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Apple
Data center news, project activity, and monthly briefings for Apple.
Editor's picks
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Sovranità digitale europea: autonomia, regole e scelte democratiche
The Bank of Italy has published a speech on Europe’s digital sovereignty, AI infrastructure, payment systems, and regulatory policy. It is an analytical and policy-oriented intervention, not a new corporate deal announcement.
- The speech argues that Europe should reduce critical digital dependencies through strategic autonomy, highlighting cloud, semiconductors, AI platforms, telecom networks, and payment systems as key infrastructure areas.
- It cites the EU’s InvestAI initiative, launched on 11 February 2025 by Ursula von der Leyen, with a goal to mobilise €200 billion in public and private AI investment, including €20 billion for AI Gigafactories; it also discusses euro digital, DORA, and broader EU tech regulation.
- The article is a speech in Italian and includes references to prior EU measures, including SWIFT sanctions on Russia, the Digital Markets Act, AI Act, and a proposed European digital euro framework.
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Pass the Salt: A Sodium-Iron Battery Breakthrough
Inlyte Energy discussed its sodium-iron battery technology and announced the shipping of its first battery pack to Southern Company’s Wilsonville, Alabama energy storage facility.
- The company said it is shipping its first utility-scale pilot: a 1-megawatt-hour battery for Southern Company, with commissioning expected in the next couple months at the Wilsonville, Alabama test site.
- Antonio Baclig said Inlyte acquired Beta Research in 2022, produces cells in the UK near Derby, and is using iron powder and food-grade table salt to enable safer, lower-cost batteries for grid-scale and data center use.
- Baclig added the system can provide 24 to 48 to 72-hour backup for data centers, may fit a 3-megawatt, 24-hour duration backup on a diesel pad, and benefits from U.S. battery tax incentives supporting domestic manufacturing.
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The EU’s Latest Google Fine Confirms the DMA Was Built to Target American Success
The article is an opinion and analysis piece arguing that the European Commission’s €890 million fine against Google under the Digital Markets Act is discriminatory, and that President Trump has announced a Section 301 investigation in response.
- European Commission fined Google €890 million under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) on July 23, 2026, described as the third major penalty against Google in under a year.
- The piece says the Trump administration will immediately initiate a Section 301 investigation; it also references prior EU penalties of €2.95 billion (September 2025) and €4.1 billion in a separate long-running antitrust case.
- It argues Google recently committed $1.5 billion to expand a U.S. data center campus, and contrasts EU turnover-based fines with investments in AI, data centers, and innovation.
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Economic Consequences of Section 232 Tariffs on Semiconductor Imports
The Trump administration issued an executive order in January 2026 imposing a 25 percent Section 232 tariff on certain advanced semiconductors.
- Main action: The January 14, 2026 executive order imposed an immediate 25 percent ad valorem duty on a narrow category of advanced computing chips and signaled a possible broader phase 2 at a “rate of duty that is significant.” ITIF models that a sustained 25% tariff would produce a cumulative $1.6 trillion loss in U.S. GDP (3.9%) over 10 years, reduce ICT consumption by $12.5 billion, and lower GDP per capita by $170 in year 1 and $4,825 cumulatively by year 10. The United States imported $48.1 billion of semiconductors in 2025 (baseline used in analysis).
- Background and recommendations: ITIF recommends removing blanket semiconductor tariffs, extending the investment tax credit (ITC) — now 35% — through 2030 and expanding it to semiconductor research and design, and requiring future Section 232 tariffs to include annual reviews and automatic expiration. The report also urges that tariff offsets under phase 2 be made available to firms engaged in semiconductor R&D and AI/data-center investment. The ITC is noted as scheduled to expire at the end of 2026.
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ST 10476 2026 INIT
The European Commission has published the “State of the Digital Decade 2026” Communication calling for coordinated investments and reforms to close structural digital gaps and strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty.
