The demand for high-density, sustainable AI compute is colliding with constraints in power grids and environmental goals. ECL, a pioneer in modular, hydrogen-powered data centers, is scaling its leadership team to meet this challenge. The company has appointed Michael Glickman, a veteran cloud and infrastructure executive with decades of experience at Cisco and other firms, as its new President to drive the global commercial expansion and deployment of its innovative FlexGrid platform.
Sustainable data center firm ECL appoints Michael Glickman, ex-Cisco SVP, as President.
Glickman will lead global commercial expansion and site deployment for ECL's FlexGrid architecture.
ECL's platform uses a hydrogen microgrid to support high-density AI racks (75-150kW+) with zero emissions.
The MV-1 site in Mountain View is the world's first operational hydrogen-powered AI data center.
Glickman brings over 20 years of experience scaling cloud and service provider businesses at Cisco.
The appointment aims to accelerate the rollout of clean, grid-independent AI infrastructure globally.
AI workloads require immense power, straining electrical grids and conflicting with corporate sustainability targets. ECL's solution is its proprietary FlexGrid architecture, which combines modular data center design with a patented, always-on hydrogen microgrid. This enables high-density racks (currently 75-150 kW) to operate with zero emissions, zero water draw, and high reliability, independent of local utility constraints. Glickman's role is to scale this model from successful pilots to multi-hundred-megawatt and gigawatt deployments worldwide.
Glickman's appointment brings critical go-to-market and scaling expertise. With over two decades at Cisco, culminating as SVP for the Global Service Provider Segment, he has deep experience guiding hyperscalers, telcos, and cloud providers through major architectural shifts. His subsequent leadership roles as President of PacketFabric and CEO of Casa Systems further cement his expertise in the high-performance compute and carrier infrastructure markets essential for ECL's expansion.
ECL has already demonstrated its technology with the MV-1 site in Mountain View, which it claims is the world's first operational hydrogen-powered AI data center. The upcoming TerraSite TX-1 development will further scale the model. Glickman recognized the unique value of ECL's approach, citing its ability to deliver "high power densities without relying on the overstressed electrical grid or compromising sustainability goals." His mandate is to translate this technical innovation into broad commercial adoption.
The hiring of an industry veteran like Glickman signals ECL's transition from a technology pioneer to a global-scale infrastructure provider. As AI compute demand skyrockets, the market is seeking alternatives to traditional, grid-dependent data centers. By pairing its groundbreaking FlexGrid technology with Glickman's commercial and operational leadership, ECL is positioning itself to become a major player in building the sustainable backbone for the next generation of AI.
About ECL
Founded in 2020 and based in Mountain View, California, ECL is reimagining data center infrastructure through hydrogen-powered, modular, and energy-flexible designs. The company introduced the world’s first fully green, off-grid data center and continues to pioneer hybrid hydrogen and natural gas systems through its FlexGrid™ architecture. Led by veteran technologist Yuval Bachar, ECL enables scalable, low-carbon compute for AI, high-performance, and edge workloads. Backed by Molex Ventures and Hyperwise Ventures, ECL is driving the future of sustainable digital infrastructure.
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