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California Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across California — updated daily.
California · Construction & power moves · 1
full tracker →Land, power, and interconnection moves across California — each traced to primary filings.
Top JUST IN — California
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CAISO schedules Large Loads Initiative stakeholder meeting and draft final proposal comment period
Source: California ISO · Sep 10, 2026According to CAISO, the ISO will host a hybrid stakeholder meeting on Oct. 1, 2026 for the Large Loads Initiative, post a draft final proposal on Sep. 24, 2026, and open comments due by Oct. 15, 2026. CAISO also says stakeholders will review the proposal before it goes to the Board of Governors and before the ISO files tariff language with FERC, indicating an active regulatory process for large loads in California.
Backed by 1 primary filing — sign in or book a call to see all sources.
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Large Loads Initiative: Additional discussion of operational and technical requirements, call on 8/24/26
Source: California ISO · Aug 17, 2026California ISO said it scheduled an additional stakeholder meeting for the Large Loads Initiative “to provide additional time, if needed, to discuss the operational and technical requirements” in the Large Loads Straw Proposal and Large Loads Technical Requirements Straw Proposal, with topics including “Operational requirements” and “Technical requirements” (California ISO, Aug. 17, 2026). The notice also says the Aug. 24 meeting was contingent and ultimately unnecessary because “We were able to cover all of the material and will no longer need the meeting on 8/24.”
Backed by 1 primary filing — sign in or book a call to see all sources.
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Large Loads Initiative: Straw proposal posted, meeting on 8/19/26
Source: California ISO · Aug 12, 2026California ISO says that, following the FERC “June 18, 2026, Order to Show Cause,” its Large Loads Initiative is the “primary forum” for possible “tariff, policy, and process enhancements” affecting large-load integration on the ISO-controlled grid, including “planning, interconnection, transmission service, reliability, and operational considerations.” CAISO also says the straw proposal will address “Cost Shifting Risk Among Transmission Customers,” “Co-Location Arrangements and Load with Behind the Meter Generation,” and “Interconnection Customers Serving Electrically Proximate Large Load and Co-Located Load.”
Backed by 1 primary filing — sign in or book a call to see all sources.
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Large Loads Considerations: Comment deadline on information session moved to 2/25/26
Source: California ISO · Feb 12, 2026California ISO said it “has moved the deadline for written comments on the Large Load Considerations issue paper and Feb. 5 meeting discussion to Feb. 25, 2026,” and asked stakeholders to submit comments by end of day Feb. 25, 2026. The notice also says the “issue paper, presentation, and meeting recording are available” on CAISO’s Large Load webpage.
Backed by 1 primary filing — sign in or book a call to see all sources.
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2025 Draft Participating Transmission Owner Per Unit Cost Guides Posted
Source: California ISO · Apr 03, 2025CAISO said it “has posted the Draft Per Unit Cost Guides” and that “participating transmission owners update and publish per unit costs annually as part of the current interconnection study cycle for estimating the cost of facilities required to interconnect resources,” with written comments due by April 30, 2025, according to the California ISO notice.
Backed by 1 primary filing — sign in or book a call to see all sources.
Recent California data center news
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NVIDIA and Schneider Electric get in sync at NVIDIA GTC 2026 to deliver Vera Rubin AI Factories
Schneider Electric introduced a validated, world’s most comprehensive reference design to support deployment of NVIDIA’s next-gen Vera Rubin AI platform at GTC 2026 in San Jose, California.
- Main announcement:Schneider Electric (Diamond sponsor) and NVIDIA unveiled a validated reference design for the NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 racks to enable installation and operation of Vera Rubin AI factories; the design includes special drawings, bills of material, schematics, performance specifications, support for rack-scale Vera CPUs and Rubin GPUs, optimized 480 VAC power, and liquid cooling to maximize tokens-per-watt. The announcement was made at NVIDIA GTC, San Jose, CA on May 8, 2026.
- Background and technical details: The reference design is validated and integrated with Schneider Electric’s controls reference designs and supports operation at MaxQ 188 kW/rack and MaxP 227 kW/rack, supports higher TCS supply temperatures (45°C) for enhanced free-cooling opportunities, references Motivair’s MCDU-70 / 2.5MW CDU liquid-cooling tech, and aligns with Omniverse DSX blueprint work validated at Digital Realty’s AI Factory Research Center in Manassas, VA. Schneider also demonstrated an 800VDC power infrastructure prototype and tested NVIDIA’s Nemotron Agentic AI for alarm management.
