US colocation data center firm Digital Realty has appointed Jim Collins as senior vice president, global head of energy.

Collins joins the company from Microsoft, where he spent the last 13 years in a range of leadership roles. He most recently held the position of general manager of global energy markets. Before joining Microsoft, Collins spent ten years as an energy consultant at North Carolina consulting firm Brubaker & Associates.

Reflecting on the news on LinkedIn, Collins said: “The opportunity to help advance Digital Realty's global energy strategy at a time of extraordinary growth in data centers, cloud, and AI infrastructure is both exciting and humbling. I look forward to learning from the outstanding leadership team and collaborating with colleagues, customers, utilities, policymakers, and industry partners around the world.”

Digital Realty has undertaken a range of clean energy and sustainability initiatives to mitigate its carbon footprint.

This includes rooftop solar arrays at its Swiss data centers, joining a 24/7 renewable energy matching initiative in Sweden, and a 500GWh hydropower deal for power from three projects on the Ohio River.