Joe Kava

Joe Kava is a seasoned engineering and operations executive who most recently served as Vice President of Data Centers at Google for 17 years. Under his leadership, the data center team consistently designed and built infrastructure that not only met current technical requirements but also anticipated future technical trends—all while using the least amount of energy possible. The result: Google’s data centers continue to surpass industry averages for sustainability while driving record-setting business results.

Previously, Kava was an engineering and business operations executive in the semiconductor industry, including serving on the leadership team at Applied Materials for over a decade. This experience would later bolster his ability to understand the entire data center ecosystem, and the digital infrastructure stack—from the chip to the chiller.

Kava has earned numerous awards, including being named an Industry Titan by Interglobix Magazine and one of the 100 most influential industry leaders by Infrastructure Masons. He was the first person not employed by Intel to receive the Craig Barrett award for engineering innovation, and he won the “selfless service” award from Salute, a veteran-owned organization that helps veterans transition into the data center industry.