Soluna Hires Microsoft Hyperscale Exec Ryan Carver as CDO

Soluna Holdings (Soluna) has appointed former Microsoft executive Ryan Carver as Chief Development Officer, strengthening its leadership team as the company expands its AI and high-performance computing data centre platform.

Ryan joins the developer of renewable-powered data centres with responsibility for the full lifecycle of the company's AI and high-performance computing infrastructure. His remit covers site selection, power procurement, design, construction, commissioning and operational delivery – reporting directly to Soluna CEO John Belizaire.

The appointment comes as demand for AI infrastructure continues to increase the focus on experienced leaders capable of delivering large-scale data centre developments, particularly projects that combine computing capacity with access to reliable power.

As a member of Soluna's senior leadership team, Ryan will take a cross-functional role with responsibility for integrating development, construction, technology operations and power into a single delivery model as the company grows its behind-the-meter infrastructure portfolio.

Experience from hyperscale

Ryan arrives from Microsoft, where he most recently served as Senior Director – AI Construction & Site Development.

In that role, he oversaw construction programmes supporting Microsoft's AI data centre expansion, managing a construction profit and loss account valued in the tens of billions of dollars. His responsibilities included leading the development programme for Microsoft's Fairwater campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin.

Across more than 10 years at Microsoft, Ryan held leadership positions covering global data centre construction, with responsibility for site selection, permitting, design and project delivery across multiple regions.

Before joining Microsoft, he worked in engineering and project management roles at Turner Construction and Jacobs, contributing to major infrastructure projects including World Trade Center Tower 2 and Yankee Stadium.

“Ryan has built and delivered some of the largest, most technologically sophisticated AI data centre campuses in the world, and he brings exactly the kind of end-to-end operating discipline we need as we scale,” says John Belizaire, CEO of Soluna.

“From site selection through power integration, construction, and live operations, Ryan has done it at a scale few executives in this industry can match. His leadership will be instrumental as we advance our next phase of growth.”

Following his appointment, Ryan will oversee projects from their earliest planning stages through to live operations, combining technical delivery with energy strategy.

Renewable-powered AI infrastructure

Soluna develops data centres designed for intensive computing applications including AI and Bitcoin mining.

Its approach centres on locating facilities alongside renewable energy generation, allowing computing infrastructure to use electricity that might otherwise remain underutilised. This behind-the-meter model enables power to be supplied directly from renewable generation rather than relying solely on traditional grid connections.

Power availability has become one of the defining issues for AI data centre development as operators face growing electricity demand alongside increasingly complex grid connection processes.

“Soluna’s model – co-locating digital infrastructure directly with renewable generation – is one of the most compelling approaches I’ve seen to solving the power constraints facing this industry,” Ryan says.

“I’m excited to bring my experience building hyperscale AI infrastructure to a company that is turning surplus clean energy into real computing capacity, and to build the team and platform needed to deliver it at scale.”