Hernandez (middle in blue) with NVIDIA, EcoPower Source Inc., EnergyBackers, KPMG, SLB, and XGS Energy after SFLCT’s “Powering the AI Edge” panel
The AI revolution is collapsing the historical boundaries between AI, energy, and carbon management into a unified industrial architecture bridging the digital and physical worlds”— Fernando C. Hernandez, SFLCT Chairman of the Board
At the intersection of AI, energy, and carbon management, Fernando C. Hernandez—Chairman of the Board for the Society for Low Carbon Technologies (SFLCT)—is making his mark. Recognized as an XPRIZE Innovator and a multiple-award-winning mentor for the U.K.’s Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC), Hernandez is now broadening his influence within the NVIDIA Inception Program.
This move is driven by his AI-Energy-Carbon Management thesis, a concept he first outlined in 2025 alongside representatives from NVIDIA, Microsoft, SLB, XGS Energy, Fugro, and Occidental, as featured in the Journal of Petroleum Technology. By employing this framework to shape strategy for a company accepted into the NVIDIA Inception Program, Hernandez puts into practice his belief that the AI revolution is erasing long-standing divisions between AI, energy, and carbon management, creating a single industrial system that links the digital and physical realms.
Supporting this strategic work is Hernandez’s background in deep-tech within energy and low-carbon fields, gained through his award-winning mentorship with the NZTC. Since 2020, he has spent hundreds of hours guiding 15 international startups through the NZTC’s TechX Clean Energy Accelerator. Among them were startups that earned XPRIZE recognition, including one that became a recipient of the Elon Musk Foundation’s Carbon Removal prize.
In 2026, HexSeed Technology—a carbon capture and utilization company he mentored—continues that legacy by turning captured CO₂ into diamond coatings for gallium nitride power electronics used in data centers. HexSeed secured more than £600,000 (equivalent to more than $800,000 U.S. dollars) in early-stage funding led by Carbon13, with participation from NZTC and Vento Ventures. This positions its technology within the AI infrastructure stack, aligning separately with the AI-Energy-Carbon Management thesis.
Hernandez’s influence on carbon management also reaches South America. Through the SFLCT, he helped shape Brazil’s first carbon capture and storage law in 2024, which was later implemented by presidential decree in 2026. Today, Google is pursuing natural gas combined with CCS to power U.S. data centers, linking that South American vision to North America.
Drawing on his award-winning mentorship experience, Hernandez serves as External Global Advisor to U.S.-based EcoPower Source Inc., led by CEO Sharita M. Humphrey. He refined the company’s strategy and offered international guidance before it was accepted into the NVIDIA Inception Program. Currently, EcoPower Source Inc. is advancing geothermal initiatives and energy resiliency hubs designed to power telecommunications via AI-Radio Access Networks (AI-RAN), data centers, and critical digital infrastructure.
Bringing these initiatives full circle, SFLCT deployed its platform as an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) during an SLB-hosted panel, “Powering the AI Edge: Scaling Infrastructure in Rural Hubs and Megacities.” Hernandez opened the session and shared the stage with leaders from NVIDIA, EcoPower Source, EnergyBackers, KPMG, SLB, and XGS Energy (which is scaling geothermal solutions for Meta’s AI footprint). They mapped out the architecture for edge and rural AI compute—covering 5G/6G connectivity, AI-RAN integration, geothermal co-location, and hybrid microgrids from behind-the-meter systems to transmission-level integration for data centers and beyond. EcoPower Source Inc. emphasized bridging the digital divide, expanding rural economic development, and building the workforce needed to support the AI transition.
Hernandez concludes, stating, “The SFLCT has a low-carbon imperative to build a specialized talent pipeline that equips present and future generations to deliver measurable impact across the AI-Energy-Carbon Management framework, including applications and markets both seen and unforeseen.” Building on SFLCT’s existing university and multisectoral engagement, EcoPower Source Inc. is considering SFLCT as an NGO vehicle for future workforce development and training initiatives. Its participation in the NVIDIA Inception Program could help shape these efforts by providing additional AI technical resources and training opportunities.
*Publishing note: The views expressed are those of SFLCT, a federally recognized U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and do not necessarily reflect the positions of any organizations or individuals referenced herein. This publication is shared for educational, community-impact, and non-commercial purposes. No endorsement is implied. These purposes align with SFLCT's federal tax-exempt status. Portions of the opening image are used under U.S. fair use law, with the photo transformed to create new context and meaning*
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