California Data Center Intel

Recent California data center news

• May 3, 2026

  Energy group asks Congress to investigate potentially foreign-backed campaigns against AI data centers

  Power the Future has asked Congress to open formal investigations into funding it alleges is incentivizing nonprofits and local groups to oppose data center and AI projects.

  • Requested action: Power the Future sent a letter to Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) asking committees to open formal investigations into what it describes as a “coordinated, billionaire-funded, and potentially foreign-backed political campaign” to block construction of data center and AI infrastructure. The group reports 188 local opposition groups across 24 states and cites grant reporting that New Venture Fund, the Sierra Club Foundation and the Sixteen Thirty Fund collectively received over $13 million from pro-environmental donors.
  • Background/details: The letter raises concerns that U.S. nonprofit donor disclosure laws can shield donors from public disclosure; it names environmental organizations (Sierra Club, Food and Water Watch, Earthjustice, Goods Jobs First, Piedmont Environmental Council, Southern Environmental Law Center, MediaJustice, Athena Coalition) as recipients of funding they say has been spent opposing data center expansions. Power the Future founder Daniel Turner acknowledges some legitimate local concerns but urges scrutiny of the scale and source of funding. The letter quotes Interior Secretary Doug Burgum calling opposition a “surrender” to China. No formal investigation timeline is provided in the article.
• May 1, 2026

  Scenes from the great data center revolt

  Andy Patrizio reports growing community and political pushback against multiple proposed data center projects across the United States.

  • Widespread local opposition and legal/political actions: Multiple communities have moved from passive concern to active resistance, including a recall of four Festus, Missouri city council members after approval of a $6 billion, 360-acre data center proposal; a citizens’ lawsuit in Hermantown, Minnesota to block a $1.5 billion Google “Project Loon” site; and a coalition in Pennsylvania seeking a three-year moratorium plus legislation (HB 2150, HB 1834, HB 2151) requiring reporting on energy/water use, banning cost-shifting to residents, and a model zoning ordinance.
  • Project specifics and mitigations for two large developments: In Box Elder County, Utah, a Kevin O’Leary–backed hyperscale campus on 40,000 acres plans an initial ~3 GW power need and up to 9 GW at full buildout with on-site power via the Ruby Pipeline (MIDA says “100% of the power will be generated off the Ruby Pipeline”); Wyoming’s Project Jade expanded from 1.8 GW to 2.7 GW (designer says theoretically up to 10 GW) and proposes closed-loop water cooling with initial fill equivalent to ~20 households and ongoing use equivalent to <3 households per year.
• May 1, 2026

  No sign that AI is cooling leasing demand: JLL

  JLL reported its Q1 earnings and said AI adoption and new data center wins are driving leasing and project management growth.

  • Main announcement: JLL announced Q1 financial results showing growth in real estate management services and leasing, driven by workplace and project management strength and data center wins; specific performance cited includes 7% year-over-year office leasing volume growth in North America, 17% increase in North America industrial gross leasing revenue, and double-digit project management revenue growth in the U.S. The results and commentary were provided in the company’s Q1 earnings release and analyst call.
  • Additional details & context: Management said 75% AI adoption across core enablement products, with 25,000 employees using enterprise AI applications daily and a 60% year-over-year increase in usage; workplace management growth was high-single-digit and project management growth was double-digit (U.S.). The company noted office vacancy at 16.8% globally and that its leasing pipeline is second-half weighted; management also stated there has been no material impact to date from the Middle East conflict but it is taking a conservative approach to leverage.
• May 1, 2026

  Policy Problems Aside, Solar Continues to Shine

  Nextpower has announced a multi-year steel-frame supply agreement with Jinko Solar (U.S.) Industries.

  • This agreement is a multi-year steel-frame supply agreement in which Nextpower will supply more than 1 GW of steel frames, scalable to up to 3 GW over a three-year period, to support module manufacturing at Jinko Solar’s Jacksonville, Florida facility; the U.S. Department of the Treasury guidance notes U.S.-made steel frames can add 6% to a tracker project’s domestic content calculation.
  • Context and other recent announcements: The article reports multiple recent deals and industry developments — US Modules opened a College Station facility with Production Line 1 (~400 MW annual capacity, scalable to ~1.4 GW); Swift Solar acquired Meyer Burger assets to accelerate GW-scale HJT/perovskite-silicon manufacturing in the U.S.; industry data cited includes the EIA forecast to 424 TWh by 2027, China’s ~1,300 GW capacity and >80% supply-chain share, and AI/hyperscalers signing >30 GW of solar PPAs since 2023. The piece is a reporting/analysis article by POWER (Darrell Proctor).
• May 1, 2026

  FPH2 Expands Renewable Hydrogen Supply Partnerships in California

  FPH2 has announced it is widening its renewable hydrogen supply network across California to serve public fleets, data centers, transit agencies, ports, and other stationary power users.

