California Data Center Intel

Recent California data center news

• Jun 22, 2026

  Eco Wave Power Turns Waves Into Watts With NVIDIA AI Infrastructure and Digital Twins

  Eco Wave Power, a member of NVIDIA Inception, is developing wave-energy systems powered by NVIDIA AI and digital twins to generate clean electricity for coastal industrial zones and pilot data centers.

  • Main announcement: Eco Wave Power is deploying floaters and shore-mounted conversion systems using NVIDIA accelerated computing and NVIDIA Omniverse digital twins to plan, simulate and operate wave-energy projects; pilots are underway in the Port of Los Angeles (in collaboration with AltaSea and Shell) and an operational project exists in Jaffa Port (collaboration with EDF Power Solutions and the Israeli Energy Ministry).
  • Background and project details: The company is also developing projects at the Port of Leixões (Portugal), Suao Port (Taiwan) and Mumbai, India (with Bharat Petroleum); the article cites EIA analysis that wave energy could produce over 60% of U.S. annual energy consumption, and highlights technical choices such as placing control hardware on land to protect equipment and using floaters attached to breakwaters for deployment.
• Jun 19, 2026

  Investment under uncertainty: How AI, volatility and real-options thinking are reshaping battery storage economics

  Partha Sharma, president of BBNR Capital Management, argues that battery storage should be viewed as a hardware-backed multi-strategy trading platform, changing investor behaviour rather than being valued like traditional generation assets.

  • Main argument & key figures: Battery storage should be treated as a hardware-backed multi-strategy trading platform; typical project size cited is 100MW/400MWh; installed cost benchmarks moved from >US$1,200/kWh about a decade ago to below US$300/kWh in some markets; revenue examples include periods where battery revenues briefly exceeded £150,000 (US$198,000) to £200,000 per MW per year; degradation cycles are modelled around 6,000–10,000 equivalent full cycles. These are presented as factual support for rethinking valuation and investor timing decisions.
  • Context, background & modelling implications: The piece is an opinion/analysis (not a first-time project announcement) that links AI and hyperscale data centre demand, renewable-driven duck-curve intraday imbalances, and market cannibalisation to the need for valuation frameworks combining stochastic optimisation and real options (citing Dixit & Pindyck). It documents observed market dynamics (GB, CAISO, ERCOT) and references market publications (National Grid ESO, NESO) and analytics providers (Modo Energy, LCP Delta).
• Jun 18, 2026

  FERC Orders All Six Regional Grid Operators to Justify or Rewrite Large-Load Tariffs

  FERC has voted unanimously to issue tailored show-cause orders under Section 206 directing the six RTO/ISO markets and transmission owners to defend or reform tariff rules governing how data centers and other large energy users access the transmission system.

  • Main action: FERC issued tailored show-cause orders to PJM, MISO, SPP, CAISO, ISO-NE, and NYISO under Section 206, affecting ~200 million Americans across more than 30 states and D.C.; RTOs/ISOs and transmission owners have 60 days to respond, must file resource adequacy reports within 30 days, may request abeyance within 45 days, and interested parties may file responses within 30 days of filings.
  • Background/details: The orders conclude existing tariffs “appear to be unjust and unreasonable” and identify five reform categories (application/study processes including alternative technologies; prevention of cost shifting and transparency; treatment of co-location and behind-the-meter generation; new transmission services for flexible large loads; and study processes for generating facilities serving electrically proximate/co-located large loads); action is FERC’s promised response to the DOE ANOPR and was informed by more than 3,500 pages of comments.
• Jun 18, 2026

  FERC Targets Grid Rules for Data Centers and Large Loads

  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has ordered the nation’s six largest grid operators to justify or rewrite rules governing how large power users connect to the grid.

  • Main action: FERC issued show-cause orders to PJM, MISO, Southwest Power Pool, CAISO, ISO New England, and NYISO, requiring them to explain within 60 days why existing tariffs remain just and reasonable or to propose reforms, and directing each operator and its transmission owners to file a resource adequacy report within 30 days. The orders affect markets serving roughly 200 million Americans across more than 30 states and the District of Columbia and target five reform areas (transmission study processes; cost-allocation; co-location/behind-the-meter generation; new transmission services for flexible large loads; evaluation of proximate generation).
  • Context and details: The action builds on a Department of Energy large-load interconnection proceeding, follows review of more than 3,500 pages of comments, and is prompted by AI-driven data center demand. FERC said reforms should apply prospectively (not disturb finalized large-load arrangements) and left the broader DOE large-load docket open for potential additional action.
• Jun 18, 2026

  How FERC’s Large-Load Interconnection Actions Help Address Grid Stress, Improve Affordability

  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a major national policy to speed and reform large-load interconnection following U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright’s directive.

  • Main announcement:FERC has established a national framework to accelerate large-load interconnection: customers can fund their own network upgrades, offer flexible load, and in some cases proceed with study periods as short as 60 days per Secretary Wright’s directive. The action is presented as a formal policy change and implementation pathway rather than an historical recap.
  • Details & context: The blog post is a corporate commentary/announcement endorsing the policy and describing industry responses: it cites Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory findings (≈$0.06/kWh reduction correlated with 10% higher state consumption), PG&E forecasts (each new 1 GW of data center load could reduce rates 1–2%), and announces NVIDIA and Emerald AI will begin commercial deployment later this year of flexible AI factories that bring generation and grid-responsive load to the system.
• Jun 18, 2026

  Stony Brook Leads Regional Vision of ‘Silicon Island’

  Stony Brook University highlighted its leadership in Long Island’s push to become a regional tech hub and emphasized New York State investments in quantum and regional manufacturing infrastructure.

