Digital Realty

Recent news

• Aug 13, 2026

  Texas Governor Halts Data Center Grid Connections Pending Audit

  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state electric grid regulators to conduct a sweeping audit of every data center project seeking to connect to the Texas grid.

  • Abbott’s order halts new interconnections until the review is complete and directs ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas to verify and audit all data center projects moving through the interconnection process.
  • The order requires projects to disclose financial incentives, power source, water supply for cooling, community impact mitigation, and ownership / controlling-interest information; companies including Core Scientific, Vantage Data Centers, SB Energy, Meta, OpenAI, Google, Amazon, Oracle, Digital Realty, QTS Data Centers, Mara and Skybox Datacenters have said they will comply, while one unnamed developer and Diode ended projects.
  • Abbott’s Aug. 3 order builds on a June 10 directive establishing statewide standards, and the story notes Texas has more than 1,800 projects seeking connections and 474 gigawatts of requests, about 90% from data centers.
• Aug 10, 2026

  More Data Center Operators Commit to Abbott’s Texas Standards as Power Companies Endorse ERCOT Batch Framework

  Texas data center operators and power companies have responded to Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive by publicly endorsing tighter standards for grid access, water use, and transparency.

  • First coordinated corporate response: Skybox Datacenters, MARA, Digital Realty, QTS, Compass, Montera, and others said they will comply with Abbott’s standards and disclosure expectations tied to the ERCOT large-load queue review.
  • Policy and project details: Abbott’s Aug. 3 order follows a June 10 directive and could lead to legislation on cost allocation, water-efficient cooling, annual reporting, and incentive changes; ERCOT’s Batch Zero groups projects of 75 MW and greater for a single study.
  • Company examples: MARA said it curtailed about 550 MW during Winter Storm Fern; Hut 8 described 1.5 GW of Texas capacity and its 1-GW Beacon Point campus; NRG said its Texas BYOP project centers on a 1.2-GW plant and $3.2 billion investment.
• Aug 7, 2026

  Abbott announces Skybox compliance with new data center rules amid San Angelo proposal

  Gov. Greg Abbott has announced new statewide standards for data centers in Texas, saying Skybox, Digital Realty and Mara will comply with the guidelines.

  • Abbott said the PUCT and ERCOT will review new data center projects to ensure developers cover electric infrastructure costs, reduce grid impact, and disclose taxpayer-funded incentives, grants, tax abatements, ownership and controlling interests.
  • The review will also examine water sources, projected water demand, reuse plans, water-efficient cooling, and measures such as noise mitigation, lighting controls, setbacks, traffic improvements and coordination with emergency responders; San Angelo has a proposed Skybox/Emergent site near U.S. Highway 67 North and City Farm Road.
  • The article also references a January 2026 rezoning of the San Angelo property to light manufacturing zoning instead of ranch and estate zoning.
• Aug 6, 2026

  Land and Expand: The Gigawatt Credibility Test

  This article is an analytical roundup of multiple recent U.S. data center announcements and one project termination, not a single new company release.

  • The piece highlights new announcements from OpenAI, Microsoft, PowerPlay AI, Hut 8, Digital Realty, and Amazon, focusing on how projects are pairing scale with power supply, financing, water use, and community commitments.
  • It also notes the termination of QTS’s portion of the Prince William Digital Gateway after litigation and local opposition, using it as a warning that entitlement and procedural issues can stop major projects.
• Jul 23, 2026

  White House Expands Data Center Ratepayer Pledge as Congress Moves to Codify Protections

  The White House expanded its voluntary Ratepayer Protection Pledge to 187 utilities, electric cooperatives, and data-center developers, while Congress advanced the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act from committee 52-0.

  • The White House said the pledge now covers 187 organizations plus 23 governors, and the coalition “protects” 263 million Americans; signatories commit to fund generation and grid upgrades for their data-center loads without shifting costs to other ratepayers.
  • The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced H.R. 9340 on July 21; the bill would require state regulators and nonregulated utilities to consider a large-load standard for sites with at least 100 MW peak demand and recover the full incremental cost of grid upgrades. New York’s Executive Order 62 separately put permits for 50 MW+ data centers on hold pending an environmental review.
• Jul 22, 2026

  10 Reasons You Cannot Afford to Miss DCF Trends Summit 2026

  Data Center Frontier has announced the 2026 Data Center Frontier Trends Summit, a three-day event focused on AI infrastructure execution, to be held August 4–6 at the Hyatt Regency Reston.

  • The summit will cover power, site selection, design, density, liquid cooling, investment, supply chains, commissioning, and community acceptance across sessions, roundtables, and tours.
  • Featured participants include leaders from EdgeCore, Schneider Electric, Motivair, Digital Realty, Compass Datacenters, NVIDIA, Meta, Open Compute Project, Equinix, Dominion Energy, Vantage Data Centers, NTT Global Data Centers, and Sabey Data Centers.
  • The article is a conference announcement and promotional overview, not a report on a completed project or deal.
• Jul 9, 2026

  Data Center Frontier Trends Summit 2026 Preview

  Data Center Frontier has announced a preview of the Data Center Frontier Trends Summit 2026, a conference focused on AI infrastructure execution, taking place August 4–6 in Reston, Virginia.

