California Data Center Intel

Recent California data center news

• Nov 3, 2025

  Energy Affordability: Price Trends and Factors

  Vincent Potter of the NC Clean Energy Technology Center outlines factors driving U.S. electricity price increases and notes that many utilities have active rate cases as of October 2025.

  • Main announcement/action: The article explains that data center expansion, infrastructure upgrade and replacement costs, and fuel cost volatility are creating upward pressure on retail electricity prices; as of October 2025, at least 50 electric utilities in 29 states and Puerto (Puerto Rico) have rate cases pending before regulators. The piece cites EIA data showing residential prices rose from 16.61¢/kWh in July 2024 to 17.47¢/kWh in July 2025, and an overall 2020–2025 increase of 3.88¢/kWh nationally (with California ≈ +12.5¢/kWh).
  • Background and details: The author highlights data center maps and the DELTa database (NC Clean Energy Technology Center partnered with Smart Electric Power Alliance to compile/release the Database of Emerging Large-load Tariffs) as tools to track large-load tariff developments; it also documents supply-chain delays (Reuters reported ~five-year lead times for new gas turbines) and rising equipment lead times and costs, plus that natural gas supplied over 40% of U.S. electricity in 2024, with wholesale gas prices ranging ~$2.10–$6.60 per Mcf, a 2025 EIA projection of $3.50 per Mcf, and delivered industrial gas ≈ $3.30–$7.70 per Mcf.
• Nov 3, 2025 · Tech Xplore

  FSNet finds feasible power grid solutions in minutes, outperforming tried-and-true tools

  MIT researchers developed FSNet, a feasibility-seeking neural-network tool that finds deployable power-grid optimization solutions orders of magnitude faster than conventional solvers.

  • Main announcement: MIT (Priya Donti and lead author Hoang Nguyen) unveiled FSNet, a two-step framework that combines a neural-network predictor with a feasibility-seeking optimization step to ensure solutions meet equality and inequality constraints; the paper is open-access on arXiv (DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2506.00362) and will be presented at NeurIPS 2025 (Dec. 2–7, San Diego). The team reports FSNet cut solving times by orders of magnitude versus baseline approaches and sometimes produced better solutions for very complex problems.
  • Background and details: FSNet uses the neural network prediction as a starting point and an incorporated traditional solver to iteratively refine until constraints are satisfied; it is designed to be plug-and-play with different solvers, handle both constraint types simultaneously, outperformed pure ML approaches on feasibility, and the authors plan to make FSNet less memory-intensive and scale it to more realistic problems.
• Oct 29, 2025 · Tech Xplore

  Amid renewable-energy boom, study explores options for electricity market

  Penn State researchers and Resources for the Future published a review of 11 wholesale electricity market design proposals to address reliability challenges as renewable generation grows in the U.S.

  • Study announcement and scope: The paper (published in Energy Economics) reviews 11 market proposals organized into five categories ranging from modest modifications to complete overhauls; it evaluates affordability, efficiency, and energy adequacy and highlights options such as mandatory forward contracts, long-term contract auctions, and combined long- and short-term markets. The article cites projected electricity demand growth of 25% by 2030 and 78% by 2050, and references past reliability events (e.g., February 2021 Texas failure leaving over 4.5 million homes without power, California rolling outages in 2020 and near-blackouts in 2022) as motivating factors.
  • Background and contributors: The authors note that current market structures were designed in the late 1990s around thermal and nuclear generation and are not well suited for high shares of renewables and storage; the paper calls for clearer regulatory oversight and better researcher communication. Key contributors named are Chiara Lo Prete (lead/quoted researcher), and RFF colleagues Karen Palmer and Molly Robertson; the article was published 29 October 2025 and cites the paper DOI 10.1016/j.eneco.2025.108640.
• Oct 29, 2025 · Hensel Phelps

  Hensel Phelps: ABC’S Top Perfromers 2025

  Hensel Phelps announces recognition in ABC’s 2025 National Contractor Rankings, highlighting sector-specific placements and portfolio scale.

