As the world races to build the next wave of AI-driven digital infrastructure, one challenge has become impossible to ignore: we don’t have enough skilled people to build and operate it. Nomad Futurist, a global nonprofit foundation, is addressing this by creating awareness, education and access to career pathways in digital infrastructure.
W.Media sat down with Nabeel Mahmood, keynote speaker at the New Zealand Cloud & Datacenter Convention this November, to discuss why every business that depends on digital infrastructure ultimately depends on the people behind it. Nabeel is the co-founder and CEO of the Nomad Futurist Foundation, an organisation dedicated to inspiring and preparing the next generation of talent – especially those who don’t yet know this industry exists.
He believes that those of us who have built careers in this field have a responsibility to leave it stronger than we found it and that companies must be willing to turn words into action. He also gave us a sneak peek into the Nomad Futurist initiatives and programs, which he’ll be unveiling at the Auckland event.
W.Media: In a capital-intensive industry, how do you persuade operators and investors to allocate budgets to workforce development?
Nabeel: For years, our industry treated talent as a resource you “hire in” rather than develop. That mindset no longer works. Data centre growth is accelerating at a pace we’ve never seen; AI clusters, high-density workloads, and new sustainability pressures are reshaping the landscape. The number one bottleneck isn’t land or power. It’s people.
Workforce capability is now a capacity constraint. You can build a state-of-the-art facility, but without the right team, it won’t run at design efficiency or reliability. Most outages and delays today are caused by preventable human factors. Workforce development isn’t a cost; it’s uptime insurance. Smart investors now see talent as a form of enterprise value protection.
W.Media: What role should governments, regulators, and academic institutions play in upskilling?
Nabeel: Digital infrastructure is now critical infrastructure. It powers education, finance, emergency services and healthcare. Governments should recognise this and fund workforce development the same way they support energy or manufacturing. Regulators can help by classifying data infrastructure roles as skilled technical trades, opening apprenticeship and visa pathways. Academic institutions need to move beyond computer science and offer applied programs in power, cooling, automation, operations and sustainability. Most people don’t even know these careers exist. That has to change and it’s time we fix that.
W.Media: What resistance do you hear from executives about training and upskilling, and how do you respond?
Nabeel: The most common objection is, “We’re moving too fast to focus on training.” My response is simple: if you think training is expensive, wait until a talent gap delays a build or causes downtime. Talent risk is operational risk. Another one I hear is, “If we train people, they’ll leave.” Reality says otherwise. People don’t leave because you invest in them; they leave when they don’t see a growth and a future. Training is retention.
W.Media: What HR changes are needed to support continuous learning?
Nabeel: Companies need to evolve from a hiring-first culture to a learning-first culture. That means hiring for potential, not just credentials. It means offering clear career pathways, not just management ladders. It means recognising certifications in compensation and promotion. And it means treating learning hours as part of the job, not an afterthought. The companies that embrace this mindset will scale sustainably.
W.Media: How do you balance developing new talent with upskilling the existing workforce?
Nabeel: We must do both. The current workforce carries deep operational knowledge that cannot be replaced, but it needs new skills in automation, controls and sustainability. The best model is paired growth: internships and apprenticeships for new talent, and mentorship roles for experienced engineers. Fresh energy and experience working together. That’s how you build capacity while protecting institutional knowledge.
W.Media: What competencies will matter most as AI becomes central to operations?
Nabeel: AI won’t eliminate data infrastructure roles; it will elevate them. People will need a blend of:
- technical skills like power fundamentals, BMS/SCADA, edge computing, and automation
- digital literacy: understanding data, scripts, and monitoring tools
- operational resilience: how to make decisions in complex environments
- human skills: problem solving, situational awareness, and teamwork
New roles will emerge: AI-assisted operations engineer, digital twin specialist, energy optimisation analyst. The jobs won’t disappear; they will evolve.
W.Media: What’s the right model for AI upskilling in this field?
Nabeel: Hands-on learning wins. We’re not a slide-deck industry. We need project-based learning, real-world labs, and apprenticeship-style programs. The most effective training combines micro-credentials with mentorship and real problem-solving. You don’t build operators in a classroom; you produce them in the field.
W.Media: What is the mission behind the Nomad Futurist Scholarship?
Nabeel: This industry has been built by people who fell into it by accident. We’re changing that. Nomad Futurist exists to give young people, veterans and career changers a path into data infrastructure – no matter where they come from. This industry changed our lives. We’re paying it forward.
W.Media: How will the scholarship evolve?
Nabeel: We’re building a global talent engine. Today, it starts with entry-level education and certifications. Over the next three to five years, we’ll expand into specialised tracks: renewable integration, advanced energy systems, automation and controls, AI-assisted operations, and edge and subsea infrastructure. We measure success by careers launched and alumni who come back as mentors. That’s how you build generational impact.
W.Media: What impression do you hope the industry takes away from this effort?
Nabeel: Workforce isn’t someone else’s problem. It’s everyone’s responsibility. You can’t build the future of data infrastructure, AI, cloud, or global connectivity without people. Technology scales on human intent.
W.Media: What are your near and long-term goals for the scholarship?
Nabeel: Near term, we’re launching our first scholarship cohort, building strong industry partners, and ensuring placement opportunities. Longer term, we aim to support candidates with scholarship, internship and career pathways on every continent. The long game is simple: build a workforce that reflects the world we serve.
W.Media: Final thoughts on why this is so important?
Nabeel: Data infrastructure is the nervous system of the planet. But without talent, it cannot grow. The future isn’t just about more compute or greener energy. It’s about people. The future is built by humans, for humans.
Event Information
Nabeel Mahmood will deliver the Keynote: The Fifth Compute: Humanity’s Next Frontier at W.Media’s New Zealand Cloud and Datacenter Convention 2024 at the Pullman Auckland Hotel on 6 November 2025.
In this keynote, Nabeel explores the current “state of the union” across cloud, AI, ML, AGI, quantum, and biological computing, separating hype from reality and examining where we truly are in this technological evolution. He’ll dive into the future of data as it expands beyond Earth, from orbital and lunar data centres to interplanetary networks that could support life and exploration across the solar system.
What happens when AI ecosystems begin learning without us? How do we address the growing human capital deficit and ensure that intelligence; artificial or otherwise serves humanity, not the other way around? Finally, Nabeel will challenge the audience to think about sustainability and purpose – how to build a regenerative, carbon-neutral digital civilisation and play an active role in shaping a future where technology and humanity advance together.
To attend, visit: https://clouddatacenter.events/events/new-zealand-cloud-datacenter-convention-2025/