California Data Center Intel

Recent California data center news

• Jan 22, 2026

  Long-duration energy storage costs declining, European policymakers urged to make ‘strategic choice’  

  EPRI published a technical report for the LDES Council on 21 January presenting cost benchmarking that shows many long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies could see cost reductions averaging ~37% by 2030.

  • Main announcement: The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) released “Cost Benchmarking for Long Duration Energy Storage Solutions” (published 21 January) based on LDES Council member project data; it finds a projected average cost decline of ~37% by 2030, with examples including a 100MW 10-hour intraday electrochemical system costing US$220–572/kWh in 2025 and projected US$244–358/kWh by 2030, and a 10MW 100-hour (1,000MWh) multi-day system projected at US$26–38/kWh by 2030.
  • Background and related action: Industry groups (LDES Council, Energy Storage Europe and others) sent a letter to five senior European Commission figures (including Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič) urging the EU to embed LDES in planning, reform market frameworks, align capacity mechanisms, and deploy targeted investment instruments; the letter is accompanied by Energy Storage Europe’s 44-page position paper ‘Policy Options to Anticipate Europe’s Long-Duration Energy Storage Deployment’ and references existing procurement frameworks in California, Australian states, and the UK (Ofgem’s cap-and-floor scheme is presently being legally challenged by Zenobē).
• Jan 21, 2026

  Silicon Valley’s AI boom is an environmental time bomb

  Tina Landis (Liberation News) publishes an opinion piece arguing that Big Tech’s rapid expansion of AI-driven hyperscale data centers is creating severe, measurable environmental harms in the United States and globally.

  • Main claim & evidence: The article documents hyperscale data center environmental impacts including freshwater use up to five million gallons per day, energy consumption currently equivalent to France, projected growth to the energy use of 1.4 billion people by 2030 (IMF), and that 20 data center proposals worth $98 billion were blocked or delayed between April and June 2025 (Data Center Watch). It also cites a UNEP warning: “We need to make sure the net effect of AI on the planet is positive before we deploy the technology at scale.”
  • Background & supporting details: The piece lists concrete harms across the lifecycle: raw material extraction (800 kg of materials for a 2 kg computer), e-waste exports to the Global South, 5–10% increases in household energy bills, community resistance across multiple U.S. states (Arizona, Wisconsin, Virginia, Oklahoma), and notes Big Tech (Microsoft, Google, Meta, Amazon) is spending collectively hundreds of billions of dollars on data centers while pushing for expanded power infrastructure and nuclear expansion by 2050.
• Jan 21, 2026

  Google inks PPAs to power data centers with carbon-free energy

  Google has signed three 20-year power purchase agreements with Clearway Energy Group for new clean energy capacity.

  • Google and Clearway executed three 20-year PPAs in 2025 totaling 1.17 gigawatts of “carbon-free energy projects” to support Google data centers in Missouri, Texas, and West Virginia, with the deals representing over $2.4 billion in energy infrastructure investment; the partnership totals 1.24 GW when combined with an existing 71.5 MW PPA in West Virginia.
  • Implementation details and background: Clearway will begin construction on over 1 GW of new projects, with new generation expected online in 2027 and 2028, delivered across grids managed by Southwest Power Pool, ERCOT, and MISO; Clearway (San Francisco-headquartered) has a 13 GW portfolio across 350 operating projects in 27 states, and Google/Alphabet recently announced the planned acquisition of clean energy developer Intersect for $4.75 billion (expected close H1 2026).
• Jan 21, 2026

  The plan to build massive data center in Imperial County — without environmental review

  Sebastian Rucci’s company, Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing, is advancing a plan to build a nearly one-million-square-foot, $10 billion data center in Imperial County while seeking to avoid California’s environmental review process (CEQA).

  • Project scope & immediate action: The proposal is for a nearly 1 million-square-foot facility allegedly costing $10 billion, intended to power AI computing; developers claim the project can be designated a ministerial (CEQA-exempt) project and have pursued a lot merger to combine five parcels into a 75-acre site — the lot merger failed an initial Planning Commission vote (Dec. 18, 2025) and has been appealed to the Imperial County Board of Supervisors. The city of Imperial has filed a lawsuit alleging CEQA and local-law violations; the developer and county have asked the court to dismiss the suit, and the developer filed a separate federal lawsuit against the city.
  • Background & concrete details: The developer claims an agreement to purchase 6 million gallons/day of reclaimed water from El Centro and Imperial and says the data center would use ~750,000 gallons/day (1/8 of that total); IID officials warned the proposed power demand would be “a massive increase in overall electrical load” and said current infrastructure would not be sufficient without upgrades. State Sen. Steve Padilla introduced SB887 to require environmental review for new data centers and to clarify that data centers do not qualify for the “advanced manufacturing” exemption. The article documents the developer’s prior business/legal controversies and cites feasibility studies provided to IID.
• Jan 21, 2026

  Despite its steep environmental costs, AI might also help save the planet

  The author argues that AI increases environmental footprints while also enabling efficiency and emissions reductions across multiple sectors.