- Main action: The Communication publishes the 2026 State of the Digital Decade report, sets out policy and investment priorities (AI Gigafactories, Chips Act 2.0, Cloud and AI Development Act, DDPP review) and requests Member States to update national Digital Decade roadmaps by December 2026; it documents Member States’ commitments of 1 934 measures and EUR 289.3 billion total investment (including EUR 205.9 billion public).
- Context and details: The Communication summarises progress and gaps (semiconductors: EU share 9% vs 20% target), provides investment need estimates (e.g., EUR 120 billion for semiconductor ecosystem, ~EUR 200 billion for data centre expansion by 2036), flags an imminent funding cliff as many RRF measures phase out by end-2026/2027, and proposes EU-level instruments (ECF, NRPPs) and regulatory measures to mobilise public/private finance.
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ST 10123 2026 ADD 1
The European Commission published the 2026 Country Report on Ireland (SWD(2026) 207 final), accompanying a Council Recommendation on Ireland’s economic, social, employment, structural and budgetary policies.
- Main announcement: The European Commission assesses Ireland’s 2025 progress and implementation of country-specific recommendations, reporting GDP growth of 12.3% in 2025, an estimated general government surplus of 1.8% of GDP in 2025, and highlights key commitments including the EUR 1.15 billion Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) (≈0.2% of GDP) with EUR 929 million disbursed by May 2026; it also details major planned investments such as a EUR 3.5 billion state equity injection into network operators and baseline grid investments of EUR 14.1 billion (2026–2030) with potential additional investments up to EUR 18.1 billion under the Agile Investment Framework.
- Background and concrete measures: The report flags revenue concentration risks (corporate tax receipts ~EUR 33 billion in 2025), stresses energy and climate priorities (targets for 9 GW onshore wind / 8 GW solar by 2030, 5 GW offshore by 2030 and 20 GW by 2040; offshore DMAP underway), notes new regulatory actions (CRU’s Large Energy User Connection Policy requiring data centres to reach 80% Ireland-based renewable electricity within six years and link connections to system flexibility), and details specific program funding and timelines (e.g., defence allocation EUR 1.5 billion in the 2026 budget; My Future Fund auto-enrolment pension scheme launched Jan 2026).
Recent news
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El-Sayed, Rogers face voter opposition to data centers in crucial Senate race
Planet Detroit reports on the Michigan U.S. Senate race and its overlap with data center policy, campaign finances, and voter sentiment. The article references past and current positions and financial disclosures rather than announcing a new project.
- Mike Rogers said in August that he supports a one-year moratorium on new data centers; Abdul El-Sayed released “terms of engagement” in January and supports state and local moratoriums.
- The story cites an August EPIC-MRA poll showing 62% of likely Michigan voters oppose data center development and notes Rogers’ disclosure of $100,001 to $250,000 in Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, which has 29% of its portfolio invested in data centers.
- It also mentions the $16-billion Oracle and OpenAI data center under construction in Saline Township, the $1.25-billion University of Michigan computing facility in Ypsilanti Township, and a draft wastewater permit for Related Digital with public comments open through Oct. 23, 2026.
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Same Roof, 10 Different Gases: What a Data Center Is Quietly Holding
The article is an analytical commentary on hidden gas and chemical hazards in data centers, using the South Korea NIRS fire as a case study rather than making a new announcement.
- It cites the Daejeon fire at South Korea’s National Information Resource Services (NIRS), where a UPS battery failure reportedly destroyed 384 lithium-ion batteries and took 647 government systems offline; recovery was projected to take four weeks.
- It also references prior incidents, including an Apple data center in Maiden, North Carolina, where a spilled cleaning chemical sent five people to the hospital, and cites JLL’s 2026 Data Center Outlook and Uptime Institute statistics on outages and incident costs.
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Competitive federalism enters its industrial phase
Policy Circle has published an analysis arguing that Indian states should compete on industrial capabilities, power costs, approvals and infrastructure rather than subsidies alone.
- The article says West Bengal is considering an open-access electricity policy to lower industrial power costs, while states such as Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are using different industrial strategies to attract manufacturing, semiconductor and electronics investment.
