The data center industry’s next innovation: its talent model

Article published by Data Centre News on March 6

A recent opinion article in Data Centre News by Eva Sóley Guðbjörnsdóttir, CFO and Deputy CEO at atNorth, explores how the data center industry must rethink its talent model as digital infrastructure becomes increasingly central to the global economy. The piece highlights that while the sector is advancing rapidly in areas such as AI infrastructure, sustainability, and energy efficiency, progress in talent development and leadership diversity has not kept pace.

Eva argues that a broader and more diverse talent base is essential as the industry navigates growing complexity and long-term decision making around energy sourcing, site development, cooling technologies, and capital allocation. Leaders must balance commercial growth with environmental and societal responsibilities, making collaborative leadership, empathy, and diverse perspectives critical to building resilient organizations.

Drawing on atNorth’s experience, she notes that the company’s workforce has tripled in the past three years while maintaining gender diversity above the global sector average and bringing together employees from more than 30 nationalities across its Nordic hubs. She emphasizes that diversity should be embedded operationally through hiring, leadership development, and transparent career pathways.

The article concludes that attracting and developing a wider range of talent is essential for the future of digital infrastructure. As demand for AI-ready capacity accelerates and sustainability pressures grow, the industry must ensure its leadership reflects the complexity and responsibility of the infrastructure it is building.

Read the full article here.