  • Main announcement: Hensel Phelps earned #6 among ABC’s Top General Contractors and #9 in ABC’s Top 250 Performers in the ABC 2025 National Contractor Rankings; notable sector placements include #1 Airport Contractors, #3 Government Contractors, #3 Hospitality Contractors, #6 Office Contractors, #6 Healthcare Contractors, #7 High-Tech/Data Center Contractors, #9 Education Contractors, and #18 Infrastructure Contractors. The company cites a portfolio of more than 380 aviation projects at over 40 airports totaling more than $29 billion in value and 55 million square feet, more than $4 billion delivered across education projects, more than 230 office buildings, and more than 280 healthcare projects; data center projects with individual sizes from 30,000 sq ft to 1,200,000+ sq ft and capacities exceeding 200 MW are also highlighted.
  • Background and details: The release describes project types and examples (e.g., San Ysidro Land Port of Entry – Phase 2; Travis County Civil and Family Courts Facility; Kilolani Spa at Grand Wailea Maui; Four Seasons Resort Hualalai; Montgomery/Meta data center project; UC and Caltech university projects) and lists repeat clients and partners such as Four Seasons, Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Universal Parks & Resorts, Disney Parks & Resorts, Kaiser Permanente, UCHealth, City of Hope, Banner Health, Sharp Healthcare, and the National Institutes of Health. The statement emphasizes operational capabilities (working in active airports, live healthcare environments, mission-critical data centers), use of BIM and VDC, formal Methods of Procedure (MOPs), and compliance with security and sustainability standards. No implementation timelines or monetary commitments beyond portfolio/value figures are provided.
• Oct 29, 2025

  Beyond compute: Infrastructure that powers and cools AI data centers

  McKinsey & Company projects AI-driven demand for data centers and the related capital and design implications.

  • Main announcement/action: McKinsey & Company reports that AI-driven demand will expand data center capacity to 220 gigawatts by 2030 (a CAGR of 22%) and estimates $6.7 trillion in cumulative capital outlays worldwide by 2030 to meet compute demand; the report focuses on advances in power and cooling equipment and the need for codesigned systems.
  • Background and details: The article emphasizes that power, cooling, and IT components must be codesigned, highlights opportunities for equipment manufacturers to pursue vertical integration and provide end-to-end services (repair, maintenance, commissioning), and notes time to market as a key buying preference for data center operators.
• Oct 27, 2025

  Google Has Deal With NextEra to Restart Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant

  NextEra Energy announced Google has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement that enables NextEra to restart the 615-MW Duane Arnold Energy Center and NextEra has agreed to acquire CIPCO and Corn Belt’s combined 30% interest to become the plant’s sole owner.

  • Main announcement: NextEra and Google signed a 25-year PPA for power from the 615-MW Duane Arnold Energy Center; NextEra said the contract “enables the investment to restart the plant and covers costs for the production of energy from Duane Arnold.” NextEra expects the plant could be operational as soon as early 2029, and CIPCO will buy output under the same contract terms as Google.
  • Background and details: NextEra agreed to acquire Central Iowa Power Cooperative and Corn Belt Power Cooperative’s combined 30% interest to assume full ownership; Google noted a recent $7-billion investment in Iowa and said the restart supports its cloud and AI infrastructure in the state. NextEra stated it is coordinating with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and local authorities and has nearly 3 GW of projects executed with Google nationwide.
• Oct 24, 2025 · RMI

  PJM’s Speed to Power Problem and How to Fix It

  RMI authors call on PJM to prioritize speeding interconnection so queued generators can compete and reduce soaring capacity costs.