- It cites specific projects and amounts, including the Tata Electronics-PSMC fabrication plant at Dholera with an investment of ₹91,526 crore and capacity of 50,000 wafer starts a month, a ₹100 crore semiconductor centre with IIT Madras Research Park, and the ₹3,706 crore HCL-Foxconn project near Jewar approved under the India Semiconductor Mission.
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Security’s rising impact on office experience in Class A buildings: Kastle CEO
Kastle has announced a strategic expansion of its security platform through executive hires and a stronger push into data centers and other high-security venues.
- The company said on July 13 that it hired five senior executives: Matt Burke (COO), Neil Thomas (CRO), Chad Pierce (CIO), Lindsay McLain (CMO), and Steven Weingarth (VP of go-to-market).
- Kastle said it is working to become the category leader in integrated, intelligence-driven security platforms and that its majority stake in i2G Systems has opened opportunities in data centers, sports venues, universities, and hospital systems.
- The article also says Kastle supports Aliro and, in March, became the first company to roll out Aliro 1.0 credentials across Apple, Google, and Samsung mobile wallets and Aliro-enabled readers.
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Why Hyperscalers Have Become CleanMax's Biggest Renewable Energy Growth Bet
CleanMax has said its hyperscaler relationships and data-centre focused renewable energy offerings are driving a larger share of its India business.
- During its latest investor call, CleanMax said it has secured an estimated 35%+ share of India’s hyperscaler renewable energy market, with 2026 renewable energy deals announced with Meta, Apple, Google and Amazon.
- The company said Data & AI contributes 42% of contracted capacity, has 2.5 GW under construction, and estimates each 1 GW of data-centre IT load requires about 6 GW of renewable capacity and roughly ₹40,000 crore of investment.
- CleanMax also said its existing data-centre customer base includes NTT, STT, L&T Data Centres, Equinix and Iron Mountain; CTU-route hyperscaler projects average 200–250 MW and are structured as VPPAs before direct supply begins once data centres are operational.
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Taiwan Chipmaker TSMC Pledges Another $100B to Expand U.S. Chipmaking
TSMC has announced plans to spend another $100 billion expanding its manufacturing capacity in the United States.
- The company said the new commitment would bring its total pledged investment in U.S. chipmaking to $265 billion and likely fund four additional fabrication plants in Arizona focused on 2-nanometer and below chips.
- TSMC also said it raised its 2026 capital expenditure budget to $60 billion-$64 billion from $52 billion-$56 billion and lifted its annual revenue growth forecast to slightly above 40%; the article also notes earlier U.S. commitments of $165 billion and a prior Taiwan-U.S. trade agreement tied to roughly $250 billion in new Taiwanese tech investments in the United States.
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Roundup: Cocoa demand / ‘Funflation’ / Data center utility demand
The White House plans to bring together utilities and data center developers for a voluntary pledge aimed at preventing AI-driven electricity demand from raising power costs for households and businesses.
- The initiative would expand on existing commitments from major tech companies to pay for data center-related power infrastructure rather than shifting costs to utility customers.
- The effort is intended to support rapid AI infrastructure growth while protecting consumers from higher electricity bills; the article is a Reuters report on a planned policy move, not a formal White House release.
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Fed minutes: Officials deeply divided over future path of U.S. inflation
The Federal Reserve has released minutes showing officials are divided over the future path of inflation and interest rates.
- Many participants said the policy rate would be unchanged from or slightly below 3.6% by year-end, while many others thought it would be higher; a few officials saw “a case for raising” rates at the June 16-17 meeting, but the committee voted unanimously to keep rates unchanged.
- Officials linked inflation risk to the Iran war, fading tariff effects, and especially AI infrastructure demand, which they said could raise prices for semiconductors, computer equipment, and electricity; the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said 1-year inflation expectations rose to 3.7% and 3-year expectations to 3.3%.
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Leadership Updates: Key Data Center & Cloud Appointments (Q3 2026)
The article summarizes a wave of leadership appointments across data center operators, infrastructure vendors, and related service firms; it is a roundup rather than a single first-time project announcement.
