Chris Vonderhaar, the executive who oversaw Amazon Web Services Inc.’s data center network for the past four and a half years, has left the company.

The news was first reported by GeekWire on Tuesday. AWS parent Amazon.com Inc. confirmed the development later that day. The company didn’t provide additional details, such as who is set to succeed Vonderhaar or when. 

Vonderhaar originally joined the cloud giant in 2010, the same year Microsoft Corp. launched its rival Azure platform. The executive served as AWS’ vice president of data center community before departing. In that role, he led the teams that plan and construct new data centers for AWS. 

Vonderhaar also had a number of related responsibilities. He oversaw the cloud giant’s sustainability initiatives, including its investments in renewable energy. Vonderhaar was also responsible for establishing partnerships with utilities around the world.

In the last year of the executive’s tenure at AWS, the cloud giant announced a series of major data center investments. The main item is a $35 billion initiative to build more cloud infrastructure in Virginia. The initiative, which was detailed in January, is set to run through 2040.

More recently, AWS announced that it will spend $12.7 billion through the end of the decade to expand its data center footprint in India. The company also plans to invest $6 billion in Malaysia to establish a local infrastructure region.

The new cloud infrastructure that AWS intends to build will grow its already extensive data center network. The company operates 99 availability zones, or data center clusters, in 31 locations around the world. It has publicly announced plans to build 15 more availability zones. 

In addition to leading AWS’ data center operations, Vonderhaar was responsible for its sustainability initiatives. The executive oversaw the cloud giant’s sizable renewable energy portfolio. That portfolio is an important component of parent Amazon’s sustainability strategy, which will see the company fully switch its operations to renewable energy by 2025.

Last April, Amazon announced plans to invest in 37 new wind and solar projects worldwide. Overall, the company has invested in more than 300 such projects to date. They are expected to produce 15.7 gigawatts of electricity that will be used in part to power AWS data centers. 

Vonderhaar has led AWS’ data center and sustainability initiatives since December 2018. Earlier, he held a number of other executive roles at the cloud giant’s infrastructure group. He originally joined AWS in 2010 after previously working at the information technology group of BT Group plc, the U.K.’s largest internet provider.

Photo: Tony Webster/Flickr