Colorado Data Center News

Feb 20, 2026

Urban vs. Rural: Why Data Centers Are Built Where They Are

The article analyzes a shift in U.S. data center site selection toward greater geographic diversity, including more rural builds.

Main finding: The piece argues that as regions expand power capacity, extend long‑haul fiber, and streamline permitting and incentives, legacy hub advantages (e.g., Northern Virginia, Silicon Valley, greater Chicago) are weakening and site selection is diversifying toward a wider set of geographies, including rural areas.
Supporting details: The analysis lists core site-selection factors — infrastructure, demand proximity, economics, governance, risk and resilience, and community/social license — and cites emerging growth markets and examples such as parts of Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Utah, while noting new urban hubs like Boston and Denver; it also references multi-decade grid requirements and decades of legacy investment in hubs.

Feb 13, 2026

At Munich Security Conference, Governor Newsom advances climate action and partnerships as Trump abandons America’s allies

Governor Gavin Newsom advanced climate partnerships and bilateral cooperation at the 2026 Munich Security Conference, meeting with leaders from Germany, the EU, and Denmark and participating in a main-stage panel on climate security.

Main action: Governor Newsom held bilateral meetings with Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Denmark), Carsten Schneider (Germany), and Wopke Hoekstra (EU Commissioner for Climate) to advance climate cooperation, trade, and shared climate goals; he referenced an August 2025 MOU with Denmark (framework on green economy, climate resilience, technology, and data-center decarbonization) and discussed California’s Cap-and-Invest and zero-emission vehicle progress with the EU.
Background and details: The visit included participation on the panel “Playing With Fire: The Need for Decisive Climate Action”; the release cites existing international agreements (e.g., 2025 MOUs with Brazil, Denmark, Kenya; 2024 LOI with Noord-Holland; 2023 MOUs with Chinese entities) and highlights concrete programmatic topics such as data-center decarbonization, faster/cleaner grid interconnection pathways, CalFUSE framework, and storage capacity growth to support 100% clean electricity by 2045.

Feb 3, 2026

Dell Technologies at CES 2026: Leading the Quantum Computing Revolution

Dell Technologies announced its role in building quantum-ready hybrid infrastructure and promoting integration of quantum processing units (QPUs) with existing CPU/GPU/HPC environments.

Main announcement: Dell Technologies presented at CES 2026 that it will focus on tailoring servers and solutions to support quantum workflows by integrating CPUs, GPUs and QPUs with existing HPC and data center infrastructure; Dell emphasized public-private collaboration, workforce development, and Zero Trust alignment as part of implementation.
Background and details: The panel included representatives from AWS, QED-C, and the Colorado Office of Economic Development; Dell cited alignment with the Genesis Mission (aiming for a fully functional, fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2028) and described ongoing work via the Dell applied research office and supply chain to enable heterogeneous compute and quantum-inspired workflows.

Jan 30, 2026

Climate Change Solutions - January 27, 2025

The U.S. Congress has enacted the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R.6938), signed into law by the President.

Main action: The appropriations minibus (H.R.6938) was signed into law, providing FY2026 funding for agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy, EPA (including ENERGY STAR®), NASA, and the Forest Service; bill summaries for Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment appropriations are linked in the newsletter.
Other legislative and policy items referenced:NFIP Extension Act of 2026 (H.R.5577) advanced in the House to extend NFIP authorization through September 2026; Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act (H.R.2860) was reported out with $10 million annually through 2031 for the Northwest Straits Commission; the Advancing Cutting Edge (ACE) Agriculture Act (H.R.7142 / S.3637) was reintroduced to reauthorize the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority. The newsletter also announces an EESI briefing postponed (wildfire briefing) and lists upcoming briefings (dates, rooms, and RSVP links).

Jan 29, 2026

Air pollution: A silent killer lurking in our skies

The EPA has moved to stop including health benefits in cost-benefit analyses for pollution regulations.

Main action: The article reports that the EPA (under the Trump administration) plans to stop factoring health benefits into cost-benefit analyses for pollution rules, a policy change described as potentially weakening standards that have underpinned decades of air-quality gains (e.g., 37% reduction in PM2.5 and 18% decrease in ozone since 2000).
Context and details: The piece cites economic figures including $106.5 billion annual cost to China, $29 billion annual cost to the United States, and $350 million in annual economic benefits tied to reduced asthma inhaler use; it also highlights local concerns such as Denver’s fast-growing data center industry increasing power demand and the potential for more power plants held to lower pollution standards.

