Arizona Data Center Alliance Attendee Information

Community Engagement Series, Part Two

Building Community Trustin the Data Center Era

The follow-up to the June 25 forum. A briefing on how data centers use water, a community panel, and then small working tables where every table takes one topic and reports back to the room. Below are the agenda, the table topics, the ground rules, and everything you need to find us and park.

The room is full

September 17 is sold out. If you have not registered, please do not plan to attend in person. Walk-ups take seats from guests who registered and are counted on for lunch and a table assignment.

We would rather have you in the conversation than turned away at the door, so please register for the virtual session and the waitlist. Everyone on that list gets a link to join online, and seats do open up as the date gets closer.

Date

Thursday, September 17, 2026

Time

10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Check-in opens at 9:30

Location

ASU SkySong, Building III

Synergy I and II, Rooms 130 and 135

Address

1365 N Scottsdale Rd

Scottsdale, AZ 85257

Pick your table topics Get directions View agenda Table topics Parking
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Guest parking is free. The closest surface lot is south of the 1365 building with the entrance off Innovation Place. Plan to arrive early enough to park, check in, and get settled before the program begins.

Agenda

Times are approximate and may shift slightly on the day.

Time Session Speakers / Panelists Moderator / Lead
9:30 to 10:00 Check-in and coffee Your table number is printed on your name badge AZDCA team
10:00 to 10:15 Welcome and open Opening comments Kirk Busch
10:15 to 10:45 Topic in Brief: Open vs. Closed Loop Cooling
A plain-language look at how these buildings are cooled and what that means for water		 Tom Sullivan, Air2O Andrea Clinton
10:45 to 11:00 What is happening across Arizona
A short update on where things stand statewide		 To be announced Andrea Clinton
11:00 to 12:00 Panel: Data Centers and Arizona Water
Where the water comes from, how much these facilities use, and what communities and local decision-makers should be asking		 Sarah Porter, Kyl Center for Water Policy, ASU
Travis Wright, QTS
Colette Moore, SRP
Michael Beatty, Ecolab		 Christina Casler, Beale Infrastructure
12:00 to 12:15 Break Pick up a boxed lunch and take it to your table Full room
12:15 to 12:35 All tables: the water panel
Every table spends its first twenty minutes capturing the questions, concerns and points of agreement the panel raised. Those notes go to the Water and Cooling table.		 All tables Table moderators
12:35 to 1:15 Roundtable topic discussion
Each table names a speaker and a note taker		 All tables Table moderators
1:15 to 1:50 Table read-outs One speaker per table Ryan Gruver
1:50 to 2:00 Closing comments and adjourn Closing comments Andrea Clinton

The Table Topics

You stay at one table for the whole afternoon, so the topic matters. We are running 19 tables across the twelve topics below, numbered the same way as the printed handout, with the most requested topics running more than once. Tell us your top three and we will do our best to seat you in one of them. Your table number is printed on your name badge, so pick up your badge at check-in and go straight to your table.

Pick your top three topics

Your table number is on your badge. Jump straight to your topic.

1Transparency 2Participation 3Local impacts 4Trust 5Water 6Power 7Land use 8Noise 9Jobs 10Gov readiness 11Lifecycle 12What else
1

Information and Transparency

What information should be available before decisions are made?

Read the background
2

Community Participation

How and when should communities be involved?

Read the background
3

Local Impacts and Commitments

What should communities understand about impacts, promises, and accountability?

Read the background
4

Trust and Ongoing Relationships

What happens after the permit is approved?

Read the background
5

Water and Cooling

Understanding actual water impacts and the choices behind them, plus the readouts from every other table on the water panel.

Read the background
6

Power and Grid Impacts

How large energy users affect the grid, infrastructure, and customers.

Read the background
7

Land Use, Siting and Local Government Process

Where projects belong and how local decisions are made.

Read the background
8

Noise and Physical Impacts

What nearby communities actually experience.

Read the background
9

Jobs, Workforce and Long-Term Community Value

What does the community actually gain?

Read the background
10

Local Government Readiness

What do cities and towns need to evaluate and manage large projects well?

Read the background
11

Project Lifecycle, Expansion and What Happens Later

What should communities understand about how a site may change, expand, or be decommissioned over time?

Read the background
12

What Else Should We Be Talking About?

An open table for the questions and opportunities that are not getting enough attention.

Read the background

What every table brings back

  • The biggest point of agreement.
  • The biggest unresolved question or concern.
  • One recommended action.
  • Who needs to be involved to move that action forward.

Event Code of Conduct

This event is intended to support a thoughtful, respectful, and productive conversation about data centers, including community impact, energy, water, and infrastructure in Arizona. We welcome questions, concerns, disagreement, and different points of view.

To keep the discussion constructive, all attendees are expected to:

  • Treat speakers, panelists, organizers, and other attendees with respect.
  • Allow others to speak without interruption.
  • Ask questions in good faith and avoid personal attacks.
  • Focus comments on issues, impacts, facts, and solutions.
  • Avoid threatening, harassing, discriminatory, or disruptive behavior.
  • Follow the direction of event organizers or venue staff if asked to pause, redirect, or leave the discussion.

The goal is not to avoid difficult topics. The goal is to create a space where difficult topics can be discussed without the conversation breaking down. Anyone who engages in behavior that disrupts the event or makes others feel unsafe may be asked to leave.

Directions and Parking

ASU SkySong, Building III, Synergy I and II (Rooms 130 and 135), first floor. 1365 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85257.

Parking is free

  • The closest option is the surface lot south of the 1365 building, with the entrance off Innovation Place.
  • An overflow gravel lot also enters off Innovation Place.
  • Additional parking is available on SkySong Blvd in non two-hour restricted spots and on Innovation Place.
  • The parking garage entrance is off Enterprise Drive and is available 30 minutes before the event start time and 15 minutes after.
  • Plan to arrive early enough to park, check in, and find your table before the program begins.

Driving in

SkySong sits just south of McDowell Road on Scottsdale Road. From most directions, get to Scottsdale Road and turn onto SkySong Blvd just before McDowell Road. SkySong has six buildings and they do not share a street number, so set your navigation to 1365 N Scottsdale Rd rather than searching for SkySong.

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ASU SkySong Building III guest parking map showing the Synergy rooms, the surface lot south of the 1365 building, the overflow gravel lot off Innovation Place, and the free parking garage off Enterprise Drive.

ASU SkySong Building III guest parking. The Synergy rooms are on the first floor, west side of Building III.

Thank you to Mod42, presenting sponsor of this session, for sponsoring the venue and lunch so the event can remain free and open to the community. Their sponsorship helps cover event costs, while the Alliance continues to lead the discussion and agenda. Event partners include AFCOM Arizona Chapter, the Arizona Data Center Foundation, 7x24 Exchange Arizona Chapter, and Infrastructure Masons.