Navigating the Data Center Evolution

In the latest episode of the Data Center Frontier Show podcast, DCF Editor-in-Chief Matt Vincent sits down with Phill Lawson-Shanks, Chief Innovation Officer at Aligned Data Centers, for a wide-ranging discussion that touches on some of the most pressing trends and challenges shaping the future of the data center industry.

From the role of nuclear energy and natural gas in addressing the sector’s growing power demands, to the rapid expansion of Aligned’s operations in Latin America (LATAM), in the course of the podcast Lawson-Shanks provides deep insight into where the industry is headed.

Scaling Sustainability: Tracking Embodied Carbon and Scope 3 Emissions

A key focus of the conversation is sustainability, where Aligned continues to push boundaries in carbon tracking and energy efficiency. Lawson-Shanks highlights the company’s commitment to monitoring embodied carbon—an effort that began four years ago and has since positioned Aligned as an industry leader.

“We co-authored and helped found the Climate Accord with iMasons—taking sustainability to a whole new level,” he notes, emphasizing how Aligned is now extending its carbon traceability standards to ODATA’s facilities in LATAM. By implementing lifecycle assessments (LCAs) and tracking Scope 3 emissions, Aligned aims to provide clients with a detailed breakdown of their environmental impact.

“The North American market is still behind in lifecycle assessments and environmental product declarations. Where gaps exist, we look for adjacencies and highlight them—helping move the industry forward,” Lawson-Shanks explains.

The Nuclear Moment: A Game-Changer for Data Center Power

One of the most compelling segments of the discussion revolves around the growing interest in nuclear energy—particularly small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors—as a viable long-term power solution for data centers. Lawson-Shanks describes the recent industry buzz surrounding OKLO’s announcement of a 12-gigawatt deployment with Switch as a significant milestone, calling the move “inevitable.”

“There are dozens of nuclear plants operating in the U.S. today, but people just don’t pay much attention to them,” he says. “Companies like OKLO are designing advanced modular reactors that are walk-away safe, reuse spent fuel, and eliminate the risks associated with traditional light-water reactors. This is the path forward.”

However, he acknowledges that the widespread adoption of nuclear will take time, given the regulatory hurdles of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the challenges of getting sites certified. Still, he remains optimistic: “We need this, and as an industry, we’re pre-buying energy because we see the challenges ahead.”

Bridging the Energy Gap with Natural Gas and Hydrogen

While nuclear is a long-term solution, data centers need reliable power sources today. Lawson-Shanks sees natural gas as a practical interim solution, provided emissions can be mitigated. He also points to hydrogen as an emerging technology with potential, though challenges remain.

“Hydrogen is really an energy transportation methodology rather than an energy source,” he explains. “It’s highly corrosive, and the infrastructure isn’t fully in place yet, but it’s something we’re closely monitoring.”

He predicts that natural gas reciprocating engines will serve as a bridge solution until nuclear modules become widely available. “Once we reach steady-state nuclear power, those gas engines could replace diesel generators, which we all want to phase out,” he says.

Explosive Growth in LATAM and the Evolution of Aligned’s Global Strategy

The conversation also covers Aligned’s expansion into Latin America following its acquisition of ODATA. Lawson-Shanks describes the region as a booming market, particularly in Brazil, where Aligned has access to renewable energy through its investment in wind farms.

“LATAM is an enormous growth market, and our waterless cooling system is ideal for places like Santiago, where water scarcity makes evaporative cooling unfeasible,” he explains.

Aligned is integrating its advanced cooling technologies—such as Delta³ and DeltaFlow—into ODATA’s new facilities, ensuring that sustainability remains a core component of their LATAM operations.

Innovating Beyond Cooling: The Future of Heat Reuse

Another forward-looking topic is Aligned’s interest in heat reuse, an area where Lawson-Shanks sees significant potential for innovation. Through its partnership with QScale in Canada, Aligned is exploring methods to capture and repurpose waste heat from data centers for other applications.

“Their heat reuse strategy is really interesting, and we’re looking at how we can implement similar solutions in North America,” he says, hinting at future developments to come.

Looking Ahead: A Future Shaped by Innovation and Sustainability

As the conversation wraps up, it’s clear that Lawson-Shanks sees the data center industry at an inflection point. The combination of sustainability commitments, new energy technologies, and rapid global expansion is forcing companies to rethink traditional models and embrace innovation at an unprecedented scale.

“We’ve always fought against the idea that data centers have to be built the same way they were in the 1970s,” he says. “We’re constantly redesigning, rethinking how we procure energy, and pushing the industry forward.”

With Aligned continuing to lead the charge in sustainability, energy innovation, and international expansion, the insights shared in this episode offer a compelling look at the challenges and opportunities ahead for the data center industry.