California Data Center Intel

Recent California data center news

• Dec 16, 2025 · Tech Xplore

  Transparency in AI companies falls to new low

  Stanford, with coauthors at Berkeley, Princeton, and MIT, published the 2025 Foundation Model Transparency Index reporting a marked decline in corporate transparency across major AI developers.

  • Main announcement: The 2025 Foundation Model Transparency Index finds the industry average transparency score fell to 40/100, down from 58/100 in 2024; the Index assessed 13 companies and identifies three performance clusters (top ≈75, middle ≈35, low ≈15). Key score changes include IBM 95/100 (highest in Index history), xAI and Midjourney 14/100 (among the lowest), Meta 60→31, and Mistral 55→18. The 2025 edition adds four companies for the first time: Alibaba, DeepSeek, Midjourney, xAI.
  • Background and details: The Index evaluates companies on 15 areas (training data, risk mitigation, economic impact, etc.) and finds systemic opacity on training data, training compute, model use, and societal impact. 10 companies disclose no environmental-impact data (AI21 Labs, Alibaba, Amazon, Anthropic, DeepSeek, Google, Midjourney, Mistral, OpenAI, xAI). The report notes delays/non-release of documentation by major firms (e.g., Google’s Gemini 2.5 model card delay; Meta did not release a technical report for Llama 4) and cites the Index as an input for policy interventions already under way in California and the European Union.
• Dec 16, 2025

  How Researchers Are Driving Advances for Data Centers

  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory outlines multiple initiatives to improve the energy and water efficiency of U.S. data centers that underpin AI and high-performance computing.

  • Berkeley Lab’s programs and tools – including the updated United States Data Center Energy Usage Report (2014–2028), NERSC liquid/direct-to-chip cooling retrofits, CoE tools (DC Pro, Air Management Tool Suite, Electrical Power Chain Tool), and the Modelica Buildings Library and MOSTCOOL – target reduced electricity use, cooling energy, and water consumption, e.g., 42% cut in non-IT power, >2 million kWh and 0.5 million gallons saved annually at NERSC, plus 8% cooling energy reduction and >1 million gallons saved via best-practice retrofits.
  • Industry collaboration and standards efforts span work with top AI companies, utilities, Meta, Carrier, Open Compute Project, Energy Efficiency High-Performance Computing Working Group, and BP Castrol, producing liquid cooling specifications down to chip level, guidelines for transfer fluids, workforce training via the Data Center Energy Practitioner Training Program, and stakeholder input (≈150 attendees at the 2025 OCP Global Summit listening session) to refine models showing data centers may reach up to 12% of U.S. electricity consumption by 2028.
• Dec 16, 2025

  Development Deal Will Provide Hydrogen for California Data Centers

  Vema Hydrogen has entered a hydrogen purchase and sale agreement with Verne to supply Engineered Mineral Hydrogen (EMH) to Verne’s data center customers; operations could begin as soon as 2028.

  • Agreement details: Vema will increase production to more than 36,000 metric tons per year of EMH over the course of a 10-year agreement; the deal establishes a framework to supply reliable, affordable clean power to Verne’s data center customers and operations could start as soon as 2028.
  • Background & partners: Vema’s proprietary EMH technology uses geoscience to produce high-purity sustainable hydrogen and was recognized as a qualified supplier by The First Public Hydrogen Authority (FPH2); Verne is supported by investors and partners including Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, Breakthrough Energy Fellows, Caterpillar VC, NextEra Energy Resources, United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund, Collaborative Fund, ARPA-E, and the U.S. Army. The companies cite data center energy consumption projections (expected to double by 2030 to roughly 945 terawatt-hours).
• Dec 15, 2025

  Permitting the AI Boom: A New NEPA Landscape for Energy Infrastructure Projects

  The authors (Hunton attorneys) summarize how recent Congressional amendments, a Supreme Court decision, CEQ action, and executive orders have reshaped NEPA to streamline permitting for energy infrastructure and data center projects.

  • Main announcement: Congress enacted NEPA amendments (Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act 2025) and the Supreme Court issued Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County (May 29, 2025) establishing substantial deference to agencies and limiting NEPA to reasonably foreseeable environmental effects; the OBBBA allows developers to opt into expedited review by paying 125% of anticipated EA/EIS costs, triggering 180-day deadlines for EAs and one-year deadlines for EISs.
  • Background and implementation details: CEQ rescinded prior NEPA regulations (interim final rule following Feb 2025 D.C. Circuit decision), issued revised guidance (Sept 29, 2025) and directed agencies (DOE, Corps, DOI) to adopt streamlined procedures (EA/EIS deadlines, fewer public comments, expanded categorical exclusions, allowance for applicant-prepared documents); Presidential EOs (Jan 20, 2025 and July 2025) and the AI Action Plan prioritize permitting for fossil fuel and dispatchable baseload resources and call for categorical exclusions and FAST-41 listing; DOE/Secretary directed FERC to initiate rulemaking to expedite interconnection of large loads (data centers) under 42 U.S.C. § 7173.
• Dec 15, 2025

  Environmental Activists Abandon Persuasion For Litigation

  Greenpeace International has filed an “anti-SLAPP” suit in the Netherlands against Energy Transfer after a North Dakota jury found Greenpeace liable and ordered roughly $660 million in damages; separately, California’s attorney general and environmental groups sued ExxonMobil over alleged contributions to plastic pollution in September 2024.

