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DataBank
Data center news, project activity, and monthly briefings for DataBank.
DataBank · Construction & power moves · 4
full tracker →Where DataBank is securing land and power — each traced to primary filings.
Editor's picks
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Hardware Refresh
DataBank has published a customer testimonial featuring Merchants & Marine Bank describing how colocation, cloud, and managed services helped reduce hardware refresh pressure and simplify infrastructure management.
- The testimonial says the bank worked with DataBank to create a more stable infrastructure model and reduce the burden of ongoing hardware management.
- It highlights reduced hardware procurement pressure, server refresh complexity, and reactive maintenance cycles, with the bank’s IT team able to focus more on strategic priorities and internal customer needs.
- The piece is a customer testimonial/video post, not a first-time product announcement or deal disclosure, and it does not provide pricing, contract value, or timeline details.
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FedRAMP Migration Gone Right
DataBank has published a customer testimonial about a FedRAMP client moving to its environment to address infrastructure risk across multiple sites.
- The client said it moved to DataBank after facing unreliable power, cooling challenges, security concerns, and recurring infrastructure issues across multiple sites.
- The story is a testimonial / customer case rather than a new product launch or deal announcement; it highlights uptime, stability, and physical security concerns, and links to DataBank’s FedRAMP and FISMA compliance page.
- No monetary values, contract terms, or specific site names were provided in the text.
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The Blue-Collar Gold Rush in Data Centers
DataBank says the data center industry is facing a skilled labor shortage and is expanding recruitment, training, and local partnerships to secure talent.
- Main action: DataBank is investing in talent pipelines, workforce partnerships, and local training events (examples: an Atlanta career exploration event with nearly 20 young people; a Culpeper, VA partnership hosting 40 electrical students) to address a sector-wide shortage in skilled trades. The company cites concrete workforce metrics: a 2025 Deloitte survey finding 63% of data center executives report a shortage of skilled labor, and construction peak crew sizes rising from ~750 to 4,000+ on single campuses, with massive capacity activation expected in the second half of 2026 into 2027.
- Background/details: DataBank emphasizes broad sourcing strategies including military veterans, trade school partnerships, and early contractor commitments; it highlights the economics of trade pathways (example: an IBEW-trained worker can earn close to six figures after four years) and frames these programs as long-term investments and immediate operational priorities tied to near-term build schedules.
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The Truth About Data Centers: We All Created This. Here’s What That Means
DataBank has published the second article in its series, “The Truth About Data Centers,” addressing community concerns and facts about data centers.
- Main announcement/action: DataBank publishes the second article in the series to directly address community concerns about energy costs, water use, noise, and neighborhood impact; the piece cites 27.5 billion hours of video streamed daily, $6.8 trillion global e-commerce in 2025, and that more than one in three people in major economies now use generative AI (with business adoption having more than doubled in two years). The article links to the full eBook and notes this is the second installment; the next article will examine the relationship between data centers and household electricity bills.
- Background and details: The article emphasizes that data centers underpin routine services (alarms, banking apps, streaming, navigation, healthcare systems) and lists concrete service failures that would occur without them (stock markets halt, payroll systems offline, 911 on backup protocols, hospitals reverting to paper). It cites sources for statistics (AnythingCounter, Evoca, ChainStoreAge, OECD) and frames the piece as fact-based explanation rather than speculation.
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How a Rare Wildflower Became a Model for Environmental Stewardship
DataBank announced that it relocated threatened Georgia Asters discovered during construction and, in partnership with Pollinator Partnership and construction/landscape partners, established native pollinator habitat and planted a pollinator garden at two Atlanta data center facilities.
- Main action: DataBank relocated Georgia Asters found on-site (discovered three years ago) to a protected area, replaced water-intensive sod with a native wildflower mix, and this past week planted a manicured pollinator garden at the front entrance of two Atlanta facilities with volunteers from DataBank, local community members, and representatives from the American Legion; the planting required digging more than 60 holes through dense Georgia red clay.
