Data centers are in demand these days, and there is a corresponding pressure on the world’s electricity grids. This spike is due to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence of course, and being able to keep pace with the need for data processing while not further damaging the environment is one of the core infrastructure challenges we face today. Fortunately, some professionals are stepping up to the plate to keep energy structures scalable and sustainable.
One of them is Isabella Arrigo.
Arrigo is multilingual and was educated in France and the US. At Stanford University, she received a BA in international relations and completed her master’s studies in sustainability. She has worked as an investment analyst for firms in London, Menlo Park and New York, worked as an analyst at the World Bank, and since last year has been back in the Bay Area, where she is responsible for business operations at Verne, which provides on-site power for large loads like data centers.
The company is backed by Amazon, Caterpillar, NextEra Energy, Newlab and other investors.
At Verne, Arrigo is responsible for working on the business development, customer engagement, project finance deal structuring for on-site power generation for data centers. “I want to revolutionize the data center power industry to move towards more sustainable solutions,” she says.
An interest in sustainability
Arrigo developed an interest in sustainability before she entered the energy sector. While studying at Stanford, she was drawn to the intersection of climate policy, finance and international development, which led her to take on a position as an analyst for the World Bank’s Development Impact Evaluation (DIME) programme.
In that role, she contributed to climate mitigation and adaptation research in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, where she evaluated projects ranging from rainforest conservation to rural infrastructure. She also learned not only how environmental policy affects communities on the ground, but also how financial analysis can inform better public policy.
“I’ve always been interested in the intersection of sustainability, finance and infrastructure,” Arrigo says. “I think that solving climate challenges isn’t just about developing new technologies. It’s about finding practical ways to deploy them at scale.”
The experiences left a lasting impression. Her former supervisor recalls that Arrigo’s time at the World Bank was “formative” because it was there that she identified sustainable development as her professional calling.
Before joining Verne last year, Arrigo also picked up experience in sustainable finance at Arsenal Capital Partners, where she helped benchmark responsible investment practices, developed cybersecurity governance frameworks for portfolio companies and presented recommendations to senior leadership.
Ambitious ideas
That combination of commercial thinking and environmental purpose prepared Arrigo for the energy sector, where the growth of AI has created an equally explosive demand for electricity.
“It’s obvious to all that the AI revolution is changing the way we think about electricity,” Arrigo says. “Data centres need reliable power, but we also have a responsibility to ensure that growth doesn’t come at the expense of decarbonisation.”
Verne develops behind-the-meter power systems for hyperscale data centres, helping customers secure reliable energy while easing pressure on overstretched electricity grids. In her role, Arrigo works across business development, customer engagement and project finance, bringing together customers, investors, and technical teams to realise infrastructure projects.
“What excites me about this work is that it sits at the intersection of engineering, finance and strategy,” she says. “Bringing those pieces together is how you turn ambitious ideas into projects that can actually be built.”
For Arrigo, sustainability is as much about execution as it is about innovation. The transition to cleaner energy will depend not only on technological breakthroughs but also on the people capable of bringing those technologies to market. “I enjoy working where strategy meets implementation,” she says. “It’s one thing to imagine a better energy future. It’s another to build the partnerships, secure the financing and solve the practical challenges that make it possible.”
A long-term transformation
Although the technologies behind clean energy continue to evolve, Arrigo believes the another challenge is collaboration.
“Decarbonisation isn’t reliant on a single technology or a single policy,” she says. “It’s a long-term transformation that requires engineers, investors, policymakers and businesses to work together. No one group can solve it alone.”
Looking ahead, Arrigo hopes to continue helping reshape the global energy landscape as electricity demand rises.
“We’re entering a period where energy infrastructure is becoming just as important as digital infrastructure,” she says. “The two are increasingly inseparable, and building a cleaner energy system is one of the biggest opportunities of our generation.”
For Arrigo, the mission extends beyond powering data centres too. “I want to help build an energy system that’s both resilient and sustainable,” she says. “If we can support technological innovation while accelerating decarbonisation, then we’re creating solutions that benefit everyone.”
