The Circular Supply Chain for AI Hardware

In this episode, Madelyn O'Farrell talks with Tom Delahunty, VP of Operations for Asset Lifecycle Management at Iron Mountain, about what happens to IT hardware after its first life. Tom makes the case that decommissioned equipment is a secondary supply chain rather than a waste problem, pointing to 88% year-over-year growth in Q2 as AI and data center buildouts push assets out of service. The conversation covers how a hyperscale decommission works, from data sanitization and secure chain of custody through remarketing that cascades from full systems down to components, and how GPU-dense infrastructure and liquid cooling raise the bar on testing capability. The takeaway for listeners: plan for end of use early, expect used GPUs to become a normal part of procurement, and watch for more R&D investment in reuse and critical mineral recovery as the industry matures toward something closer to the used car market.

Highlights from their conversation include:

• Introduction to Tom Delahunty and Iron Mountain (0:29)
• What Iron Mountain Is and Who It Serves (1:43)
• Record Revenue Growth and Scaling Operations (4:23)
• Data Sanitization, Mobile Shred Units and Chain of Custody (7:00)
• How Reuse Rates Vary Across Decommissioning Projects (8:58)
• Why GPUs Should Follow the Same Longevity Curve as CPUs (11:20)
• Generating Demand Before Assets Arrive (14:40)
• Bottlenecks and Wishes for the Secondary Market (17:21)
• Design for End of Use Improving Among OEMs (18:50)
• Whether the ITAD Industry Can Handle Coming Volume (20:59)
• The Case for R&D Investment in ITAD (23:56)
• Planning Future Compute Needs Around Used Supply (28:40)
• Final Thoughts and Episode Wrap-Up (30:55)

Dynamo Ventures is a venture firm backing founders upgrading the physical economy. As intelligence moves into critical infrastructure and technology collides with physics, industry is entering a new era of transformation - the industrial renaissance.

Born from the dirt and grit of supply chains and shaped by operations, not spreadsheets, Dynamo focuses on the complex realities of building in the real world. We invest in companies transforming infrastructure, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, and the systems that power global commerce.

Dynamo works closely with founders who combine ambition with a bias to action, bringing a builder mindset to venture capital through deep operational insight, systematic pressure-testing and hands-on partnership.

Our purpose is simple: to back the relentless shaping the industrial renaissance. Learn more at www.dynamo.vc 

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