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Strategic Advisor·Data Centers

Susanna Kass

Operating Partner at Digital Gravity Infrastructure Partners

Silicon Valley, California, USA

SK
Why they matter

Ex-eBay/HP/Oracle data-center operations chief turned infrastructure investor whose Absolute Zero framework and hyperscaler relationships make her a sharp technical diligence call for colocation deals.

Background

Susanna Kass is a 30+ year data center operations executive turned sustainable-infrastructure investor, having held senior roles as COO of eBay International, GM of HP Asia Pacific Data Center Operations, VP of Global Data Center Business Operations at Sun Microsystems/Oracle, and EVP of Innovation & Sustainability at NextEra Energy and Baselayer I/O. She is now Operating Partner at Digital Gravity Infrastructure Partners and co-founder of InfraPrime, an EU-funded net-zero data center startup, where she developed the "Absolute Zero" carbon-free data center design framework used in discussions with hyperscalers including Google, Microsoft, Meta, AWS, and Equinix. She is also a Stanford Energy Fellow and Data Center Advisor to the UN Sustainable Development Goals program.

Notable deals

  • 2026
    Named to the Datacloud Power 50 list of global data center industry leaders
  • 2025
    Delivered Data Centre LIVE keynote unveiling the Absolute Zero carbon-free data center design framework
  • 2025
    Authored TechHQ feature detailing Absolute Zero fuel-cell and CO2 heat-recovery architecture for hyperscale data centers
  • 2024
    Profiled for prefabricated ISO-container modular data center design deployable in 45 days

Call-prep brief

Background

  • 30+ years running global data center operations: COO eBay International, GM HP APAC Data Center Ops, VP Global DC Business Ops at Sun/Oracle, EVP Innovation at NextEra Energy and Baselayer I/O.
  • Now Operating Partner at Digital Gravity Infrastructure Partners (data center/AI infrastructure investing) and co-founder of InfraPrime, an EU-funded net-zero infrastructure startup.
  • Stanford Energy Fellow; Data Center Advisor to the UN Sustainable Development Goals program.

Current focus

  • "Absolute Zero" — a carbon-free (not offset-based) data center design standard using on-site fuel cells, green hydrogen/ammonia, and CO2-based heat recovery, pitched directly at hyperscaler capacity buildouts.
  • Positioning sustainability/power availability as the binding constraint on new colocation and AI data center capacity.

What she cares about

  • On-site clean power generation vs. grid-dependent buildouts — a likely lens for evaluating any colo asset's power strategy.
  • Circular economy design (heat reuse, modular/prefab construction) as a cost and speed-to-market lever, not just an ESG checkbox.

Recent moves

  • Named to the 2026 Datacloud Power 50; keynoted Data Centre LIVE 2025 on Absolute Zero design and build.

Sensitivities

  • Heavily booked on the speaking/awards circuit — treat outreach as competing for scarce time against high-profile industry events.
  • Strong personal IP/authorship stake in "Absolute Zero" — frame questions around application to the target, not as generic ESG diligence.

Questions to ask

  1. How would you assess this asset's power procurement strategy against an Absolute Zero-style standard, and what would remediation cost?
  2. Which hyperscaler or colo operators are furthest along on on-site generation/heat reuse, and how does that affect their capacity economics?
  3. What operational or power risks would you flag before underwriting a colocation platform in this market?

Outreach draft

Subject
Quick call on colocation power strategy diligence
Hi Susanna, I'm working with a private equity team evaluating a data center colocation platform, and your Absolute Zero work on on-site generation and heat recovery is directly relevant to how we're thinking about the asset's power strategy and capacity risk. Would you be open to a 30-minute call in the next couple of weeks to get your read on power procurement approaches and what separates a well-positioned colo operator from one facing near-term constraints? Happy to work around your schedule. Thanks for considering it, [Placeholder Name]

Sources