- Background & partners: The effort was voluntary (no regulation required), executed with the nonprofit Pollinator Partnership, and involved DataBank’s sustainability team and construction/landscape partners Kimley Horn and Brasfield & Gorrie; the initiative is presented as part of ongoing community-relations and environmental stewardship activities across DataBank’s portfolio.
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DataBank to Deploy Largest Rooftop Solar Array in Houston Metro Area
DataBank announced plans to install a 3,150 kW rooftop solar array at its HOU3 data center in Houston, Texas.
- Project details: The installation is a 3,150 kW rooftop solar array expected to generate ~4.5 million kWh annually over an expected 25-year operational life, with a levelized cost of energy matching current utility rates to act as a day-one energy hedge and reduce reliance on external renewable energy certificates (RECs). Wunder Power will manage design, construction, monitoring, and maintenance throughout the system’s operational life.
- Context and deployment: The HOU3 site was selected for its large, recently constructed roof, favorable regulatory environment, and high electricity offset potential; the project is described as the largest rooftop solar installation to date in the Houston metropolitan area, and DataBank is evaluating additional deployments across its 70+ data center portfolio as part of its commitment to net zero emissions and 100% carbon-free power by 2030.
Recent news
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DigitalBridge considers sale of Malaysia's AIMS DC - report
DigitalBridge is reportedly exploring options for its Malaysian unit, AIMS Data Centres, including fundraising, bringing in new investors, or an outright sale.
- Main report / action: DigitalBridge is working with a financial advisor and has reached out to prospective investors to gauge interest in AIMS Data Centres; possible options include raising funds, bringing in new investors, or an outright sale, and any deal could value AIMS at as much as $2 billion. The article is a media report citing unnamed sources rather than an official company announcement.
- Background and details: AIMS was acquired by DigitalBridge in November 2022 from Time dotCom; AIMS operates four data centres (two in Kuala Lumpur and Cyberjaya, Malaysia, and one in Bangkok, Thailand) and has previously listed plans for three more facilities in Vietnam. DigitalBridge is noted as having ~$115bn in assets under management and is in the process of being acquired by SoftBank; the piece also references separate market activity including Stack Infrastructure considering a sale of its Asia operations.
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DataBank files for 200MW data center campus outside Atlanta, Georgia
DataBank has filed a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) application with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to develop a new data center campus called Project Indo in Cartersville, Georgia.
- Project details: DataBank filed for a 200MW, 1.1 million sq ft (102,193 sqm) data center campus on 69 acres at 218 Industrial Park Road (Project Indo), with a 288MW utility grid connection requested and the first phase potentially launching in 2032.
- Background and context: The land is owned by Colloid Environmental Technologies Company (CETCO) (an existing manufacturing site near a substation); the project is estimated at $2.4 billion at full build-out. DataBank currently operates 65+ data centers across 25 US metro markets and has a 177MW footprint in Atlanta across six facilities (751,270 sq ft).
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Battery Storage Moves Closer to Data Centers, but Challenges Persist
DataBank has deployed utility-scale BESS at several data centers and connected two systems to a virtual power plant to shave peak demand and support grid operations.
- Main action: DataBank has deployed utility-scale BESS at several data centers, with two systems connected to a virtual power plant to help utilities avoid building new generation and improve grid flexibility; Google has announced plans for a 300 MW iron-air battery at a Minnesota data center and partnered with Voltus on a 100 MW virtual power plant initiative in PJM.
- Context and details:Peak Energy (partnering with General Motors) is developing sodium-ion batteries and claims reduced system complexity and up to 20% lifetime operational savings; operators cite cost, footprint, performance, BOS complexity, cooling, and public acceptance as primary deployment constraints, and note that BESS deployment remains requirement-driven rather than standard across new builds.
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Dallas-Based DataBank Closes $1.45B Financing, Supports Data Center Project in Red Oak
DataBank has closed two financing transactions totaling $1.45 billion to support corporate needs and construction at its Red Oak data center campus.