Jan 27, 2026

SpaceX Doesn’t Want BEAD Payments Tied to Subscriber Milestones

SpaceX asked state broadband offices to sign a contract rider that would pay 50% of BEAD awards upon certification of service readiness and disburse the remainder in equal quarterly installments over 10 years.

Main announcement: SpaceX requested states accept a contract rider requiring 50% up front upon certification that it can provide service to awarded locations, with the remaining 50% paid in equal quarterly installments over 10 years; the rider also specified a $80/month low-cost service option, exemptions for customers with obstructed sky views from tests, and limits on default penalties to clawbacks of disbursed funds.
Background and context:NTIA has told states not to sign the rider pending further guidance; the BEAD program was updated under the Trump administration (program total $42.45 billion), SpaceX has been awarded more than 464,000 locations and $636 million (not all NTIA-approved), and most states prefer subscriber-milestone payments rather than equal installments.

Jan 26, 2026

Data Center Buildout Is Hungry for Fossil Fuels

The U.S. Department of Energy and electric utilities are delaying coal retirements and issuing emergency actions to keep capacity online to meet surging data center electricity demand.

Main action:DOE emergency declarations (2025) and utilities postponing retirements to preserve capacity — includes 8 coal units representing >17 gigawatts under emergency orders and 15 postponed coal plant retirements (plants that emitted nearly 65 million metric tonnes CO2 in 2023). These actions are framed as responses to rapidly rising requests from data center developers for large amounts of energy.
Background & context: Forecasts show data center demand could reach 130 GW and account for up to 12% of U.S. electricity demand (~580 TWh/year by 2028); utilities have announced >100 GW of new gas-fired plants (most expected before 2030). The piece contrasts this with the prior decade’s shift away from coal (coal share fell from 51.7% to 16.2% between 2000–2023) and notes alternatives such as co-locating renewables and battery storage next to data centers to reduce grid upgrades and emissions.

Jan 23, 2026

Tax breaks vs. renewable energy offsets: Democrats plan to duel over conflicting Colorado data center bills

The Colorado Legislature is considering two conflicting approaches to data center policy: an industry-backed tax-incentive bill (House Bill 1030) and a regulatory bill led by state Sen. Cathy Kipp that would require renewable energy offsets and infrastructure cost coverage.

House Bill 1030 (industry-backed): would create a nine-member oversight board, offer a 20-year sales and use tax exemption for qualifying data center equipment and systems in exchange for $250 million in infrastructure investments within the first five years, certification requirements (closed-loop cooling or similar, diesel generators meeting EPA standards), jobs paying at least 110% of the average local wage, breaking ground within two years, and the board may extend the tax break 10 more years if companies create 10 additional jobs.
Sen. Cathy Kipp’s bill (regulatory approach): would require data centers to match annual energy use with renewable energy (buy or generate), report annually on electricity and water use, pay for necessary grid connection and upgrades, and prohibit utilities from serving a facility if doing so would harm existing service or increase greenhouse gas emissions over the next 15 years; the bill contains placeholders for protections for employees and communities.

Jan 22, 2026

Your Guide to the Most Important Broadband Conferences of 2026

Broadband Breakfast has assembled a list of the most important broadband conversations for 2026, with a focus on the first half of the year.

Main announcement: Broadband Breakfast published a curated events calendar highlighting major industry conferences (dates and locations) such as NTCA AI Summit (Jan. 30, Online), Net Inclusion (Feb. 3-5, Chicago), INCOMPAS Policy Summit (Feb. 4-5, Washington, D.C.) — including a Broadband Breakfast livestream on Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. ET — and the BEAD Implementation Summit (March 18, Washington, D.C.), noting “billions of dollars now being awarded with BEAD” and a focus on deployment, funding and technology decisions.
Background and details: The listing also references recurring and partner activities such as Broadband Breakfast Live Online’s weekly webcast (Wednesdays at 12 Noon ET) and membership benefits (post your own broadband events); other events called out cover topics including AI, data centers, energy, digital equity, fiber, ISPs, and sustainability, with dates/locations provided for each conference.

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.

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