Global Data Centers News

The Government of India has proposed multiple amendments to the Income-tax Act, 2025, including changes affecting foreign companies using Indian data centres, foreign companies supplying equipment to contract manufacturers, rough diamond sales, business trust dividend taxation, and eligible investment funds.

• Data centre services: the Bill proposes to omit notification conditions for both the foreign company and the specified data centre, allow a lease model for the Indian operator, and require compliance with prescribed conditions; the existing exemption for foreign companies procuring data centre services continues up to 31 March 2047.
• Other tax changes: the exemption for foreign companies supplying capital goods/equipment/tooling to contract manufacturers is extended 10 more years to tax year 2040-41; a new 15-year exemption to 31 March 2041 is proposed for foreign mining companies selling rough diamonds and for foreign companies storing components in custom bonded areas for specified electronic goods; unit-holder dividend exemption is also extended to SPVs in the new regime, with a 15% additional surcharge on such SPVs.

Plural has published an investment thesis explaining why it invested in Ore Energy and highlighting the company’s iron-air battery technology.

• The article says Ore Energy is building iron-air batteries that can store renewable energy for up to 100 hours, and argues they could help reduce curtailment, lower system costs, and support data centre power needs.
• It cites existing commercial traction, including a 1 GWh deal with Budget Thuis and pilots with EDF in France, while comparing modeled 2040 UK system savings of €26.1 billion per year and a 43% cut to total system cost.
• This is an opinion/investor feature by Ian Hogarth rather than a first-time company press release, and it includes broader commentary on Europe’s energy supply, AI compute, and data centre economics.

SpaceXAI has announced an agreed order with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to remove temporary mobile turbines at its Southaven, Mississippi facility on a fixed timetable.

• The order covers 69 temporary, mobile turbines now powering the site; removals are set to begin as early as August 2026 and all units must be removed by July 2027.
• SpaceXAI says it is bringing online permanent power from a 1.2 GW power plant under construction, consisting of 41 permanent turbines authorized under a Clean Air Act permit granted in March 2026; it also says it is investing millions of dollars in sound walls, silencers, and quieter turbines, and equipping mobile turbines with selective catalytic reduction controls.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that ERCOT’s hourly peak load set a new record of 91.1 GW on July 22, 2026.

• The peak was 6% above the prior record of 85.5 GW set on August 10, 2023, and occurred at 6:00 p.m. CT.
• Generation at the peak was primarily natural gas (48%) and solar (32%); the article also notes the record occurred during a heat wave and that the Southwest Power Pool later reached 57.9 GW on July 27.

The European Investment Bank has announced a further €50 million loan to ZSE Group for upgrades to Slovakia’s electricity-distribution network, bringing total EIB financing for the company to €400 million.

• The new tranche supports overhead lines, underground cables, smart grid technologies, transformers, substations, smart meters, and grid automation across western and eastern Slovakia.
• The EIB says the project will help integrate more renewable energy and support EU climate action and economic cohesion in underdeveloped regions; the earlier €350 million loan was made six months earlier.

Africa Tech Festival has announced the first speakers for its 2026 edition in Cape Town, highlighting digital investment themes across AI, cloud, connectivity, and data centres.

• The 29th edition will return to the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 16 to 19 November 2026, with content and expo sessions running from 17 to 19 November.
• Confirmed speakers include Hon. Solly Malatsi (South Africa’s Minister of Communications & Digital Technologies), Alex Okosi (Google), Emmanuel Lubanzadio (OpenAI), Robert Koen (Amazon), Marcel Louw (Digital Realty), Thato Sopeng (Sasol), and Linda Oniwe (Standard Bank Group).
• The announcement says the programme will cover connectivity, data infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, startups and enterprise transformation; registration is now open via the official portal.

Philip N. Jefferson delivered a speech on how the Federal Reserve responds to economic shocks, with emphasis on energy prices and AI.

• He said the FOMC kept the federal funds rate at 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 percent at its June meeting and that policy remains positioned to support the labor market while inflation declines toward 2 percent.
• He highlighted two current developments: the Middle East conflict as an energy supply shock, and AI as a shock affecting both supply and demand, with firms investing heavily in data centers, advanced computing equipment, and AI capabilities.
• The speech was delivered at Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Stanford University, in Stanford, California, on 16 July 2026; it is commentary and policy analysis rather than a new program announcement.

Governor Greg Abbott has directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT to conduct a comprehensive verification and audit of all data centers advancing through ERCOT’s interconnection process before any project moves forward.

• The audit must be completed before any data center project is allowed to proceed, and projects that fail to comply with PUCT and ERCOT requirements will be denied connection to the Texas grid.
• Abbott said the review should capture financial assistance, power supply, water use, cooling technology, community impacts, and ownership and controlling interests for each project; the release says ERCOT is considering about 474 gigawatts of interconnection requests, with around 90% coming from data centers.