- Main announcement: DataBank closed an $800 million revolving credit facility and a $650 million upsize of its existing construction financing, bringing the Red Oak campus financing to $2.65 billion; the upsize will support construction of the fourth building and add 60 megawatts of incremental IT capacity. The revolver was arranged by a syndicate led by Citizens Bank, N.A., with joint lead arrangers including Citibank and MUFG Bank, Ltd., and the revolver matures in 2031.
- Background and deal structure: The $650 million upsize consists of $400 million in bank financing and $250 million of notes placed in a private placement (DataBank’s first private placement); MUFG served as administrative agent, coordinating lead arranger, and sole bookrunner for the construction facility and as Lead Placement Agent for the private placement, with TD Securities (USA) LLC and Barclays as Joint Placement Agents, and Citibank, Citizens Bank, N.A., and National Bank of Canada as Co-Placement Agents. A prior April announcement referenced a $2 billion loan for the first three of eight planned Red Oak data centers.
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Emerging Power Strategies Transforming AI Data Center Development
Data Center Frontier reports a set of announcements from Hitachi & X LABS, DataBank, VIVIFY Technology, Flex/EP², Cerberus/S+S Industries, and AZIO AI/EVTV focused on making power the central element of AI data center development.
- Main announcement/action: Hitachi and X LABS propose dedicated “energy parks” for AI customers in North America, an integrated behind-the-meter, gigawatt-scale power platform combining generation, storage, T&D infrastructure and energy management (first energy park planned for completion early 2030s). Other contemporaneous announcements include DataBank’s 3,150 kW rooftop solar at HOU3 (expected ~4.5 million kWh annually over 25 years), VIVIFY’s modular 1 MW closed-loop hydrogen system (the “Flying Pig”), Flex’s acquisition of Electrical Power Products (EP²) to expand critical power capabilities, Cerberus’ strategic investment in S+S Industries, and the AZIO AI–EVTV merger identifying ~11 MW existing site capacity with hardware ordered for an initial 6 MW and planning up to 500 MW same-site capacity across a controlled 548+ acre footprint.
- Background and details: The pieces together show layered strategies: gigawatt-class energy parks (long-cycle, capital-intensive) vs. distributed on-site generation (DataBank rooftop solar as an energy hedge), alternative modular power (VIVIFY hydrogen containers nearing deployment), and supply-chain/metalwork investments (Flex/EP² and Cerberus/S+S) to address equipment lead times. Most actions are announced in formal releases or press events and include implementation timelines (e.g., early-2030s for Hitachi/X LABS energy park; DataBank’s 25-year operating life for the rooftop array).
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Can Data Centers Ditch Concrete – or Just Use Less of It?
Equinix and other operators are adopting low-carbon materials and retrofit strategies while acknowledging that mission-critical structural elements will continue to rely on conventional concrete.
- Main action: Operators including Equinix, DataBank, and WhiteFiber are implementing low-carbon concrete mixes, mass timber for non-critical buildings (Equinix administrative building in Frankfurt; Meta admin building in Aiken County, S.C.), and retrofits (WhiteFiber NC-1 in Madison, N.C.) to reduce embodied carbon while meeting accelerated AI-driven timelines.
- Background/details: The article documents compute densities of 50–150 kW per rack, the shift to liquid cooling increasing structural demands, the timing constraint (construction schedules compressed from years to months), and Equinix’s three-step framework: Avoid, Reduce, Scale; it also notes emerging carbon capture in cement works in several European markets as a decarbonization pathway.
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New Data Center Developments: May 2026
Data Center Knowledge published a monthly roundup highlighting global data center project announcements, regulatory moves, and investment commitments driven by hyperscale AI demand.