  • The episode features Matt Vincent speaking with Bill Kleyman of Apolo to preview the summit and its themes, including power-first site selection, liquid cooling, behind-the-meter generation, supply chain execution, and community acceptance.
  • The article says the industry has shifted from projection to execution and that announced megawatts are not the same as energized megawatts; it also highlights summit sessions and keynotes involving Rich Miller, Lee Kestler, NVIDIA, Meta, and the Open Compute Project.
  • The content is a podcast/article preview and commentary, not a new project announcement; it references the summit agenda and speakers, with the conference set for August 4–6, 2026 in Reston, Virginia.
• Jul 9, 2026

  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.
• Jul 9, 2026

  DeepInfra deploys AI inference cloud in Toronto, Canada, data center

  DeepInfra has announced a new data center location in Toronto, Canada, expanding beyond the United States for the first time.

  • The Toronto cluster offers 1.7MW of capacity and will host more than 1,000 Nvidia Blackwell B300 GPUs; DeepInfra said it is its ninth data center location and first outside the US.
  • CEO and co-founder Nikola Borisov said the site is a foundational step in expanding capacity beyond the US; the facility is likely leased capacity at a third-party site, and the announcement comes after DeepInfra raised $107 million in a Series B round and completed a $18 million Series A in April 2025.
• Jul 3, 2026

  Data center operater extends lease of Vanda 3 data center in Stockholm, Sweden

  Barings has announced a 10-year lease extension at its Vanda 3 property in Kista, Stockholm, with a global data center operator, alongside securing 30MW of additional power for the site.

  • The 10-year lease extension supports continued data center operations at Vanda 3, where the unnamed tenant occupies 15,000 sqm of the 65,000 sqm mixed-use asset.
  • Ellevio is providing the power upgrade, with works already underway to connect the site to the grid; Barings also plans to expand the site by 25,000 sqm in 2027.
  • Barings said the power capacity is a “pivotal milestone” for further expansion, and Digital Realty is identified as a known customer at the site through its STO6 data center.
• Jul 3, 2026

  Singapore telco Singtel considers REIT to fund data center and AI build-out

  Singtel has announced that it is considering setting up a publicly listed data center REIT as one of several capital-raising options to fund higher spending on data center and AI cloud investments.

  • The company said capex is expected to rise from S$2.5 billion (US$1.9bn) last year to around S$3 billion (US$2.3bn) in FY2027.
  • Singtel said it is also considering external private capital funding and project-level debt, and that a REIT could be used as a permanent capital pool to continuously inject assets.
  • The company said its 2026 annual report included the statement; the move is exploratory and no final REIT structure, assets, or listing timeline were disclosed.
  • Singtel currently operates data centers through its Nxera unit, is closing some legacy Singapore facilities, and expects total capacity to grow from 200MW to 400MW in coming years.
• Jun 24, 2026

  20MW data center proposed in Starbucks' Seattle HQ building in Washington

  Colossus Data Center Advisors has filed an application to develop a sub-20MW data center at 2401 Utah Ave. S (the Starbucks Center) in Seattle.

  • Project filing: Colossus submitted a conceptual site plan to the City of Seattle proposing a sub-20MW data center that would occupy 20,000 sq ft in a six-story portion and 25,600 sq ft in the nine-story main building of the Starbucks Center at 2401 Utah Ave. S; no tenant has been secured and the submission was described as a feasibility gauge.
  • Background and context: The space is a former Amazon Fresh retail/distribution site (Amazon exited ~2024); the Starbucks Center totals 1.8 million sq ft and is owned by Nitze‑Stagen & Co. The proposed 20MW size would sit below Seattle’s newly introduced data center moratorium threshold; Colossus did not respond to press requests and has previously pursued (and dropped) other regional projects.
• Jun 23, 2026

  Data Centers Take Training into Their Own Hands Amid Talent Shortages

  Data center operators and vendors are launching in-house workforce development programs to address a growing shortage of technicians, engineers, electricians, and commissioning specialists that threatens project timelines and operations.

  • Main announcement: Companies including Digital Realty (New Hire Accelerate Pathways with DCD Academy), Johnson Controls (expanded JADEC training and development center), Kao Data (Critical Careers program), and Yondr (scholarships in Toronto, Northern Virginia, Belfast, and Slough) are rolling out structured training, apprenticeships, certifications, and partnerships with community colleges to create standardized, hands-on pipelines for data center roles; the industry is projected to need an additional 140,000 skilled workers by 2030.
  • Background and details: Programs emphasize hands-on learning, standardized onboarding, and modular training that blends vendor certification with facility experience; Digital Realty also partners with Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) to build local skills pathways. Initiatives target hard-to-fill roles such as electrical engineers, commissioning engineers, HVAC/thermal specialists, and networking for AI fabrics, with implementation focused on employer-led upskilling and local recruitment rather than changes to four-year degree pipelines.
• Jun 22, 2026

  PLDT files to establish and float data center REIT in Philippines

  PLDT’s Vitro Inc. has filed a registration statement and REIT plan with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines to form and float a data centre REIT.

  • Main announcement: PLDT subsidiary Vitro Inc. (to be renamed Vitro REIT, Inc.) has filed a registration statement and REIT plan with the SEC for a proposed IPO to create the Philippines’ first digital infrastructure REIT, aiming to raise ₱24.2 billion ($396m) by selling around 49% of Vitro’s shares; the REIT will list a portfolio totaling 24MW of IT capacity across Tier II and Tier III data centres (Vitro lists eight facilities).
  • Background and details: The filing was submitted by Vitro Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of ePLDT, Inc. (PLDT’s IT subsidiary); Vitro currently sits within PLDT Group which operates ten operational data centres totaling 63MW, has cable landing stations in Dagat, Digos, La Union, and Batangas, recently launched the 50MW Santa Rosa hyperscale facility, and has plans for a 100MW facility in General Trias. Other industry examples referenced include REIT moves by Digital Realty, GDS, NTT, AirTrunk, and Blackstone.