  • Main announcement/action:Stony Brook University framed Long Island as “Silicon Island,” citing New York State’s $300 million quantum investment centered at Stony Brook and referencing a $30 million state investment from the Long Island regional economic development competition to support a manufacturing hub for physical technology (defense, aerospace, energy, advanced manufacturing). The announcement was made at the inaugural Long Island Tech & Innovation Summit on June 11 at the Long Island Marriott, hosted by Accelerate Long Island.
  • Event and implementation details / background: The summit (inaugural) convened research, higher education, business and government leaders to discuss quantum information science, AI, biotechnology, energy, workforce development, data centers and regional infrastructure. Sub-bullets:
    • Date: June 11, 2026
    • Location: Long Island Marriott
    • Host: Accelerate Long Island (15th anniversary of the organization)
    • Agenda/subjects: Panels on quantum/quantum networking, AI & biotech applications, infrastructure of innovation, workforce development, and strategies to retain and scale startups on Long Island.

  Context: The article reports on the summit and highlights existing/state-announced investments and institutional plans rather than introducing a single new policy beyond discussion of these investments and Stony Brook-led initiatives.

• Jun 17, 2026

  Edge networks a particular challenge for summer power, IT staffing needs

  Uptime Institute released the 2026 Annual Outage Analysis report showing power failures remain the leading cause of impactful outages, and StorMagic Field CTO Mark Christie commented on recurring edge-site power risks.

  • Main announcement/action: Uptime Institute’s 2026 Annual Outage Analysis reports that power failures account for 45% of impactful outages, down from the previous year but still the largest category; within power incidents the leading root causes are UPS failures, transfer switch failures, and generator failures.
  • Background and details: Mark Christie (Field CTO, StorMagic) highlighted edge-specific issues: many sites deploy battery-backed UPS systems that are poorly maintained or monitored, cost pressures lead to low-cost UPS deployments that may never be checked, and one cited customer with >6,000 sites experiences roughly ten power outages per week; Christie recommends improved documentation and knowledge-sharing (internal wikis) and better maintenance practices.
• Jun 16, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - June 16, 2026

  The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) released new fact sheets on lithium and cobalt and announced its 29th annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO (EXPO 2026).

  • New EESI publications: EESI published fact sheets on Lithium and Cobalt, noting the U.S. relies on imports for >50% of lithium consumed and 76% of cobalt consumed; the newsletter links to a 2025 Critical Minerals Issue Brief for deeper analysis.
  • Event and policy updates: EXPO 2026 is scheduled for Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (reception 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.) at the Rayburn House Office Building Gold Room (Room 2168) and online; the newsletter also reports House action on the Agriculture Appropriations Act (H.R.8646) providing $22.5 billion to USDA through September 2027, and updates on geothermal permitting bills and the DOMINANCE Act to secure critical mineral supply chains.
• Jun 16, 2026

  Energy Dome, Invinity Energy Systems advance non-lithium LDES projects in the US

  Energy Dome and Invinity have announced new long-duration energy storage projects in the United States.

  • Main announcement: Energy Dome will develop a 19MW/190MWh CO2 Battery project in St. Johns, Arizona, co-located at SRP’s Coronado Generating Station; the project was announced 15 June, will be developed under a 20-year tolling agreement with SRP (Energy Dome owning and operating, SRP dispatching), selected via SRP’s 2024 LDES RFP, partially funded/partnered by Google, will be monitored with EPRI, and is expected online in 2029.
  • Related announcement & context: Invinity Energy Systems announced the sale of a 32MWh VRFB to be installed at Pacific Steel Group’s Mojave Micro Mill in Kern County, California (announced 15 June, expected commissioning in 2027); the California Energy Commission awarded US$14 million in 2025 for deployment, Invinity says the batteries will be manufactured in the US, and the project will integrate with the plant’s on-site microgrid and solar PV system.
• Jun 15, 2026

  Data Centers’ Next Hurdle: Winning Public Trust and Social License

  The article reports that community opposition is emerging as a decisive constraint on U.S. data center development.

  • Main action: Local communities and voters have begun to block or reshape large data center projects: Monterey Park approved a citywide ban on new data centers; opposition in Festus, Missouri helped thwart a proposed $6 billion campus and unseat incumbent council members; the proposed Stratos project in Utah was reduced from 40,000 acres to about 20,000 acres. The piece also cites a seasonally adjusted annual construction rate of $50.7 billion (April 2026, US Census Bureau) as context for the scale of recent growth.
  • Background & policy details: State-level responses include North Carolina lawmakers considering utility cost-recovery changes for major customers and New York’s proposed Responsible Data Center Development Act, which would pause new large data center permits for one year and require public hearings, host-community benefit programs, and separate utility rate classifications. The article is an analytical report summarizing local disputes, polling (Pew, Gallup), expert comments, and cited regulatory proposals.