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Nano Nuclear Signs MoU On Nuclear For ‘Rapidly Expanding’ AI Economy
Nano Nuclear Energy has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Super Micro Computer Inc to explore deploying microreactors to provide dedicated, onsite power for data centres.
- MoU to explore integration: Nano Nuclear and Super Micro will explore integration of Nano Nuclear’s Kronos MMR Energy System (a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor) with Super Micro’s AI server and data centre platforms to potentially deploy dedicated, onsite nuclear power for data centres serving the AI economy.
- Background and recent actions: Nano Nuclear is developing the Kronos MMR Energy System and in January 2025 closed an $8m (€6.8m) deal to acquire major assets of bankrupt Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation; the company has also signed an agreement with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to build the first research Kronos MMR on the university campus.
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World-leading climate centre takes Trump administration to court
UCAR (the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) has sued the US government and asked a court to freeze plans to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).
- Main action:UCAR (a coalition of around 130 universities) sued the government in March and on 3 April asked a US district court judge to freeze plans to transfer stewardship of NCAR’s supercomputing centre in Cheyenne, Wyoming; a court hearing took place on 7 May and Judge R. Brooke Jackson said he would issue a decision “as promptly as possible”.
- Background and timeline: Documents show the White House budget office instructed the NSF in November to begin restructuring NCAR to align with Administration priorities; the NSF requested proposals and public comments (deadline 13 March) but told NCAR officials on 12 February that it had decided to transfer the supercomputing centre; UCAR argues the process is a “sham process” while the NSF says “a final decision has not been made to transfer stewardship.”
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Power Drives the AI Data Center Boom, but Connectivity Cannot be Overlooked
An analysis argues that data center operators must prioritize power and optical connectivity for AI.
- Main point: The piece highlights power and optical connectivity as essential prerequisites for AI, citing Omdia’s forecast that global IT load power capacity will reach 314 GW by 2030 and noting the emergence of the “scale across“ concept (coined in 2025 by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang) which requires 800 Gbps+, low-latency optical links to operate multi-site AI clusters and gigawatt-scale training campuses.
- Background/details: The article is commentary/analysis (not a formal project announcement). It documents current industry pressures: typical large colocation sites support 50–100 MW, hyperscaler clusters are being planned at gigawatt scale, regional power supply wait times of 2–5 years, and a shift toward remote rural builds (examples: Lancaster PA; Memphis; Columbus, Ohio; rural Georgia; New Mexico; Wyoming) that require long-haul fiber links sometimes up to ~1,000 km. It references trade shows and forums including Metro Connect (Florida), Nvidia’s GTC, OFC, and the Optica Executive Forum.
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Drive for energy security creates a more complex landscape for businesses
A&O Shearman publishes an analytical briefing on how the global drive for energy security is reshaping policy, supply chains, and corporate strategy.
- Main announcement: The paper outlines that governments are prioritizing energy security through a mix of domestic fossil fuel expansion, accelerated renewables deployment, nuclear buildouts (including SMRs), grid reform, and strategic equity stakes in mineral companies; concrete examples include Japan’s Seventh Basic Energy Plan (approved Feb 2025), China’s Energy Law (in force 2025), the IEA-coordinated release of more than 400 million barrels from strategic stocks, and the Czech Republic’s EUR17 billion nuclear expansion at Dukovany.
- Context and details: The briefing documents policy shifts and implementation measures such as the UK’s “first-ready-first-connected” grid policy and aim to build double the transmission capacity by 2030, the U.S. executive orders to “increase domestic energy” (listing oil, gas, coal, hydropower, biofuels and nuclear) and repeal of the “endangerment finding”, and the IEA finding that data centers consumed ≈1.5% of global electricity in 2024, which will drive future demand growth to 2030.
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Climate Change Solutions - May 5, 2026
EESI will host a briefing with American Rivers on May 7 about U.S. water infrastructure challenges and solutions.
Briefing with American Rivers on May 7: EESI and American Rivers will hold a briefing titled Policies and Financing Solutions to Modernize U.S. Water Infrastructure on Thursday, May 7, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., at the Rayburn House Office Building Gold Room (Room 2168) and online; agenda includes U.S. water infrastructure challenges, solutions to close the investment gap, and discussion of the January 2026 Potomac River sewer collapse that discharged 200 million gallons of raw sewage.
