ALPS appoints Brian Turnbow to lead development of next-generation AI data centres
The Italian scale-up has appointed Turnbow to lead its technical expansion into artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, using an energy-to-compute approach that aims to harness renewable energy and repurpose existing assets to develop more sustainable computing infrastructure.
Trento, Italy (ANTARA/PRNewswire) — ALPS has announced the appointment of Brian Turnbow as AI Technical Director. Founded in Trentino in 2018 and operating across four continents, the company applies its expertise in designing, building and operating data centres integrated with energy systems for AI and high-performance computing (HPC).
Access to electricity supply is one of the main constraints on the development of AI infrastructure. According to Terna data as at 31 August 2026, requests for grid connections for data centres in Italy totalled more than 100 GW, up from around 30 GW at the end of 2024. The increase has made site selection and waiting times for grid connections critical factors.
ALPS’s energy-to-compute approach is based on a deliberate choice to locate data centres where energy is already available, including outside major hubs, to reduce reliance on congested parts of the grid. The company aims to integrate renewable energy sources and redevelop disused industrial sites, reusing grid connections, buildings and other existing assets where technically feasible.
The goal is to develop more sustainable computing infrastructure by using local resources and, through asset reuse, limiting land use and reducing the need for new construction. The expansion complements ALPS’s ongoing mining operations, which continue in accordance with the company’s business plan.
Turnbow will lead ALPS’s AI/HPC technical strategy, from assessing architectures and locations to establishing partnerships with technology and industrial partners. Italy will be a priority market. ALPS intends to bring its international expertise back to Italy and work with Italian engineering and industrial companies, while also drawing on their expertise for projects abroad.
“Italy and Europe have energy resources, industrial assets and technical expertise that we can put to use,” said Francesco Buffa, ALPS’s chief executive and co-founder. “Through our energy-to-compute approach, we want to turn the energy and industrial potential of the regions where we operate into a competitive advantage and help narrow Europe’s AI gap.”
Turnbow has more than 25 years’ experience in telecommunications and digital infrastructure, and has held various technical positions at TWT, Unidata and CDLAN. He is also a board member of ITNOG.
“AI infrastructure starts long before GPUs are deployed,” said Brian Turnbow. “Every project must begin with the workloads to be supported and the client’s requirements, not simply with the availability of electricity. My goal is to translate those requirements into aligned design decisions and build flexible, scalable and sustainable computing capacity, while making use of renewable energy sources and existing assets.”
ALPS designs, builds and operates data centres for applications with high energy and computing demands, combining expertise in energy with data-centre engineering and operations. Its international growth has been supported by Azimut through a €40 million transaction in 2023 and a €105 million club deal in 2024.