- Main announcement: The roundup catalogs multiple concrete project actions including Aligned Data Centers’ Project Caprock (540 MW, 313-acre campus in Hale County, Texas; initial delivery Q1 2027), EdgeCore’s completion of $1.5 billion in financing for two Northern Virginia hyperscale centers, and Yondr Group energizing a 27 MW Toronto facility expected in mid-2026. It also notes major investment commitments such as Digital Realty’s near S$7 billion Singapore plan (S$4.3 billion for new data centers) and AWS increasing planned investment in Mississippi to $25 billion.
- Context and details: The piece outlines parallel regulatory updates in U.S. states (Maine vetoed a moratorium; Wisconsin revised We Energies tariff rules; North Carolina advanced legislation to require hyperscalers to cover infrastructure costs), workforce and partnership initiatives (Equinix Foundation with ODATA, Cisco, Vertiv launching training in Brazil, cohorts mid-2026), and other regional projects and financings (TikTok €1 billion Finland site; Ark Data Centres >€600 million Barcelona project; Equinix land purchases in South Africa totaling ZAR 890 million).
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DataBank Snags $2B Loan To Build First 3 of 8 Data Centers South of Dallas
DataBank has secured a $2 billion loan to fund construction of the first three of eight data centers at its Red Oak campus south of Dallas.
- Main announcement: DataBank secured a $2 billion loan (administrative agent and sole bookrunner: MUFG Bank, Ltd.) to build the first three facilities (DFW9, DFW10, DFW11) at the Red Oak campus; the three sites are already leased, will total 600,000 square feet and 180MW of power, and the financing accelerates construction timelines by approximately 18 months.
- Background and transaction details: The loan is part of recent financings that bring DataBank’s total funding in the past year to $4.7 billion (including a $1.6B credit facility expansion and a $1.1B hyperscale securitization); DataBank said the loan fits its green financing framework with PUE, water conservation, and carbon emissions criteria, and Davis Polk served as legal advisor.
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Goodman and DataBank partner on Vernon data center
DataBank Holdings and Goodman Group have formed a joint venture to market LAX2, a new 140,000‑square‑foot data center in Vernon, Los Angeles, scheduled to open in December and expand to 32MW by September 2027.
- Joint venture & project details: The companies announced a JV to market LAX2 at 3094 East Vernon Avenue; the facility is 140,000 square feet, scheduled to open in December with an initial 6MW at launch, and will scale in phases to 32MW by September 2027. Goodman developed the project and acquired the site in 2023; DataBank will operate and market it and will complement its nearby LAX1 (18,000 sq ft, 2MW) site.
- Background & financing: Goodman currently manages $12.4 billion of work in progress globally; DataBank recently received a $250 million equity infusion from New York‑based TJC LP and previously completed a $2 billion equity raise in 2024 (including $1.5 billion from AustralianSuper). The JV states both parties intend to expand the relationship into additional capacity‑constrained U.S. markets and LAX2 is part of DataBank’s national pipeline exceeding 850MW across multiple U.S. cities.
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Leadership Updates: Key Data Center & Cloud Appointments (Q2 2026)
Data Center Knowledge has launched a new quarterly series highlighting leadership changes across the data center and cloud industries.
- Main announcement: The roundup catalogs multiple executive appointments across operators and vendors, including Michael Lahoud named CEO of Stream Data Centers (after 15 years with the firm), Stream’s new hyperscale and sustainability hires (Stacy Medeiros, Santiago Suinaga, Oisín Ó Murchú, Rick Crutchley, Amanda Abell), John Bates named EVP of development and power at Prime Data Centers, Gary Wojtaszek appointed executive chairman and interim CEO of Pure Data Centres Group, and Vantage Data Centers’ appointments of Alicia Ruckteschler (CPO) and Scott Beasley (CFO).
- Background and other details: The article lists additional vendor and advisory hires (e.g., Michael Maiello at Mission Critical Group; Doug Recker as CEO of Duos Technologies; Andrew Lake at Element Critical; Andrew Worley at Skeleton Technologies), cites Pure DC’s recent Europe’s first data center microgrid and >1 GW of capacity live/under development, references CyrusOne’s $15 billion acquisition by KKR and Global Infrastructure Partners, and notes DataBank’s board additions and the editorial contact editors@datacenterknowledge.com.
