Backes Brings Deep Expertise in Hyperscale Operations, AI Infrastructure and Real Estate Development
DALLAS, April 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Provident Data Centers, a division of leading Dallas-based real estate and investment firm Provident, announces the appointment of Jack Backes as Principal Strategist. An accomplished professional with extensive experience in real estate development and data center infrastructure, Backes will support strategic growth initiatives as the company scales to meet demand for next-generation digital infrastructure.
“Jack brings a strong background in data center system engineering and a forward-thinking approach that will be invaluable as we enter our next phase of nationwide growth,” said Provident Founder and CEO Leon Backes.
In his role as Principal Strategist, Jack Backes leads sales and partnership activities and brings a track record of success in real estate, data centers, and software engineering along with a visionary approach to development.
“Provident has always been about seeing possibilities where others don’t,” said Jack Backes, Principal Strategist. “With the rapid growth of AI and high-density computing, we’re aligning decades of real estate expertise with advanced data center infrastructure — focusing on site selection, power connectivity, and scalability to support the next generation of digital workloads.”
A seasoned technology leader and recognized real estate industry innovator, Backes served in several high-level positions at major technology firms prior to his return to Provident. At LinkedIn, he was a senior leader within the company’s data center infrastructure operations, helping oversee strategy and execution across a global fleet of 350,000 servers in five state-of-the-art hyperscale facilities. He served as execution lead for LinkedIn’s groundbreaking “Blueshift” migration onto Microsoft Azure — the largest and most complex cloud migration attempted up to that time — and led AI compute orchestration, configuration, and automation supporting more than two million AI workloads daily.
Before LinkedIn, Jack founded and led MOTIVE, a real estate technology accelerator with multiple successful exits, notably including Dwelo (acquired by Level Home for $171 million in 2021). He also founded DXZ Media, a digital products firm specializing in application and web development, and created the influential RealTech event series that united Dallas’ real estate and technology communities.
Backes’ work in urban innovation earned him the Dallas Festival of Ideas “Innovative City” award and led to his recognition as a Dallas Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree in 2015.
At Provident, Backes anticipates particular interest in strategic development and customer engagement from “Neocloud” customers—startups specializing in AI-specific cloud computing. “This is an important market niche due to escalating AI demand,” Backes said. “We’ll be able to deliver infill data center solutions to serve that market, with power availability ranging from 20 MW to 75 MW. In addition to supporting mid-scale operators, we also have the experience and power accessibility to meet the high-capacity demands of hyperscalers.”
This marks Backes’ second tenure with Provident Realty Advisors, a highly respected Dallas, TX-based firm with a $5.9 billion diverse national real estate and investment portfolio. Earlier in his career, Backes executed over $25 million in real estate development projects at Provident, including the acquisition and development of the Vintage Royale townhomes in 2010.
Backes is a passionate advocate for advanced power systems, including modern nuclear and battery technologies, as a cornerstone of grid stability and national security strategy, underpinning American leadership in artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure.
As a governing board member of the Texas Nuclear Alliance, Backes actively supports Governor Abbott’s vision of making Texas “first in AI” and “first in Nuclear,” influencing public policy and authoring strategic letters to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to advocate nuclear-first policies. He recently participated in the invitation-only “Nuclear for Data Centers” workshop at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), collaborating with senior industry, academic, and government leaders on practical pathways for integrating nuclear energy into data centers.
Additionally, Backes sponsors research into advanced data center power systems at Southern Methodist University, where he is also pursuing a Master’s in Data Center Systems Engineering. His efforts further position Provident at the strategic intersection of energy innovation, infrastructure leadership, and national security.
About Provident Data Centers
Provident Data Centers, headquartered in Dallas, TX is a community-driven data center developer dedicated to building “win-win” partnerships with clients and communities. As a division of Provident, a privately held leading real estate and investment firm, Provident Data Centers brings over three decades of real estate development experience to create cutting-edge data centers for enterprise, hyperscale, and telecom clients. This expertise currently spans six states, with over 50 buildings delivering more than +6 GW of planned and committed power. Provident Data Centers streamlines the development process by managing site selection, land acquisition, design and construction, infrastructure build-out, and full-fit-out delivery. This comprehensive approach ensures smooth project execution, minimizes risks, and delivers positive outcomes for all stakeholders. With vast industry knowledge, Provident Data Centers brings a transparent approach and continues to focus on innovative, efficient, and scalable solutions for an evolving digital landscape. To learn more, visit www.providentdatacenters.net and follow us on LinkedIn.
SOURCE Provident Data Centers