As we look toward 2026 and 2027, data centre leaders across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong stand at a critical juncture. Surging AI demand is colliding with power constraints and increasingly divergent regulatory landscapes, as seen in Singapore's high benchmarks and emerging hubs like Thailand and Johor. The challenge has shifted from merely collecting sustainability data to embedding green energy as a strategic differentiator. For CIOs, success now depends on forging partnerships to navigate these complexities, building AI-ready and resilient infrastructure while developing the skilled workforce essential for execution

In this PodChats for FutureCIO, Govind Choudhary, GM of Southeast Asia and India at Digital Realty, shares his perspective on how CIOs are embedding sustainability into AI infrastructure.

1.            What is Digital Realty?

2.            How do you see data centres in Asia addressing the growing gap between sustainability data collection and meaningful action?

3.            How should CIOs, in partnership with data centre operators, navigate the diverging regulatory landscapes across the region?

4.            Given the accelerating use of AI, how should CIOs design and build the right infrastructure for AI workloads while maintaining sustainability?

5.            Do should CIOs, again working with DC operators, address the skilled workforce requirements to execute this strategy?

6.            How should CIOs manage sovereign data requirements while leveraging regional scale?

7.            Any recommendation on how to build resiliency against power constraints and grid instability?

8.            How should CIOs embed sustainability as a competitive differentiator, not just a compliance cost?

9.            Not all DC operators are equal, what is your advice when selecting their operator/partner to address calls for embedding sustainability not just in their AI infrastructure but across all their compute needs – local and international?