  • Main action: Greenpeace International filed an anti-SLAPP case in the Netherlands against Energy Transfer after a North Dakota jury found Greenpeace liable for defamation, property damage, and civil conspiracy and ordered roughly $660 million in damages; the author frames this as an attempt to escape responsibility following the domestic verdict.
  • Background and additional details: In September 2024California’s attorney general and environmental groups sued ExxonMobil over single-use plastics despite ExxonMobil’s claims it does not manufacture single-use plastics and has processed more than 60 million pounds of plastic waste into raw materials; the piece also references a 2024 YouGov poll showing 73% of voters rank price and availability of energy as top concerns and warns that litigation could hinder energy supply needed for AI-driven data centers.
• Dec 15, 2025

  The Infrastructure Behind Hollywood’s Most Ambitious Franchise

  Dell Technologies highlights its role as the infrastructure partner enabling Lightstorm Entertainment’s data-intensive production of “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

  • Lightstorm uses Dell PowerScale for high-performance access to hundreds of millions of files, with SyncIQ replication synchronizing up to 40 concurrent data streams between Los Angeles and New Zealand; Dell ObjectScale provides a private cloud for petabyte-scale archival storage, with automated checks and snapshots to maintain a fully digital workflow.
  • Dell PowerEdge servers power Lightstorm’s render farms and virtual environments, scaling clusters to support AI-assisted methods and heavier workloads while maintaining real-time reviews and uninterrupted rendering; the long-term partnership (“more than a decade”) is positioned as future-proofing the Avatar franchise’s increasingly complex virtual production pipeline.
• Dec 13, 2025

  Frontier Galvanizing: The Critical Role Of Galvanizing In Renewable Energy And Utility Projects

  Frontier Galvanizing emphasizes its hot-dip galvanizing process as critical for improving durability and corrosion resistance in renewable energy and utility infrastructure.

  • Main announcement / action: Frontier Galvanizing, with over 75 years of experience, highlights the role of hot-dip galvanizing in protecting steel components used in solar mounting systems, wind turbine towers and bolts, substations, smart grid components, and energy storage facility structures, aiming to extend service life and reduce maintenance for renewable projects.
  • Background and details: The article states coatings meet rigorous industry standards, are applied across projects throughout the country, and the company positions galvanizing as a technical quality-control measure that supports long-term performance, reliability, and resilience of renewable energy distribution and utility assets.
• Dec 12, 2025

  Prisma Photonics Deploys Grid Monitoring Equipment in California

  Prisma Photonics announced an 18-month trial deployment with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to convert existing fiber-optic cables into a comprehensive grid monitoring system across transmission corridors in San Luis Obispo and Humboldt counties, California.

  • Main announcement: Prisma Photonics will perform an 18-month trial deployment with PG&E across three transmission corridors (coastline to mountain terrain) to demonstrate Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) and asset health management by converting PG&E’s existing optical fiber into sensors; the implementation requires only optical interrogation equipment at substations rather than tower-mounted sensors.
  • Background and technical details: The system provides real-time monitoring of line temperature, strain, and environmental factors, delivers location precision down to individual towers, and is presented as a lower-cost, lower-complexity alternative to traditional sensor deployments; Prisma Photonics is Israel-headquartered, founded in 2017, and has offices in the U.S. and Europe.
• Dec 11, 2025

  What to Do With Remaining BEAD Funds, a.k.a 'Non-Deployment'?

  The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice prioritizing lowest-cost bids, voiding previously approved state plans, and rescinding authorization for non-deployment activities.

  • Main action and effects: NTIA’s June 6 BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice requires states to resubmit plans within 90 days, eliminates scoring criteria for labor practices, climate resilience, and affordability, and replaces multi-criteria evaluation with a single metric—total BEAD cost per location; NTIA now estimates roughly $21 billion in BEAD “savings” across 56 states and territories.
  • Background and specifics: States had planned to use non-deployment funds for workforce development, digital literacy, telehealth, device subsidies, and community anchor institution connections (examples: Louisiana $510 million, Florida ~$200 million); litigation risk and Congressional pushback (bipartisan letters, proposed RECAPTURE Act) are active, and NTIA has promised guidance in early 2026. The draft White House executive order would link eligibility for remaining funds to state AI regulatory frameworks, adding a legal and political dimension.
• Dec 11, 2025

  Think Like a Mountaineer: Lessons in Speed, Safety and Scaling with Crusoe

  Crusoe has announced rapid expansion as a sustainable AI infrastructure provider, including building a 1.2 GW data center campus for OpenAI and Oracle and deploying a large microgrid using solar and second-life EV batteries.

  • Crusoe has raised over $1 billion, is building a 1.2 GW Abilene data center campus for OpenAI and Oracle, delivered its first 200 MW building in 11 months, and unveiled North America’s largest microgrid powered by large-scale solar and second-life EV batteries as part of its vertically integrated, sustainable AI infrastructure strategy.
  • CEO Chase Lochmiller applies a “mountaineer mindset”—deep preparation, moving light and fast but safely, strong safety culture, and curiosity-driven design—which underpins Crusoe’s shift from flared-gas bitcoin mining to GW-scale AI data centers, supported by institutional partners like Brookfield and Blue Owl and highlighted across MCJ’s podcasts, videos, and community content.