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Alaska Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across Alaska — updated daily.
Recent Alaska data center news
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AWS Wires a New US AI Route Across the Pacific
Amazon Web Services has announced plans to build the Sta’O’Nuk subsea cable, a 420 Tbps trans-Pacific route between Japan and Washington State, with service targeted for 2029.
- The cable will use 20 fiber pairs and is intended to support distributed large language model training, financial transactions, edge computing, and video streaming; AWS says it will add a new US landing point for trans-Pacific traffic.
- Toptana Technologies is developing a landing station in Ocean Shores, Washington, initially designed for up to four subsea cable systems and expandable to 16; the project will connect to Seattle and Hillsboro, Oregon via terrestrial backhaul along the Interstate 5 corridor.
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At $125 a Month, Cable TV Nearly as Expensive as Typical Monthly Home Electric Bill, Report Finds
Gov. Morrisey is reported as being encouraged about a proposed $45 billion Nscale-Anthropic data center deal in West Virginia.
- The item references a $45 billion data center deal involving Nscale and Anthropic in West Virginia.
- The text is a headline-style reference to a recent or ongoing announcement, not a full primary-source release; no further project specifics are provided in the excerpt.
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The Janus Five: 20+ Commercial Nuclear Microreactors, Starting in 2028
The U.S. Army has announced the Janus Program selections for more than 20 commercial nuclear microreactors across five military installations.
- The Army selected BWXT Advanced Technologies for Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Radiant Industries for Fort Benning, Georgia; General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems for Fort Hood, Texas; Antares Nuclear for Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and Westinghouse Government Services for Fort Drum, New York.
- The five vendors may draw on up to $2.2 billion in Army investment through fiscal year 2031 under fixed-price, milestone-based OTA agreements negotiated through DIU; first project service is targeted for September 2028.
- The article is a news report/commentary summarizing a first-time announcement and includes background on related Pentagon microreactor programs, including the Air Force’s ANPI and Project Pele.
- Several vendor-specific details are provided, including Radiant’s up to $750 million award for 15 Kaleidos units, and Antares’ combined book of around $1 billion across programs.
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How Data Centers Are Using AI to Run Cooler and Smarter
The article explains how data center operators are using AI to improve cooling, power use, maintenance, and incident response, and how the industry is moving from pilots toward broader production use.
- Digital Realty uses its OPDaaS platform and other AI tools to analyze sub-second telemetry from power, cooling, and building systems; it is also deploying Phaidra at IAD51 in Northern Virginia and plans to bring about 30 more data centers online by the end of 2026.
- AWS, DPR Construction, and Schneider Electric are also applying AI for network operations, construction planning, robotics, digital twins, DCIM, and service dispatch; analysts say most operators still keep humans in the loop and full autonomy is not yet common.
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The boat distress call that left questions for Zuckerberg
Mike Phillips has published an opinion-style article questioning why Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht did not respond to a stranded boat’s distress call near British Columbia, Canada.
- The article says a small boat ran low on fuel on 4 August 2026 off the north coast of British Columbia, near Juneau and the Bay of Pillars; it claims UnCruise Adventures Wilderness Legacy later escorted the boat to safety.
- It identifies Zuckerberg’s yacht Launchpad as a $300M vessel, says Wingman is a $30M support vessel, and cites UNCLOS Article 98 and SOLAS in arguing there was an obligation to assist; it also speculates about a possible connection to Meta’s AI data-centre project in Alberta.
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ESS Inc highlights sodium-ion BESS deployment, reports net losses in Q2 2026 financials
ESS Tech Inc has announced its Q2 2026 financial results and highlighted its expansion into sodium-ion energy storage, including partnerships and early-stage opportunities. - The company reported a net loss of US$15.6 million in Q2 2026, revenue of US$73,000, and unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of US$5.6 million as of 31 July 2026.
- ESS said it has developed early-stage opportunities approaching US$1 billion across data centres, critical infrastructure, and utility markets since signing its LOI with Alsym Energy; it also referenced a US$9.9 million contract with the US Air Force Research Laboratory, a 500MWh or more Na-ion BESS LOI with Juniper Energy, and a planned final agreement on a business combination by end of September.
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As Data Centers Spread, Cities Fight to Keep Up
Aurora, Illinois and Anchorage, Alaska have each adopted new local rules for data centers in response to zoning gaps and community concerns.
- Aurora imposed a moratorium on new data center approvals on September 25 of last year, then adopted permanent regulations this spring requiring 25% renewable energy sourcing, on-site battery storage for 50% of peak load for 15 minutes, plus water, energy, and sound studies before final occupancy.
- Anchorage adopted an ordinance in March creating a conditional use permit process for data centers in commercial and industrial zones, with noise, visual, and setback standards and a requirement that developers prove electrical, water, and wastewater capacity or fund upgrades.
- The article also cites wider context, including a 24% electricity rate increase in 2025 in Aurora attributed to new data center demand and a national tracker counting 219 local moratoriums as of August 4.
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Climate Change Solutions - July 28, 2026
Environmental and Energy Study Institute has published a Climate Change Solutions newsletter highlighting climate data access, data center health impacts, nuclear energy, and several congressional bills.
- The newsletter spotlights a new online platform, Climate.us, and an interview with Rebecca Lindsey, who discusses filling the gap left by the now-defunct Climate.gov.
- It also summarizes recent legislative activity, including the House passage of the Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act (H.R. 8790) and Senate movement on the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (S.4949) and the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act of 2026 (S.5045).
- A separate article in the newsletter discusses data center health impacts, noting emissions from on-site diesel generators and from natural gas and coal power plants used to power data centers.
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Mobilizing for Techno-Economic War, Part 6: From Free Trade Agreements to Strategic Techno-Economic Agreements
ITIF has published a policy report proposing Strategic Techno-Economic Agreements (STEAs) as a new framework for U.S.-led trade deals aimed at strengthening allied industries and constraining China.
- The report argues that the free trade era is over and calls for binding, reciprocal agreements with allies that include zero-for-zero tariffs, digital trade rules, defense production cooperation, investment screening, export-control alignment, and counter-IP theft measures.
- It also cites several recent or existing policy precedents and announcements, including USTR’s March 2026 Section 301 investigations, the U.S.-U.K. critical minerals MOU, and the Pax Silica initiative; the report itself is an original ITIF publication, not a news report of a single transaction.
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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.