  • Main action: RMI urges PJM to speed interconnection to allow queued resources to enter the market sooner; key facts: average interconnection timeline >8 years (2025) vs. 1-year expert target, capacity price spike from $29/MW-day to $330/MW-day, and total capacity bill increase from $2.2B to $16.1B (latest auction). These delays forced customers to pay an additional $13.9B to existing generators.
  • Background and details: PJM completed TC1 in 544 days; over 100 GW applied to TC1 and ~40 GW were studied in the first phase (article notes XX received agreements); FERC granted a 540-day independent entity variation; TC1 network upgrade costs average ~$309k/MW (far above NREL and DOE benchmarks). RMI recommends software deployment, ERIS reform, advanced transmission technologies (ATTs), and proactive transmission planning with concrete references to Pearl Street, Nira Energy, GridAstra, Quanta and related studies.
• Oct 24, 2025

  AI’s Growing Appetite: What the Grid Needs to Keep Up

  Bryce Yonker / Grid Forward highlights the need for grid upgrades and market reforms to meet rapidly rising electricity demand from AI data centers.

  • Main announcement/action:Grid Forward (Bryce Yonker) calls for major grid upgrades, market reforms, and expanded cybersecurity programs to support AI data centers that now commonly require 100–200 MW, with some designs targeting 500 MW to several GW; he cites projected U.S. data-center electricity growth of 3.7%–15% annually to 2030 and recommends investments in Advanced transmission conductors, Grid-enhancing technologies (dynamic line rating), modern switchgear, AI-driven grid applications, on-site generation (hybrid renewables, geothermal, natural gas, SMRs), and load flexibility.
  • Background and implementation details: The article reviews existing and emerging measures including FERC Order 2023 (streamlining transmission planning and interconnection via consolidated planning and expedited studies with RTOs/ISOs such as SPP, MISO, CAISO); describes a recent Indiana settlement requiring new large loads >70 MW to sign long-term contracts (up to 12 years) with ramp-in periods, minimum charges, and upfront collateral; and lists equipment lead times (distribution transformers 30–50 weeks, large power transformers up to 150 weeks, switchgear ~1 year+) as constraints that require domestic supply-chain incentives and standardized protocols.
• Oct 23, 2025

  Liquid cooling lessons from HPC to AI factories: How to enable next-gen AI data centers

  Motivair applies its exascale liquid-cooling expertise to enable AI factories at scale.

  • Main announcement/action: Motivair is leveraging proven HPC/exascale liquid-cooling systems (used on Frontier, Aurora, El Capitan) to supply modular, repeatable cooling infrastructure for large-scale AI factories, including CDUs, ChilledDoors®, cold plates, and in-rack manifolds, scaling from 100 kW racks to multi-megawatt campuses.
  • Background and technical details: Highlights key thermal variables — pressure drop, ΔT, and flow rate — with concrete figures: rack densities moved from 20–50 kW (air-cooled) to 300–400 kW (liquid-cooled); recommended flow is ~1–1.5 liters per minute per kW at under 3 PSI; Motivair’s engineered loops aim to stabilize ΔT and maintain GPU clock speeds across thousands of racks.
• Oct 16, 2025

  Advocating for Public Power Companies: LPPC Focuses on Load Growth, FEMA Reform, and Tax-Exempt Bonds

  The Large Public Power Council (LPPC) is advocating federal policy changes to address rapid electricity load growth driven by data centers, AI, and electrification, and is pushing for FEMA process reforms and updates to Treasury rules on tax-exempt bonds.

  • Main announcement/action: LPPC (29 member public power systems serving 30.5 million consumers across 23 states and territories) is urging Congress and federal agencies to re-examine queue processes, finance mechanisms for large loads, and FEMA procedures to accelerate infrastructure delivery; LPPC highlights that about half of its members are experiencing rapid load growth that could double over the next 10 years, with individual new customers now seeking up to 1 GW of capacity (“enough to power probably 600,000 homes”).
  • Background and specifics: LPPC president Tom Falcone identified specific reforms: support for the FEMA Act of 2025 (House proposal by Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen) to reduce disaster grant delays, and revisions to U.S. Treasury regulations on tax-exempt bonds related to “private use” that limit long-dated contracts with customers; LPPC notes permitting, public processes, construction, and supply-chain timelines constrain how fast utilities can build.