IDCA and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Sign MoU in Rome to Align Digital Infrastructure with the Global Sustainability Agenda

Rome, Italy - 7 May 2026 - The International Data Center Authority (IDCA) and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formalizing a multi-year collaboration to accelerate the integration of digital technologies in support of sustainable development. The signing took place in Rome and was concluded by IDCA Chairman Mehdi Paryavi and SDSN President Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs.

The agreement brings together two globally influential organizations at a critical moment for digital infrastructure and sustainability. SDSN - established under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General - mobilizes a network of more than 2,000 universities, research centers, and think tanks across 150 countries in direct support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). IDCA operates at the intersection of standard-setting, digital economy development, and infrastructure deployment, working with governments and institutions across more than 40 countries to design and execute digital ecosystems at national and regional scale. The IDCA Global Foundation, IDCA’s 501(c)3 non-profit arm, leads the organisation’s workforce development, training, and certification programmes globally.

Under the MoU, the two organizations will collaborate on research, policy development, and operational frameworks that link digital infrastructure - including data centers, compute capacity, data ecosystems, and artificial intelligence - to the achievement of the SDGs and the post-2030 sustainable development agenda. The partnership addresses a gap that neither organization could close alone: translating scientific knowledge and policy ambition into investible, executable digital infrastructure at scale.

“The intelligence age demands that we move beyond declarations and connect the world’s knowledge networks directly to the infrastructure that will carry development forward. SDSN’s scientific depth and global academic reach, combined with IDCA’s standards authority and on-the-ground execution capacity, create exactly the kind of operational partnership the international system has been missing.” - Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, President, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network

“This MoU reflects IDCA’s conviction that digital infrastructure is not a sector - it is the foundation upon which every other development priority rests. Partnering with SDSN gives us direct access to the world’s foremost network of researchers and institutions working on sustainable development. Together, we will ensure that the standards, policies, and investments shaping the intelligence age are grounded in scientific rigour and oriented toward shared global prosperity.” - Mehdi Paryavi, Chairman, International Data Center Authority

“The IDCA Global Foundation exists to build the certified workforce that digital infrastructure requires - a workforce that does not yet exist at the scale the world needs. Connecting our training and certification programmes to SDSN’s global academic network opens a new pipeline of talent and institutional capacity, particularly across developing economies where the workforce gap is most acute and the development dividend of getting this right is greatest.” - Dr. Simona Marinescu, CEO, IDCA Global Foundation

The MoU was signed on 7 May 2026 at the Palazzo Orsini Taverna in Rome, one of the city's most storied Renaissance palaces, built in the 16th century and long associated with Rome's great noble families. The historic setting provided an apt backdrop for an agreement oriented towards the future, linking IDCA - the world's leading digital infrastructure authority - with the global academic network that serves the United Nations' sustainable development mission.

About IDCA

International Data Center Authority (IDCA) is the global bipartisan digital economy think tank that works with nations to create AI policies, Digital Hubs, and Digital Economies through the standardization of the approach, selection, design, feasibility, operation, and various processes and methodologies of digital infrastructure and related processes and systems.

The global IDCA team works with its partners and affiliates worldwide to achieve the optimum delivery of its advanced services locally and effectively at every project. IDCA is represented in more than 40 countries and is active globally in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

About SDSN

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was established in 2012 under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General to mobilize global scientific and technological expertise in support of sustainable development and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDSN operates a global network of more than 2,000 universities, research institutions, and think tanks across 150 countries, organized into national and regional SDSN networks. Through its research, publications, policy engagement, and learning initiatives, SDSN connects knowledge to action on the world’s most pressing development challenges. SDSN is headquartered in New York and is legally registered as SDSN Association Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation in the United States.