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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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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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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.
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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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PG&E Restricted Substations Clarifications
Source: CAISO · Nov 01, 2024CAISO’s notice on “PG&E Restricted Substations Clarifications” says PG&E will review interconnection requests during the “cluster application/resubmission window” to confirm the point of interconnection, and the California ISO will tell customers whether “The interconnection is acceptable” or “The interconnection is not acceptable” (CAISO, 2024-11-01). It also states that “Interconnections may not add new elements to the substations in Tables G2 and G2-A. Entry to the substations must be via existing facilities.”
Backed by 1 primary filing — sign in or book a call to see all sources.
Recent California data center news
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US utilities Appalachian Power and 3CE launch RFPS seeking BESS capacity in Virginia, California
Appalachian Power and Central Coast Community Energy have announced new requests for proposals for battery storage and clean energy resources in Virginia and California.
- APCo issued two Virginia RFPs on 17 August seeking up to 800MW of energy storage: up to 500MW through purchase and sale agreements and up to 300MW through capacity purchase agreements, with proposals due 30 September 2026.
- 3CE issued a California RFP on 17 August for at least 20MW offers across five product categories, with PPA start dates no later than 31 December 2032 and proposal deadline 25 September 2026; the article also notes a Battery Asset Management Summit USA 2026 event in Garden Grove, California on 15-16 September.
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Reports: Google partnering with AMD for next-gen hybrid TPU
Google is reportedly working with AMD on the design of a next-generation TPU for AI and conventional computing workloads.
- The reported hybrid accelerator could integrate CPU cores directly into the TPU package, with a focus on reinforcement learning and agentic AI workloads.
- The article says Google already uses TPUs alongside standard x86 CPUs in servers, while AMD recently announced a partnership with Cerebras to combine processors for AI inference.
- This is a report about a rumored/industry-reported design effort, not a first-party Google or AMD announcement.
- Analyst Jon Peddie said the idea “makes good sense” because AMD has experience with custom APUs and Google “needs diversity.”
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AI data centers strain power grids, but AI tech could boost grid reliability and demand management
KYRO AI has released a report arguing that AI data centre growth is increasing pressure on power grids, while AI tools can also help utilities improve reliability.
- The report says US data centres used 4% of US electricity two years ago and could use three times that by 2028; it cites utilities using AI-enabled drones, vehicles and imagery in New York and generative AI in California.
- It also says utilities have invested more than USD 1 trillion in the grid over the last decade and USD 178 billion in the last year alone; in India, installed data centre capacity has risen from 375 MW in 2020 to about 1,575 MW currently, and peak electricity demand hit 270.8 GW in May.
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Land Banking Explained: A Novel Strategy for Data Center Expansion
The article explains the growing practice of data center land banking and argues it is becoming a significant strategy in data center expansion.
- It says over 70% of data center operators now prioritize land banking, and cites a 141% increase in data center land sales and a rise in land acquisition spending from 19% in 2025 to 30% in 2026.
- The piece is commentary/analysis, not a first-time company announcement; it discusses drivers such as scarce sites, grid hookup delays, permitting lead times, and the possibility that moratoriums or on-site power requirements could reduce the strategy’s value.
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Supply challenges boost value of existing data centers, enterprise deployments: JLL, Morningstar
JLL and Morningstar have released commentary and a midyear report saying North American data center capacity remains extremely constrained, with tenants leasing small fragmented blocks and many deals now contracting for 2028 deliveries.
- JLL’s 2026 North America Data Center Midyear report says North America roughly doubled net new demand in H1 2026 to 25GW, while vacancy stayed at 1% for a third straight year; stabilized assets are seeing stronger pricing and renewals.
- Morningstar said existing data centers are insulated by binding utility agreements, but still exposed to curtailment, demand response, and load-shedding risk; the article also cites Texas rules for loads over 75MW and U.S. Department of Energy action involving PJM Interconnection.
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Wichita Internet Exchange Point Set to Begin Operations in Coming Weeks
Connected Nation and IXP.us said Wichita’s first internet exchange point is nearing operation, with network operators expected to begin building into the site within weeks.
- Brent Legg said the physical facility is nearing operation and operators will start building into the site in a couple of weeks; the Wichita pilot was funded by a $5 million grant from the Capital Projects Fund.
- IXP.us, the joint venture between Connected Nation and Hunter Newby, aims to expand to 135 cities in 47 states; it is also partnering with Moonshot to add compute resources for lower-latency AI use cases, and Newby said they have discussed tenant opportunities with Cox and Lumen.
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Salute Military Story: Christina Duarte
Salute has published an interview with Christina Duarte, a military spouse and Talent Acquisition Recruiter at the company, about her path into the data center industry.
- Duarte says she was contacted through the MSEP portal and later joined Salute, where she found an industry she knew little about and a role that could move with her military family.
- She discusses living in Germany before moving to the United States in 2019, and being stationed with her husband at Robins AFB (Georgia), Travis AFB (California), and MacDill AFB (Florida); the piece is an interview/commentary, not a new business announcement.
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ESS Inc highlights sodium-ion BESS deployment, reports net losses in Q2 2026 financials
ESS Tech Inc has announced its Q2 2026 financial results and highlighted its expansion into sodium-ion energy storage, including partnerships and early-stage opportunities. - The company reported a net loss of US$15.6 million in Q2 2026, revenue of US$73,000, and unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of US$5.6 million as of 31 July 2026.
- ESS said it has developed early-stage opportunities approaching US$1 billion across data centres, critical infrastructure, and utility markets since signing its LOI with Alsym Energy; it also referenced a US$9.9 million contract with the US Air Force Research Laboratory, a 500MWh or more Na-ion BESS LOI with Juniper Energy, and a planned final agreement on a business combination by end of September.
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AWS Data Center Withdrawal Signals Growing Political, Community Challenges
AWS has withdrawn its proposed data center project in Calvert County, Maryland, while the county prepares to consider a six-month moratorium on new data center site plan approvals.
- AWS pulled its application for a 2.5 million-square-foot project near Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, which had planned three campuses, eight data center buildings, and up to 500 MW of capacity supplied by Constellation Energy.
- Calvert County confirmed the withdrawal on August 4 and scheduled a public hearing for August 18 on a temporary six-month moratorium; AWS said it remains committed to Maryland and cited broader infrastructure priorities, while community opposition and a petition exceeding 10,000 signatures were noted in the article.
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Hoopa Valley Tribe Opens Data Center to Advance Tribal Data Sovereignty
The Hoopa Valley Tribe has announced the opening of a new data center that will serve as the operational hub for its tribally-owned broadband network.
- The Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District celebrated the grand opening of the data center last month, supporting expansion of high-speed internet access across the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, Willow Creek, and Trinity County.
- Vice Chairman Jordan Hailey praised the milestone, calling it a proud day for the Hoopa Valley Tribe and its community; the text does not provide a project cost or technical specifications.