Talk Title: DCE 9000 – Building the Resilient Future
A Quality Management System standard for Data Center Industry
Abstract
The explosive growth of AI and cloud computing has pushed the global data center supply chain to its capacity limits. Hyperscalers, Data center operators, and infrastructure suppliers are racing to deploy critical power, cooling, and electrical systems at unprecedented speed — yet the industry still lacks a unified quality framework. This significantly impacts efficiency. As an example, today, a single supplier may face 7–12 separate audits annually from different customers, each with similar QMS, customer-specific requirements and metrics, creating enormous operational strain and putting pressure on already stretched capacity. As the industry scales 3X to 10X by 2030, the equipment supplier’s Quality Maturity also needs to significantly improve to prevent scalability challenges from manifesting as Quality and Reliability failures.
This session introduces DCE 9000, the first industry-specific Quality Management System (QMS) for data center physical infrastructure, designed to slash redundant audits and free up strained supplier capacity. It is being developed under the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) QuEST Forum with leadership from Google, AWS and other global hyperscalers and equipment suppliers. Modeled after proven sector- specific standards like IATF 16949 (automotive), TL 9000 (Telecom) and AS 9100 (aerospace), DCE 9000 builds upon the ISO 9001 foundation and adds data-center-specific requirements. The standard is initially focused on critical infrastructure equipment (generators, switchgear, transformers, chillers, and UPS systems) and is designed for third-party certification, with an official launch targeted for Q1 2027. This presentation will walk through the rationale for the standard, its structural framework, the certification ecosystem being built around it, and how attendees can immediately leverage the DCE 9000 framework to drive cost savings, reduce risk, and accelerate deployment in their organizations.
Presenters: Govind Ramu, Sr. Technical Program Manager for AI Infrastructure Quality, and Gino Tozzi, Global Head of AI Infrastructure Quality for Google Cloud.
Biography
Speaker:
Govind Ramu, is a Senior Technical Program Manager for AI infrastructure quality at Google. LEAD Distinguished Scholar from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Mechanical engineer from Bangalore University, India. He has over 30 years of international quality management experience from various industry sectors. He is an associate member of the International Academy for Quality (IAQ). He was the convener for the ISO technical committee for ISO 10014. Ramu is an ASQ Fellow, recipient of ASQ Crosby Medal, ASQ LA Simon Collier Quality Award, ISO Excellence Award, DCD distinguished service award, and holds eight ASQ certifications: manager of quality/organizational excellence, construction quality manager, quality engineer, Six Sigma Black Belt, auditor, software quality engineer, supplier quality professional, and reliability engineer. He is an author of The Certified Six Sigma Yellow Belt Handbook (ASQ Quality Press, 2016) and coauthor of The Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Handbook (ASQ Quality Press, 2015), The Lean handbook (ASQ Quality Press, 2012) and the American standard ASQ TR 2:2024: Cost of Quality: Guidelines for Development, Implementation and Monitoring to Improve Quality and Performance (ASQ, 2024). He is the Body of Knowledge chair for ASQ’s certification on “Construction Quality Manager”.
Gino Tozzi, is a seasoned operations and quality management executive with over 25 years of experience leading high-performance teams in the technology and telecommunications sectors. Currently serving as the Head of AI Infrastructure Quality for Google Cloud, Gino oversees the quality and reliability of Google’s vast data center infrastructure, ensuring that global operations scale efficiently to meet the demands of the AI era.
Message From the Section Chair
Dear ASQ Silicon Valley Quality Professionals,
Welcome to 2026—a year of groundbreaking advancements in quantum computing, yet also a stark reminder of climate change’s impact. Experiencing freezing temperatures in Florida during my recent visit to the University of Florida and witnessing ongoing wildfires in California underscores the urgency of sustainable solutions.
ASQ Silicon Valley remains committed to supporting emerging technologies and cleantech for a sustainable future. I want to recognize each of you for your contributions to our section’s success. 2024 was marked by two major initiatives—the Inaugural Cleantech Conference and the Fireside Leadership Summit. For 2025, I’m pleased to announce our leadership updates: Congratulations to Aruna Ghildiyal, our new Program Chair, and welcome to Narjes Seyedin and Rishabh Siingh as new core committee members. Pegah Mottataghizadeh will continue as Operations Chair.
Looking ahead, we will elevate our annual Cleantech Conference and Fireside Summit while continuing our flagship Technical Speaker Series (Tech Talk), which attracts 60+ attendees per session. With over 2,000 ASQ members and 5,000+ quality professionals in the Bay Area, we provide a vibrant platform for networking and professional growth in emerging technologies. Let’s push boundaries, share knowledge, and foster leadership development to drive innovation and quality excellence in 2025.
Thank you, and I look forward to another impactful year together.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sunil Roy, ASQ-SV Chair
Senior Director, Head of Quality Engineering
QuantumScape Battery