- Location: Rayburn House Office Building Gold Room (Room 2168)
- Time & Date: Thursday, May 7, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- RSVP: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/050726water#rsvp
Newsletter content and related items: The issue highlights articles on data center waste heat reuse, PFAS (“forever chemicals”) in data center components, a breakdown of 65 climate, energy, and environment hearings on the Hill from March–April 2026, and a podcast interview about environmental justice research in Accra, Ghana. It also notes internship applications open until May 17, 2026, and links to legislative actions such as the enactment of the Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R.7147) and passage of bills including the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R.7567).
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The Hidden Cost Of Compute
Google has begun constructing a $15 Bn AI data centre hub in Visakhapatnam.
- Main announcement/action:Google is building a $15 Bn AI data centre hub in Visakhapatnam to deliver large-scale compute and connectivity; Microsoft has committed $3 Bn to expand cloud and AI infrastructure in India, while major operators including AWS, AdaniConneX, STT GDC, and CtrlS are adding capacity across Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad. The article synthesises these industry commitments and market projections rather than announcing a single new policy.
- Background and details: India’s data centre market was valued at ₹9.33 Lakh Cr (2025) and is projected to reach ₹20.53 Lakh Cr by 2030; a CEEW study reports data centres used ~0.5% of India’s electricity in 2025 and 150 Bn litres of water annually (both metrics forecast to more than double by 2030). The piece also notes state-level incentives, preferential power arrangements, and Maharashtra’s AI policy target of ₹10,000 Cr in investments (policy timelines through 2031).
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UC Names Katherine Yelick to Head Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The University of California Board of Regents approved Katherine Yelick as the next director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, effective July 1.
- Appointment details: The Board of Regents approved Yelick following a national search and on the recommendation of UC President James Milliken; her appointment begins July 1, and she will replace departing director Mike Witherell.
- Background and credentials: Yelick is currently Vice Chancellor for Research and Robert S. Pepper Distinguished Professor at UC Berkeley, served as NERSC director (2008–2012), led Berkeley Lab’s Computing Sciences Area (2010–2019), oversaw construction of Shyh Wang Hall (opened 2015), and played lead roles in the Exascale Computing Initiative (2016–2024) and DOE AI/big-data strategy work.
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New Study Highlights Public Health Impacts of Gas Turbine-Powered Data Centers
Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) released findings from a commissioned EmPower Analytics Group study showing that permitted emissions from the Vantage VA2 data center’s onsite natural-gas turbines could cause substantial health damages.
- Key findings and details: The PEC-commissioned EmPower study estimates $53M–$99M per year in health-related damages from permitted emissions at Vantage VA2 (up to $265M–$495M over five years), and 3.4–6.5 additional premature deaths annually; the Vantage VA2 facility uses eight natural-gas simple-cycle turbines and holds a permit for 51 diesel backup generators, and its emissions are estimated to reach more than 2.5 million people in the Washington, D.C. metro region.
- Context and other facts: PEC published the study results and a public response after the Virginia DEQ released a critique focused on regulatory compliance; PEC notes DEQ is now setting up more air monitors and a Data Center Air Monitoring Project webpage. PEC also flags additional proposed onsite turbine projects: Digital Dulles (23 turbines proposed) and Remington Technology Park (13 turbines proposed) and highlights that >13,000 diesel generators are permitted across Virginia.
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Arista Networks, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
Arista Networks, Inc. announced its first quarter 2026 financial results and introduced XPO high-density liquid-cooled pluggable optics.
- Main announcement: Arista reported Revenue of $2.709 billion for Q1 2026 (35.1% YoY growth) and cash flow from operations of $1.69 billion, and announced XPO high-density liquid-cooled pluggable optics designed to reduce networking racks by up to 75% and save up to 44% of floor space versus traditional pluggable optics.
- Background and guidance: The company provided Q2 2026 guidance of ~$2.8 billion revenue, non-GAAP operating margin of 46–47%, and non-GAAP diluted net income per share of ~ $0.88; management quoted Jayshree Ullal and CFO Chantelle Breithaupt on execution and results. Conference call was scheduled for May 5, 2026 at 1:30 PM Pacific Time (US dial-in and webcast available).