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Angie Garza, a name well recognized in the mission critical industry, currently serves as the Director of Advanced Technology and Infrastructure Sourcing at Google. Her journey, however, began far from the tech giant’s headquarters, with a rather unexpected start.
Born and raised in Mexico, Angie’s path to becoming a leader in the data center world started in the world of sales of meat grinders and meat saws for the South African market from her base in Mexico. This experience instilled in her the importance of resourcefulness, out of the box thinking, perseverance and adaptability, or as she calls it: ‘GRIT’.
Angie’s Path Through the Tech World
Her journey into the tech industry started at Celestica, where she shifted from industrial equipment sales to the procurement of electronic components. This experience sparked her deep interest in the complexities of technology and supply chain management. Angie has dedicated over two decades to supply chain and procurement, driven by an early passion to tackle challenging roles and create meaningful results. Following her time at Celestica, she advanced to Lenovo, leading the Latin America Supply Chain for a wide range of products, including servers, tablets, desktops, and cell phones. At Lenovo, her strategic leadership significantly enhanced growth and efficiency. She implemented standardized processes, refined inventory management, and oversaw global manufacturing and original design manufacturers, ensuring smooth supply chain operations. Her contributions led to substantial increases in unit shipments and revenue during her tenure.
Following her tenure at Lenovo, Angie joined Amazon Web Services (AWS), where she continued to advance her career and refine her expertise. Initially, she focused on managing the global supply chain for servers and server racks, quickly demonstrating her talent for process optimization and cost efficiency. This led to her appointment as Head of Global Data Center Infrastructure Procurement and Supply Chain, where she was responsible for all Data Center Infrastructure globally, and where she played a crucial role in supporting AWS’s significant growth within the data center sector to this day.
Angie’s career then led her to X Corp (formerly Twitter), where she served as the Senior Director of Engineering. In this role, she directed teams responsible for the full lifecycle of data center infrastructure and hardware, ensuring the platform’s reliability and growth. Most notably, she spearheaded the most complex data center migration in X Corp’s history with more than 140K live servers, without any service interruptions. Additionally, Angie was instrumental in the launch of X Corp’s first AI cluster.
Today at Google, Angie leads the team responsible for the Global sourcing and procurement of essential power and cooling infrastructure for data centers, including power generation, distribution, mechanical cooling, and modular solutions. Her strategic decisions are critical for ensuring the timely and efficient expansion of Google’s data center capacity, enabling the delivery of essential services and the advancement of AI Innovations.
Interests, Advocacy and Participation in 7×24 Exchange
Angie’s contributions extend beyond her professional roles. She is actively involved in industry organizations focused on professional development and knowledge exchange. This includes her participation in the HITEC Foundation committee and the 7×24 Exchange WIMCO Committee, which supports professionals in the mission-critical infrastructure sector. Angie also presented at the 2024 Spring Conference in Orlando, FL, on the topic of Data Center Trends Shaping the Industry.
Angie presenting at the Spring 2024 Conference.
Accolades and Achievements
Angie’s impact in the technology sector and in the community has been recognized through various prestigious awards. In 2020, she received the Young Achievers in Corporate Responsibility award by HACR for her contributions to Hispanic communities.
Angie’s contributions to the data center industry were further recognized in 2023 when she received the prestigious Infrastructure Masons IM100 Award, celebrating individuals who have made significant contributions to the digital infrastructure industry.
Continuing her streak of recognition, Angie was honored with the “Technology All-Star Achievement” by the WOC Conference in 2024 for her remarkable contributions to the technology sector. In 2024 she also was recognized with the HITEC100 award by HITEC, which recognizes the 100 most influential global executives in technology.
