The Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Alliance (SDIA) thanks Daan Terpstra for reshaping the Alliance in preparation for a new era

Hamburg, 24 February 2023: SDIA’s CEO, Daan Terpstra will be handing the baton back to Max Schulze to lead the organization forward with an energized team committed to fostering positive debate, and shaping a shared vision for a sustainable digital economy.

“For putting us back on the path towards fulfilling our mission and making the impact we set out to deliver, I am very grateful to Daan” Max Schulze, Founder & Chairman

Daan joined the SDIA at a difficult juncture, right at the point when we started realizing that there was a mismatch between our mission and goals as a nonprofit and the strategy we chose to execute it.

The inception of the SDIA was centered around developing a business case for sustainability. Our belief was, that in showcasing how more sustainable solutions are better for business as well as for the environment, we would propel digital infrastructure to be built differently, more sustainably. 

And, by making digital infrastructure sustainable, it also enables a prospering digital economy and society. 

We formed an Alliance comprising thought leaders and solution providers, who were already offering better solutions with less environmental impact. As a community, we have made progress on many initiatives such as heat reuse, demand-response, renewable integration, circularity, cloud platform architecture, and much more. However to date, our mission to bring stakeholders together from across the digital infrastructure value chain has not led to the level of impact, and rate of change we wished to see. 

With Daan as CEO, we were able to invest a year in reducing our scope, building a solid core, advancing key initiatives, and reflecting on what we have learned so far. And we have learned a lot:

• The realization that a sustainable digital economy and society requires a holistic view, not one limited to infrastructure.
• Well-thought and fact-based policies are needed to shape a digital economy and society which balances the needs of people, the environment, and business – with an emphasis on people and the environment.
• Our strong community is a valued source of insights, knowledge, and success.

The digital realm is becoming the future of our information, how we interact with each other, our businesses, industries, and much more. We must ensure it aligns with the highest values.

The SDIA is grateful for the difficult and essential role that Daan has undertaken in reorganizing the SDIA and putting it on a sustainable path forward. He has been key in taking us through this journey of finding our core and a strategy to deliver the impact we want to make as an organization. Creating a solid foundation for what comes next.

As we chart a new path, we’ll keep you updated on progress, invite you to our hosted events, and to co-create a shared vision of the future through open debate.