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DataBank CFO Kevin Ooley on Financing for Scale in the AI Era
DataBank expanded its development credit facility from $725 million to $1.6 billion to fund prioritized data center growth in the AI era.
- Main announcement & structure: DataBank upsized its primary development credit facility to $1.6 billion (original target $1.2–$1.3 billion; bank appetite reached nearly $2 billion). The facility is a pooled, revolving “Devco facility” led by TD Bank with commitments from 14 original banks plus 6 new lenders, designed to fund multiple projects across stages and free capacity by refinancing stabilized assets into ABS securitizations.
- Background & project details: The company raised roughly $2 billion in equity in late 2024, has nearly 20 projects underway across 2025–2026 concentrated in priority U.S. markets (Northern Virginia, Dallas, Atlanta), including a 40-megawatt facility in Dallas and a 20-megawatt fully pre-leased deployment in Northern Virginia; equity and debt drawdowns are scheduled to align with construction timelines.
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Virginia Faces New Headwinds in Data Center Growth
DCByte report: Virginia’s data center market is shifting development away from Loudoun County toward counties like Prince William, Henrico, and Culpeper because of zoning changes, power constraints, and community resistance.
- Main announcement/action: The DCByte report highlights that Loudoun County’s 2025 removal of by-right zoning for data centers and Dominion Energy’s power shortages have slowed automatic approvals, prompting developers to redirect projects to counties with more flexible permitting and available land (e.g., Prince William, Henrico, Culpeper). Key facts: Loudoun zoning change (2025); Dominion contractual commitments rose from 21 GW to 40 GW in 2024; Culpeper’s Technology Zone (CTZ) supports over 1 GW and offers tax incentives.
- Background and details: Counties are adopting varied responses—Fauquier requires special exceptions for campuses >50,000 sq ft in Vint Hill; Culpeper passed a zoning amendment requiring conditional use permits outside the CTZ. Several projects faced withdrawal or cancellation (e.g., Tract’s 744-acre Chesterfield development withdrawn, AWS abandoned Louisa campus) and developers are phasing construction to match incremental power availability while Dominion upgrades substations and transmission. Also noted: interest in alternative energy (e.g., plans for a small modular reactor at North Anna Power Station).
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Pennsylvania’s $70 Billion Race for America’s Data Centers
Pennsylvania has announced an ambitious $70 billion state-led initiative to attract major AI data center investments and related infrastructure upgrades, unveiled in July at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University.
- Main announcement and projects:$70 billion initiative announced in July at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit (Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh). Key commitments include $25 billion Aliquippa steel mill redevelopment (Blackstone; joint venture with PPL Corp. on power generation), CoreWeave $6 billion for up to 300 MW in Lancaster, Energy Capital Partners $5 billion at York II Energy Center, PA Data Center Partners & Powerhouse $15 billion three-campus hub near Carlisle with 1.3 GW capacity, and Google/Brookfield 20-year repowering deal for Safe Harbor and Holtwood hydropower totaling 670 MW. The plan also includes workforce development via the Energy Innovation Center Infrastructure Academy and Meta’s $2.5 million investment to CMU’s Schwartz Center for Entrepreneurship.
- Background and implementation details: The plan is state-coordinated and privately funded (not federally backed like the CHIPS Act). It focuses primarily on power delivery and grid enhancements (rather than direct data center construction), leveraging Pennsylvania’s status as the 2nd-largest U.S. natural gas producer and a major coal producer. The Google-Brookfield arrangement is a 20-year repowering commitment; other projects are announced as multi-billion-dollar investments without explicit completion timelines. Industry sources quoted include Forrester Research (Alvin Nguyen), DVM Power + Control (Bob Ricci), and DataBank (Joe Minarik).