In this episode of the REM Podcast, Tom sits down with Luca Marini, CEO of LIO DC - the data centre platform of LIO Factory, a real estate holding company investing in infrastructure, renewables and beyond.

Luca shares why LIO is one of the few platforms in Italy designing renewables and data centres together from day one, rather than treating them as separate industries. He talks about what it means to build infrastructure from the land up, and why being involved from the very first step (land and local execution) is what sets them apart.

This episode covers:

• Why the AI revolution demands renewables and data centres grow hand in hand
• The value of developing from 0 to 0.2 instead of trying to do everything
• How Lio is attracting long-term foreign capital to Italy
• Why doing fewer projects, but doing them better, is a winning strategy

If you’re interested in early-stage infrastructure, the intersection of energy and digital, or what real long-term value creation looks like in practice - this one’s worth a listen.

Connect with Tom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomessex/

Connect with Luca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariniluca/

Disclaimer

This was our first in-person recording, so we ran into a few minor technical issues. The audio quality is a bit variable - both mics were affected, but Tom’s more noticeably.

The video also cuts out near the end, though the full conversation was captured in audio.

We felt the insights were too valuable not to share, so we hope you enjoy the conversation nonetheless!