Ben Townsend's job description at Google is a tall order: deliver global infrastructure while driving footprint reductions across energy, carbon, and water. With a reputation as a systems-level problem solver on topics like infrastructure development, energy supply, climate resilience, and their intersection with digital infrastructure and AI, it's clear that Townsend is the right person for the job.

He joined Google in 2019 and has been promoted twice - now serving as global head of infrastructure and sustainability. He successfully scaled Google's utility infrastructure portfolio and data center sustainability programs across $50 billion+ in global infrastructure deployment per year. Over the last two years specifically, he played a pivotal role in Google's first $2 billion data center investment in Indiana and used it as an opportunity to structure a new Purdue-Google sustainability and AI research partnership. Townsend built the team responsible for the ground-up development of Google's climate-conscious cooling strategy and commitments to 120% water replenishment and responsible water use. He also designed Google's net zero by 2030 carbon reduction initiative across the company's data center infrastructure portfolio.

Townsend's leadership has helped enable the delivery of $100 billion+ in global infrastructure and energy resources that serve as the backbone of modern cloud computing and AI. He has served as a technical advisor to state leaders, members of U.S. Congress, global policy think tanks, and even the Purdue president's office. In addition, he is a regular contributor to media outlets including Forbes, CBS, Axios, and The Washington Post, and he has been a guest lecturer at Purdue and Stanford.