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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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Datalec targets rapid infrastructure deployment with new modular data centers
Datalec Precision Installations has launched a next-generation Data Centre Modularization Solution to enable faster, more flexible deployment of data centre capacity for colocation providers, hyperscale and AI infrastructure teams.
- Main announcement: Datalec launched a next-generation Data Centre Modularization Solution that shortens typical deployment timelines (company states a full build can fall from about 16 months to 10 months, and the design phase from 6 months to 2 months). Modules are engineered and manufactured through Datatec’s integrated production process, with a larger share of work done offsite to reduce onsite construction time and disruption.
- Background and details: The solution targets standard server to AI/high-density compute use cases and offers bolt-on services including a digital wrapper (digital twinning, lifecycle and global support). Datalec manufactures specialized elements (cabinets, ceilings), provides design development and consulting, and competes with vendors such as Schneider Electric, Vertiv, and Flex.
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Study finds significant savings from direct current power for AI workloads
Enteligent published a study promoting 800V DC for AI data centers and said it is conducting NDA-level tests and pilots of an 800V-to-50V converter with a formal product announcement planned within the next few weeks.
- Study findings and claimed savings:50%–80% reduction in copper usage, 8%–12% reduction in annual energy-related OpEx, and $4 million–$8 million CapEx savings per 10 MW build for AI-first facilities; Enteligent positions 800VDC as enabling fewer conductors, lower current/heat, and simpler distribution.
- Product and deployment details / timeline: CEO Sean Burke says Enteligent’s unreleased converter will partition 800V DC to 50V for servers; the company is at NDA testing and pilot programs now and plans a formal announcement within the next few weeks; Burke recommends greenfield all-DC builds and selective all-DC retrofits for high-power GPU deployments. Competitors noted include Vertiv, Rutherford, Siemens, and Eaton.
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Arista Announces XPO High Density Liquid Cooled Pluggable Optics
Arista Networks has announced the formation of a multi-source agreement (MSA) for XPO, a 12.8 Tbps liquid-cooled pluggable optics module designed for AI networking.
- Main announcement: Arista announced the XPO MSA providing 12.8 Tbps per pluggable module, 204.8 Tbps per OCP rack unit front-panel density, an integrated cold plate capable of cooling up to 400W per module, and support for standards including DR, FR, LR, SR, ZR/ZR+, coherent-lite, slow&wide, copper, and RF-Microwave; the MSA will debut at OFC 2026 with live demos at Arista booth 1571 and information on how to join available at https://www.xpomsa.com/.
- Background and logistics: The announcement includes endorsements from Microsoft and Dell’Oro Group; Arista published supporting materials (whitepaper, executive blog, video) and will host a webinar titled “The Next Generation of Pluggable Optics for AI Networking” on April 2; additional resources: whitepaper, video, blog and event pages cited in the release.
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Climate Change Solutions - March 10, 2026
EESI will host a briefing on energy efficiency with the Alliance to Save Energy on March 12 to highlight cost-effective measures for households and small businesses.
- Main announcement: EESI and the Alliance to Save Energy will hold a briefing Strategies to Lower Utility Bills Now for Households and Small Businesses on Thursday, March 12, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., in the Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online (RSVP link available). The event focuses on energy efficiency solutions for households and small businesses and invites expert panelists to discuss readily-available measures.
- Background and other details: EESI published a Climate Jobs fact sheet citing >4 million climate jobs in 2024 and a 2.8% growth rate in clean energy jobs; it also promoted the 29th annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO on June 24 (Rayburn Foyer and Gold Room, 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., online option). The newsletter summarizes recent congressional activity on bills including S.2245 (Digital Coast Act extension), H.R.755 (Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2025), H.R.390 (ACERO Act), and H.R.2600 (ASCEND Act), and notes hearings that focused on the electric grid and data centers.
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Scintil Releases DWDM Laser Source Evaluation Kit for Scale-Up AI Networks
Scintil Photonics has launched the LEAF Light™ Evaluation Kit (EVK) to enable qualified customers to validate its single-chip DWDM laser source for AI scale-up networks.
- Product launch and availability: The LEAF Light EVK is announced for availability in Q2 2026 with early access for select qualified customers; the EVK hosts two LOSAs (8 fibers total), supports 8- and 16-wavelength LOSAs, provides wavelength precision control (100 GHz / 200 GHz grids), and is intended to validate ELSFP module integration and latency/stability under real conditions. The company will showcase live DWDM demos at OFC 2026 (March 17–19, Los Angeles) including a 16-wavelength, 100 GHz configuration. The announcement references Scintil’s $58 million Series B with participation from NVIDIA.
- Background and technical details: The EVK exposes on-chip features including WaveGuard™ (frequency monitoring and trimming), per-wavelength power monitoring, and operational telemetry; the underlying SHIP™ technology is validated on Tower Semiconductor 200mm production lines and positioned for foundry-aligned, high-volume deployment. Contact for media/early access: isaac@omniscalemedia.com, phone +1 360-576-5475, and EVK requests via https://www.scintil-photonics.com/evkleaflight.
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Google acquires Intersect Power for $4.75bn
Google has acquired San Francisco-based Intersect Power for $4.75bn, and the clean-energy assets have been spun out into a new independent power producer, IPX Power, which has launched with majority backing from TPG Rise Climate.
