About Mehdi Paryavi

Mehdi Paryavi founded the International Data Center Authority (IDCA) to bring standardization, best practice and independent research to an industry that now sits at the center of the global economy. Under his leadership, IDCA has become a reference point for governments, operators and investors trying to make sense of how artificial intelligence, energy policy and digital infrastructure intersect.

He is widely credited across the industry press as an early advocate of 'application-centric' infrastructure — designing data center capacity around the workloads it actually needs to serve, rather than one-size-fits-all builds. That perspective has made him a regular source for outlets including The Guardian, Bloomberg, CNBC, Business Insider, Newsweek, POLITICO and the BBC, and a contributor of opinion and analysis to publications such as Observer, City AM, Computer Weekly and Newsweek.

Mehdi lectures globally and represents IDCA at industry summits, seminars and webinars, and regularly meets with government delegations — including heads of state, prime ministers and ministers — on digital economy and infrastructure strategy. He has been personally responsible for the training, certification and career development of thousands of data center professionals worldwide, across sectors from national security and aviation to healthcare and telecommunications.