  • Main announcement:First Public Hydrogen Authority (FPH2) announced expanded renewable hydrogen supply partnerships across California, aggregating demand from member cities (Lancaster, Industry, Montebello, Shafter, Fresno) and locking long-term offtake agreements with electrolytic and biogenic hydrogen producers; target production is roughly 20,000 tons of clean hydrogen by mid-2025.
  • Background and implementation details: The initiative uses two primary pathways—solar-powered electrolytic hydrogen (onsite solar + electrolyzers) and biogenic hydrogen (gasification/reforming of woody debris and ag residues); Elemental Clean Fuels has acquired land in Los Angeles County to build a solar-powered hydrogen plant that will supply data centers, microgrids, transit buses, and light-duty trucks. FPH2 is also pursuing pilot projects, grant-writing, fueling station rollouts, technical studies, and training, with phased supply and delivery via the long-term offtake structure.
• Apr 30, 2026

  Environmental protest on campus

  The Associated Students at the University of California Riverside Office of External Affairs and the Green Campus Action Plan organized an environmental protest on April 21 to raise awareness of air pollution and climate justice issues in the Inland Empire.

  • Event details: Protest held on April 21 in front of UCR’s bell tower; organized by Associated Students at the University of California Riverside Office of External Affairs and Green Campus Action Plan with participation from Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ) to highlight concerns about data center and warehouse growth, UCR’s industrial boiler emissions, and local air quality.
  • Background and policy focus: Organizers urged student engagement in local politics (including Riverside’s General Plan update and truck routing/warehouse development decisions), and noted ongoing collaboration with the South Coast Air Quality Management District on stricter regulations and transitions to zero-emission technologies (electric boilers, heat pumps). Locations mentioned include Moreno Valley and Bloomington in the Inland Empire.
• Apr 29, 2026

  Experts Warn Lagging IT And Communications Technology Threatens U.S. Security

  Lawmakers and industry experts warned Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security must modernize its information technology and communications systems to address growing cyber and physical threats to critical infrastructure.

  • Main announcement/action: At a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing on April 29, 2026, witnesses urged DHS to modernize IT and communications systems and to formally recognize data centers and communications networks as critical infrastructure requiring coordinated federal oversight. They called for strengthened supply chain security, expanded information sharing, and closer government-industry collaboration; witnesses highlighted workforce reductions (including significant cuts at CISA) as limiting federal response capacity.
  • Background and details: The hearing cited the China-linked “Salt Typhoon” espionage campaign — said to have compromised telecommunications providers in more than 80 countries and collected more than 1 million American call records — as evidence of escalating threats. Key witnesses included Mark Montgomery (Foundation for Defense of Democracies), Robert Mayer (USTelecom), Scott Algeier (IT-ISAC), and Sam Visner (Space ISAC). Lawmakers also raised concerns about the continued sale of advanced semiconductor technology to China and the resulting supply chain exposure.
• Apr 28, 2026

  Catalina Island Getting Closer to Fiber Internet Service

  AVX Networks has advanced the Catalina Island high-speed internet project into its marine survey phase.

  • AVX Networks has begun a marine survey for a 25-mile subsea fiber-optic cable between Huntington Beach (mainland) and Avalon (Catalina Island), with the project scheduled to finish in 2028; the survey will collect sonar imagery, magnetometer readings, and other data to enable buried cable routing that avoids shipwrecks and marine habitat.
  • The project is funded by a $37.5 million grant from the California Public Utilities Commission and is expected to serve more than 1,185 currently unserved locations (excluding LEO services such as Starlink); DEC LLC (AVX Networks’ parent) views the project as a strategic proof point for its Ark Genesis infrastructure platform (per Submarine Telecoms Forum, February).
• Apr 28, 2026

  California Utilities Have a Solution to Soaring Energy Prices: More Data Centers

  PG&E is advancing a policy and commercial push to attract large data center loads as a means to lower electric rates for California ratepayers.

  • Main announcement/action: PG&E has celebrated the delivery of its first large data-center customer in San Jose and is actively courting hyperscalers; the utility announced a rate decrease in March 2026 and asserts that each 1 GW of data center load could reduce electric rates by 1–2%, while forecasting up to 12.6 GW of potential data-center load from current applications (enough to power 8.4 million homes). CPUC also approved Electric Rule No. 30 (July 2025) requiring applicants to pay transmission upgrade costs upfront to protect ratepayers.
  • Background and other details: Regulatory and research sources (Brattle Group and LBNL) show California’s retail electricity prices rose markedly 2019–2024 (California at 30.29 cents/kWh); Cal Advocates warns transmission upgrades could run in the billions and recommends cost-responsibility rules. State-level bills (Sen. Scott Padilla, March) would streamline environmental review (ELDP incentives) and impose tariffs to ensure data centers offset costs; a March presidential Rate Payer Protection Pledge was signed by major tech firms (Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, xAI).
• Apr 28, 2026

  Climate Justice Forum speakers weigh AI environmental cost, sustainability outlook

  Environmentalists of Color Collective hosted the 2026 Climate Justice Forum at Kerckhoff Grand Salon on April 27, 2026.

  • Main announcement/action: The Environmentalists of Color Collective (ECC) hosted the Climate Justice Forum to raise awareness and foster dialogue about environmental justice and AI’s impact on climate and workforce; speakers included Naya Bender (ECC Co‑President), Helene Cornell (co‑founder, Aris Hydronics), Arnav Patel (doctoral student), Lizzeth Rosales (Director of Environmental Justice for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass) and Victoria Nguyen (UC Irvine doctoral candidate, moderator).
  • Background and event details:
    • Date & location: April 27, 2026 (Wednesday) at Kerckhoff Grand Salon.
    • Agenda/subject: discussion on AI energy/water demands, environmental justice concerns around AI data centers’ water and energy use, AI applications for home energy optimization (Aris Hydronics’ AI‑driven sensor product), and AI’s role in diversifying climate research (language/access concerns).