- Multiple firms, including NTT Data Group, Stream Data Centers, Colt Data Centre Services, and Vantage Data Centers, announced new executive appointments to support expansion, operations, finance, technology, and regional growth.
- The roundup also covers leadership moves at Oracle, Güntner Group, Apx Data Centre Solutions, Trane Technologies, Anthropic, Scality, EdgeCore, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, and industry bodies such as ASHRAE and EPRI; no single investment amount or project cost is given.
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CleanMax adds record 530 MW renewable energy capacity in Q1, takes portfolio to 4.2 GW
CleanMax Enviro Energy Solutions Ltd has announced that it commissioned around 530 MW of renewable energy capacity in the first quarter of FY27, lifting its operational portfolio to about 4.2 GW.
- The company said 403 MW of the quarter’s additions came under its renewable energy power sales business, including about 350 MWp of solar and 53 MW of wind projects owned or co-owned by CleanMax.
- It also commissioned 126 MWp of solar under its renewable energy services business and said the quarter’s projects were commissioned across 11 sites in five states: Gujarat (170 MW), Karnataka (160 MW), Maharashtra (110 MW), plus projects in Haryana and Chhattisgarh; new customers included Meta, Apple, STT GDC India, Iron Mountain Data Centres, Princeton Digital Group, CEAT and GACL.
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The GPU Hunger Games, E3W’s Safety Crisis & More
Inc42 has published an analysis/commentary piece on India’s AI compute market, describing a GPU and downstream infrastructure crunch rather than announcing a new deal or project.
- The article says GPU shortages have eased somewhat, but newer GPUs remain constrained, pushing cloud providers to reserve fleet capacity years in advance and coordinate directly with OEMs.
- It also says bottlenecks have shifted to memory, networking, and power infrastructure, while AI startups are adapting by using off-peak training, focusing on inference, and deploying hybrid models and multi-cloud sourcing.
- The piece frames compute as a strategic utility in India amid geopolitical tensions, export controls, and a tiered market favoring strategic buyers over smaller players.
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OpenAI considers giving five percent stake to US government, proposes other AI businesses join them - report
OpenAI is reportedly debating a conceptual proposal to offer the US government a five percent stake in its business, with rival AI labs potentially expected to offer similar stakes as well.
- The arrangement is described as conceptual and could involve transferring the stake to a sovereign wealth fund; it may require an act of Congress.
- OpenAI is also said to be hiring Dean Ball and has proposed a public wealth fund; Sam Altman has spoken with Donald Trump, Howard Lutnick, Scott Bessent, and Bernie Sanders about AI and ownership questions.
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Roundup: Apple raises prices / Inflation / Fewer jobless claims
Apple has raised prices on several Mac and iPad models.
- Main announcement: Apple has implemented price increases reaching $200 or more on key devices including MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro; the company says it previously absorbed rising memory and storage chip costs but can no longer sustain them, and iPhone pricing remains unchanged for now. (Reported June 25, 2026.)
- Background and related facts:Memory and storage chip costs have risen sharply due to strong demand from AI data centers and ongoing global supply shortages; in the same briefing of economic context, U.S. inflation rose to about 4.1% in May and new jobless claims fell to about 215,000, indicating persistent price pressures and mixed labor signals. Sources: The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Associated Press.
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“Running a company is like having a long-term relationship – you have to give and take, but always carry on”
Rock Flow Dynamics has opened a new data processing centre in Serbia and previously received a $2M investment from Intel Capital which the company later bought out.
- Main announcement: Rock Flow Dynamics opened a data processing centre in Serbia, reducing regression-test time from up to three days to eleven hours, and continues to run four major releases per year with about 10 minor releases between them.
- Background and other details:Intel Capital invested $2 M in the company’s early years (the founders later bought Intel out), the company expanded offices to the USA (Houston) and sold first to an exploration company in Dallas; RFD has ~10 M lines of code, and is diversifying into mining, geothermal and lithium sectors.