impact maker
Hugo
Gunnarsen
High-Performance Computing, Search Architecture & Infrastructure Innovation Leader
Designs high-performance infrastructure that scales efficiently and reduces long-term cost.
Hugo Gunnarsen is a pioneering engineering and infrastructure leader whose work has shaped the evolution of modern search engines, cloud computing, and large-scale data center efficiency. He played a key role in developing Fast Search and Transfer—one of the earliest commercial search engines—later acquired by Microsoft, where his performance-focused engineering set new benchmarks for speed and scalability.
Hugo began his career at Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI), optimizing high-performance computing systems for complex Oil and Gas and financial modeling workloads. He went on to lead performance engineering teams at Fast, Overture, and Yahoo, driving advancements that supported rapidly growing global platforms. As Vice President of Infrastructure at Yahoo, Hugo oversaw all capital and operational technology investments, ensuring the organization adopted the most advanced and cost-effective solutions available.
He pioneered original equipment manufacturer ventures into cloud services, deploying more than half a million servers worldwide, and introduced custom central processing units that reduced infrastructure costs by 30 percent. His technical leadership has left a lasting impact on the scale, efficiency, and reliability of modern internet infrastructure.
At Totale Strata, Hugo brings deep systems expertise and a visionary approach to modernization—helping organizations adopt smarter technologies, reduce cost, and strengthen the performance of critical infrastructure. Hugo holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.