie Ryan (Trellis) + Isabelle Ashley and Sierrah Paul, Code Girls United

The Owner: The hyperscaler housing the compute. Speaks to the physical footprint: cooling, water, siting, power purchase agreements, and the capital decisions that lock in emissions for 15–20 years.

Jim Giles (Trellis) + Sara Neff, Partner & General Manager, Sustainability, Cloud Operations & Innovation, Microsoft

The Energy Provider: The energy company powering the data centers. Brings the grid reality: interconnection queues, firm clean power, and the tension between load growth and decarbonization timelines.

Katie Fehrenbacher (Axios) + Dawn Owens, SVP, Development and Commercial Markets, Fervo Energy

The Investor: The capital allocator funding the buildout. Offers an investor lens on where the billions are flowing, what returns look like, and how sustainability factors into — or gets overridden by — the investment thesis.

Neal Kemkar (Ceres) + Marian Macindoe, Managing Director, Sustainable Investment Strategy, Parnassus Investments

Closing Conversation: A reflection on what surfaced in this tour through five key actors in the sustainable AI development chain. The core audience mirror: navigating Scope 2 and 3 implications and whether AI helps or hinders corporate decarbonization.

Grant Harrison (Trellis) + Hana Kajimura, CEO, Trellis + Dara O’Rourke, Associate Professor, UC Berkeley + Patrick Flynn, Founder, Switchboard