BluSky AI names Riley Cooney to drive modular AI push

BluSky AI has appointed finance executive Riley Cooney as Corporate Development and Strategy Officer as the company expands its modular artificial intelligence infrastructure business.

The Utah-based firm develops prefabricated modular AI infrastructure and Neocloud GPU-as-a-Service infrastructure. It targets organisations that need large-scale compute for AI and high-performance computing workloads.

Cooney has spent the past two years advising on AI and HPC data centre strategy. His advisory work has focused on global institutional and Wall Street clients.

He joins BluSky AI with a background in strategic finance and financial planning and analysis. The company said his experience covers both capital markets and large-scale digital infrastructure.

Core Scientific track record

Cooney previously worked at Core Scientific. The company operates blockchain and digital infrastructure in the United States.

During five years at Core Scientific, Cooney helped scale revenue 24 times. The firm also increased power capacity from 30 MW to more than 800 MW during that period.

He directed cross-functional teams in finance, infrastructure, and operations. His work included contributions to SEC filings, mergers and acquisitions, and investor relations activity.

Core Scientific undertook one of the largest digital-asset infrastructure scale-outs in the US during those years. Cooney held leadership roles through a USD $4 billion initial public offering in bitcoin and hyperscale infrastructure.

Real estate and venture role

Before BluSky AI, Cooney also held senior responsibilities at Address USA Ventures. He served as Chief Financial Officer and Acting Chief Operating Officer.

Address USA Ventures operated a national real estate platform in partnership with USA Today and Gannett. The role combined oversight of finance with operational duties.

Cooney also advised on AI and HPC data centre strategy in that period. His clients again included global institutional and Wall Street investors.

Strategic remit

BluSky AI said Cooney will focus on corporate development and long-term strategy. His brief covers finance, infrastructure growth, operations planning, and investor engagement.

The company is expanding its footprint in modular AI data centres. It positions its infrastructure as a base layer for organisations that need large-scale AI compute.

Chief Executive Trent D'Ambrosio said the hire comes as BluSky AI scales its modular AI "factory" model. The company uses that term for its prefabricated, repeatable data centre units.

"Our team is enthusiastic about Riley Cooney joining BluSky AI and contributing to our strategic initiatives in scaling our modular AI factory infrastructure," said CEO Trent D'Ambrosio, CEO, BluSky AI. "Riley's experience in finance, infrastructure, operations and investor relations provides an important asset in the continued growth of BluSky AI," said D'Ambrosio.

Modular AI infrastructure

BluSky AI describes itself as a Neocloud provider that is purpose-built for artificial intelligence workloads. It builds and operates rapidly deployable modular data centres that it calls SkyMods.

SkyMods are designed as scalable AI "factories". They focus on speed of deployment and energy optimisation.

The company targets customers that require high-intensity infrastructure for machine learning workloads. Its clients include small and mid-sized firms, larger enterprises, and academic institutions.

BluSky AI offers a GPU-as-a-Service model. Customers can access compute resources without building and operating their own facilities.

The firm promotes an "infrastructure first" approach. It manages the underlying power, cooling, and physical data centre assets.

Customers then focus on AI models, software, and data. The company positions its data centres as the critical backbone for AI compute.

Demand for compute

Demand for AI infrastructure has increased as organisations train larger models and run more intensive inference workloads. This trend has driven interest in prefabricated and modular data centre designs.

These designs shorten construction timelines. They also allow incremental expansion of capacity in line with demand.

BluSky AI states that its SkyMods provide faster routes from capital investment to live compute resources. The company highlights energy optimisation as a design objective for these units.

The firm aims to serve both start-ups and established organisations. It frames its offer around access to large-scale compute without large up-front infrastructure spending.

BluSky AI is headquartered in Salt Lake City. It plans further growth in modular AI data centre deployments and in its Neocloud infrastructure portfolio.