2025 Agenda
2025 Agenda
Presented by
Charity Golf Tournament
September 16th – Day 1 Morning
6:30 am
Registration opens
6:30 – 7:30 am
Breakfast/Networking/Warm-up/Former Pro Golfer Tips & Tricks
7:45 am
Call to carts / Welcome Address
8:00 Am
Shotgun Start
1:30 pm – 2:15 pm
Drinks/Food/Awards & Networking
2:15 – 3:00 pm
Depart
(Conference Badge Pick Up Begins at ACL Live)
Mini Golf Alternative event
September 16th – Day 1 Mid-Morning
10:45 – 11:00 am
CHECK-IN BEGINS
11:00 – 2:30 PM
Tee-Off / Karaoke / Networking
*Ongoing Food & Drinks 11:30 – 1:00 pm
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Announcements & Awards
Mini golf Alternative event
September 16th – Day 1 Mid-Morning
10:45 – 11:00 am
CHECK-IN BEGINs
11:00 – 2:30 PM
Tee-Off / Karaoke / Networking
11:30 – 1:00 pm
Ongoing Food and Drinks
6:30 pm
Announcements & Awards
Intro Day
ACL Live
September 16TH – Day 1 Afternoon
12:00 pm
BADGE PICK UP BEGINS (MAIN DOORS CLOSED)
2:00 pm
MAIN DOORS OPEN – JOURNEY INTO DCAC
2:30 – 2:40 pm
Opening Address / Housekeeping
Kirk Offel
2:40 – 3:20 pm
SESSION 1 – DATA CENTER 101 – Why the next two days of talks matter. How to understand the data center Ecosystem. The 5 phases of the DC life cycle explained.
– Kirk Offel
3:25 – 3:50 pm
SESSION 2 – Powering the Mission: Relentless Effort, Real Rewards, Shared Responsibility
– Cathal Quinn, Eve McIlvanny, Christina Cuellar
3:55 – 4:20 pm
SESSION 3 – Principles of Scale: Strategies to deliver against exponential Data Center demand
– Doug Mouton
4:25 – 5:00 pm
SESSION 4 – Panel: Building a High Performing Data Center Team
– Alfonso Portillo, Matt Striffler, Scott Robertson, Chris Teddy, Eric Deering
5:05 – 5:40 pm
SESSION 5 – The Grid vs. the Gospel: Rewriting the Rules of Power in the Age of Energy Dogma
– Mara Ervin, Denitza Argiurova, Karen Pugliese, Lauren Clay, Christiela Salina
5:45 – 5:55 pm
SESSION 6 – 10 Minutes, Unfiltered: What Should 2026 Really Be About?
– Joel Chakkalakal
5:55 – 6:10 pm
Night 1 – Special Opening – Sponsor by Brasfield & Gorrie
6:10 – 7:00 pm
DCAC STYLE MIXER + FOOD & DRINKS | PRESENTED BY MCIS
7:00 pm
KICK THE REST OF THE NIGHT OFF – MCIS
7:00 – 9:00 pm
COMEDY + MAGIC + DATA CENTER PEOPLE (WHAT COULD GO WRONG)? – Presented by MCE
8:00 pm – 12:00 am
OFF SITE POST NETWORKING – PRESENTED BY IES (BUNGALOW & VICTORY LAP)
sponsored by
Location
Austin City Limits Live
310 West Willie Nelson Boulevard
Austin, Texas 78701
Conference Day
ACL Live
September 17TH – Day 2
8:00 am
Breakfast & Networking
8:20 – 8:35 am
House Keeping
– Kirk Offel
8:35 – 8:45 am
Intro to Conference Veteran Partner – Big Country Veterans
– Dr. Cody Palmer
8:45 – 8:55 am
#DCAC2025 KICK-OFF – TITLE SPONSOr
– CHARL KINGHORN
9:00 – 9:40 am
TALK TRACK 1 – STATE OF THE INDUSTRY ADDRESS – BROKER LEAD
– ANDY CVENGROS & CURT HOLCOMB
9:45 – 10:10 am
TALK TRACK 2 – AI Factories Unlimited: Building the Fourth Utility
– WADE VINSON
10:10 – 10:35 am
TALK TRACK 3 – The Why Behind AI: From Cows to Code to Colocation
– BILL KLEYMAN
10:40 – 11:05 am
TALK TRACK 4 – The Next Frontier of Sustainability: Human Capital.
– LINDSEY BRUNER
11:05 – 11:20 am
BREAK : COFFEE & NETWORKING
11:20 – 11:40 am
TALK TRACK 5 – Open Systems for AI: The Blueprint of What’s Next
– ROB COYLE
11:45 am – 12:15 pm
TALK TRACK 6 – Fireside Chat: “Challenges and Lessons Learned from Large Scale AI Factory Builds”
– MATT TYNDALL & MATT BROWN
12:20 – 12:40 pm
TALK TRACK 7 – Manhattan Project of the 5th Industrial Revolution (Business Structure to bringing on more capital)
– Chris Dolan & Kirk Offel & Dave Ferdman
11:00 am – 1:30 pm
ROLLING LUNCH – TEXAS STYLE BBQ!
12:40 – 1:10 pm
IF YOU HAVEN’T GRABBED LUNCH – GRAB IT NOW!
(LUNCH ON 1ST & 2ND FLOOR)
1:10 – 2:00 pm
TALK TRACK 8 – PM KEYNOTE – Making the Seemingly Impossible Possible – Lessons from the World-Record Setting Triple 7 Expedition
– MIKE SARRAILLE
2:00 – 2:25 pm
TALK TRACK 9 – Labor Demands of Large Scale
– Sam Huckaby, Justin Tinoco, Jesse Sargent, Laramie Dorris
2:30 – 2:50 pm
TALK TRACK 10 – A Fireside Chat with an Industry Titan
– Chris Crosby and Kirk Offel
2:50 – 3:00 pm
BREAK : COFFEE & NETWORKING
3:00 – 3:25 pm
TALK TRACK 11 – Every Radical Headache: Unpacking the Risks No One Wants to Own
– Kayla Remington, Valerie Crafton, Dawn Cantrell, Jonathan Dusenberry
3:30 – 3:55 pm
TALK TRACK 12 – National Security: The AI Race
– Blain Holt & mike sarraille
4:00 – 4:25 pm
TALK TRACK 13 – The Nuclear Renaissance: Powering the Future of Data Centers
– Matt Ohare, James Walker, Alisha Kasam-Griffith, Derek Matthews
4:25 – 4:45 pm
CLOSING REMARKS / RAFFLE
8:00 pm – 12:00 am
POST NETWORKING EVENT SPONSORED BY
– PHWEST, AMERICASE, KODIS, GUARDIAN, RXL, CRITICAL RISK SOLUTIONS, PDM
(BULL & BOWL / MAYFAIR / SKYBOX)
Location
Austin City Limits Live
310 West Willie Nelson Boulevard
Austin, Texas 78701
connect on deck networking event
September 18th – Day 3 Boat Day
Connect on Deck caps off DCAC with an unforgettable day of networking and celebration on Lake Austin. With 200+ attendees, 80+ companies, and 5+ leading partners on board, this floating finale brings together the brightest minds in digital infrastructure for food, drinks, and powerful connections that go beyond the conference floor.
8:45 – 9:00 am
10:00 am
CHECK IN AT DOCK
11:00 am – 3:00 pm
NETWORK ON DECK – LAKE TRAVIS (MUSIC/FOOD/BEVERAGES/GREAT COMPANY)
3:15 pm
DEPART VIP MARINA
4:00 pm
DROP OFF BACK AT THE W HOTEL