- Main announcement:Google purchased Intersect Power‘s digital power business for $4.75bn (including assumption of debt); concurrently Intersect’s grid-tied clean energy assets were spun out into IPX Power, with the total enterprise value of the combined transactions at $12bn and the deal first announced in December 2025.
- Background and details: IPX Power launches as an independent power producer majority-owned by TPG Rise Climate with support from Greenbelt Capital Partners and Climate Adaptive Infrastructure, starting with 4.4GW solar capacity and 8.8 GWh battery storage either operational or under construction in California and Texas; Google had formed a partnership with Intersect and TPG in December 2024 to link data centre demand with new clean generation and storage, and acquired Intersect’s digital power assets after one year.
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Sustainable Finance Awards 2026: Environmental Rollbacks Ding Markets
Global Finance announces winners of its 2026 Sustainable Finance Awards and reports on market trends amid regulatory rollbacks.
- Main announcement: Global Finance published its Sustainable Finance Awards 2026 winners (covering activities from January 2025 to December 2025). The program included a new Best Blue Bond category won by BTG Pactual for financing a project to improve freshwater availability and water sanitation in Brazil. The awards required metric-based submissions (year-over-year growth, portfolio percentages, goal alignment) and there was no fee to enter.
- Context and details: The article cites the Climate Bonds Initiative reporting $6.5 trillion in green/social/sustainability-related debt as of Q3 2025 and Bloomberg Reuters year-to-date comparisons ($918 billion in 2025 vs $922 billion in 2024). It details EU proposals to ease Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive obligations and multiple US federal rollbacks (vehicular GHG standards, coal-plant emissions standards, weakened power-plant rules, and withdrawal from the Paris Agreement). Crédit Agricole projects up to €870 billion ($1.19 trillion) in sustainability-related debt facilities in 2026, and the piece notes Chinese banks funding projects including eco-friendly server farms and BNP Paribas reporting renewed momentum in blue bonds following the UN Ocean Conference.
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Eridu exits stealth with $200M to rebuild AI networking
Eridu has launched out of stealth with more than $200 million in Series A funding to build custom silicon and a clean-sheet network switch for AI data center networking.
- Main announcement: Eridu announced a Series A of more than $200 million (listed as $200 million in company summary) led by Socratic Partners with participation from John Doerr, Hudson River Trading, Capricorn Investment Group, and Matter Venture Partners; the company is headquartered in Saratoga, California, was founded in 2023, and plans to release more technical details and partnership announcements later in 2026.
- Background and details: Eridu is founded by Drew Perkins (previously co-founded Lightera and Infinera) and has a partnership with TSMC for process technology and advanced system integration; the company has not disclosed product specifications or a GA date and is positioning its offering against incumbents Broadcom, Cisco, and Nvidia.
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On the Hill in January and February 2026: A Breakdown of Climate, Energy, and Environmental Hearings
The U.S. Congress has held 34 climate, energy, and environment-related committee hearings since reconvening at the start of 2026.
- Summary of main action: Congress held 34 hearings (26 in the House across 8 committees; 8 in the Senate across 6 committees) focusing heavily on electric grid, data centers, water infrastructure, disaster management, and infrastructure reauthorizations (WRDA and the surface transportation bill). The House Natural Resources Committee held 11 hearings, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held 5, and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held 3. Notable single hearings included a House Science, Space, and Technology subcommittee hearing on AI and data centers, a House Energy and Commerce session with FERC on energy affordability and reliability, and an oversight hearing by the House Appropriations Committee on potential DHS shutdown impacts (hearing occurred on February 11, 2026).
- Background and other details: Congress held six infrastructure-related hearings in January–February 2026 to inform reauthorization of WRDA and surface transportation, with technical input largely from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; multiple hearings addressed wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water challenges. Congress also held hearings on wildfire prevention and recovery, critical minerals supply chains (including closed and public briefings involving State and Defense officials), and marine and terrestrial conservation. The DHS oversight hearing occurred three days before the start of a partial government shutdown (ongoing as of publication); witnesses warned a lapse in DHS funding could “irrevocably impact” regional partnerships and disrupt first-responder training.
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Data center water spikes could cost billions
A UC Riverside research team led by Shaolei Ren has announced that community waterworks across the U.S. will need billions of dollars in new infrastructure to meet projected peak water demands from data centers.
- Main finding: The study quantifies that, within four years, data center cooling peak demands could require 697 million to 1.45 billion gallons per day of additional peak water capacity, and the estimated cost of required water infrastructure is $10 billion to $58 billion, depending on data center growth rates. The report calls for reporting peak water use (not just annual averages) and recommends developers add or fund water capacity or efficiency improvements to offset their own use.
- Background and specifics: The paper notes that on very hot days single data centers can withdraw >1 million gallons/day, with some planned allocations up to 8 million gallons/day. In February 2026, three major technology companies secured multi-million gallons/day water allocations for projects in Virginia, Louisiana, and Indiana, with combined related infrastructure costs approaching $1 billion. The study stresses limits from snowpack and reservoirs and cites the EPA estimate of trillions of dollars needed for national water/wastewater upgrades over the next two decades.