  • Main claim and examples:AI can both raise energy/water use and improve efficiency across sectors; examples include Kilimo (precision irrigation) where farms in Chile’s Biobío region have reduced water use by up to 30% and farmers can earn 20%–40% profit above initial investment; Alaska Airlines saved 1.2 million gallons of fuel in 2023 using AI route optimization; Shell aims to nearly eliminate methane leaks by 2030 using AI monitoring.
  • Background and supporting details: The article cites data center impacts and efficiency: U.S. data centers used 176 TWh in 2023 (rising to 183 TWh in 2024) and global data-center electricity rose from ~1% (2010) to ~2% (2025) of global electricity use; Equinix in Frankfurt improved operations by 9% using AI-driven cooling adjustments; Copenhagen district heating pilots reduced building energy by 15%–25%, peak heating demand by up to 30%, and cut ~10,000 tonnes CO2/year.
• Jan 20, 2026

  The hypocrisy of the Year of the Environment

  Susannah Poteet criticizes the College of William and Mary for promoting and funding AI initiatives while declaring a “Year of the Environment.”

  • Main announcement/action: The author argues the university has launched multiple AI programs without addressing environmental costs: AI minor (launched in September), ChatGPT Edu (launched in October), and the summer program “16 AI things in 93 days”; the column is an opinion piece referencing these recent initiatives rather than announcing new institutional policy.
  • Background and details: The piece cites data center impacts and university sustainability actions: data centers can use 110 million to 1.8 billion gallons of water per year, Virginia hosts almost 600 data centers (150 large data centers), a study claims 80% of data center water evaporates, and the College has installed 531 geothermal wells and launched the Batten School of Coastal and Marine Sciences; the author notes no environmental impact discussion accompanied the AI initiatives.
• Jan 20, 2026 · Tech Xplore

  Newly discovered metallic material with record thermal conductivity upends assumptions about heat transport limits

  The UCLA-led research team has announced the discovery of metallic θ-phase tantalum nitride with ultrahigh thermal conductivity (~1,100 W/mK), reported in Science and led by Professor Yongjie Hu at UCLA.

  • Main announcement: The team reports θ-phase tantalum nitride conducts heat at approximately 1,100 W/mK, about three times the thermal conductivity of conventional metals like copper (~400 W/mK); the result is published in Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.aeb1142) and led by Yongjie Hu (UCLA Samueli School of Engineering).
  • Background and details: Experimental confirmation used synchrotron-based X-ray scattering and ultrafast optical spectroscopy, which revealed extremely weak electron–phonon interactions; the paper notes implications for microelectronics, AI hardware, data centers, aerospace systems, and quantum platforms.
• Jan 20, 2026

  Verizon Says Major Outage Caused by ‘Software Issue’

  Verizon announced that the Jan. 14 nationwide mobile network outage was caused by a software issue and that it closed its $20 billion acquisition of Frontier.

  • Main announcement: Verizon said the outage was a software issue and is conducting a full review; outage aggregator Downdetector recorded more than 2.3 million user reports on Jan. 14, Verizon resolved the outage late that night and is offering affected customers a $20 credit; the FCC is “continuing to actively investigate and monitor the situation” and Rep. Andrew Garbarino requested briefings from the FCC and Verizon by Friday.
  • Background and deal details: Verizon closed its $20 billion acquisition of Frontier after approval by the California Public Utilities Commission; Verizon absorbed roughly 9 million fiber passings and now says it passes about 30 million locations with fiber, versus AT&T’s long-term plan for 60 million passings and Verizon’s aim for up to 45 million.
• Jan 20, 2026

  What’s causing the memory shortage?

  TrendForce and industry analysts (Tom Mainelli of IDC and Jim Handy of Objective Analysis) warn that the DRAM memory shortage driven by AI-oriented data center buildouts will extend into 2027.

  • TrendForce projectsDRAM prices will rise 50%–55% this quarter versus Q4 2025; the market is concentrated among three major suppliers: Micron, SK Hynix, Samsung and analysts say the shortage will last at least into 2027 with capacity expansion taking 12–18 months or longer.
  • HBM adoption is diverting wafer capacity because an HBM byte uses ~3x silicon per DDR byte, forcing memory makers to build new fabs with long equipment lead times; OEMs are currently absorbing higher costs, tariffs are not a factor, and smaller Chinese vendors are considered too small to materially increase supply.
• Jan 20, 2026

  OpenAI Reports Over $20 Billion Estimated Revenue for 2025 Amidst Wider AI Adoption

  OpenAI reported annualised revenue surpassing $20 billion in 2025 and outlined plans toward a potential public listing.

  • Main announcement: OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar reported annualised revenue of over $20 billion in 2025, with ARR progression from $2 billion (2023) to $6 billion (2024) to > $20 billion (2025), and compute capacity rising from 0.2 GW (2023) to 1.9 GW (2025). The company is preparing for a potential IPO targeting a 2027 debut (possible filing in H2 2026) and has discussed raising ~$60 billion or more in the offering.
  • Background and concrete details: OpenAI completed a recapitalisation in Oct 2025 structuring the nonprofit (OpenAI Foundation) to hold roughly $130 billion in equity in the for-profit OpenAI Group PBC; Microsoft holds ~27% ownership of the for-profit (valued at ~$135 billion on an as-converted diluted basis) with exclusive IP rights extended through 2032. The company faces estimated compute-contract obligations of $1.4 trillion (reported November 2025) across providers including Amazon, Microsoft, and Oracle, and began testing advertisements in ChatGPT free/lower-tier plans in January 2026.