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District of Columbia Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across District of Columbia — updated daily.
Recent District of Columbia data center news
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Google supersizes PJM virtual power plant to more than 1 GW
Google has announced an expansion of its virtual power plant agreement with Voltus in PJM Interconnection, increasing the contract by 1,070 MW on top of an initial 100-MW deal signed in June.
- Under the agreement, Google will pay Voltus to aggregate distributed resources from residential, commercial and industrial customers, including batteries, smart thermostats, on-site generation and industrial process adjustments; Voltus will offer the combined resources into PJM’s market when the grid is strained.
- Voltus said it expects to ramp up to full capacity over three to four years and then run the contract through 2040; the article also notes Voltus has about 8.5 GW under contract across North America and aims for 20 GW by the end of the decade after raising $225 million in its latest funding round.
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The 2026 US-India Subnational Innovation Competitiveness Index
ITIF and the Institute for Competitiveness, India have released a new subnational innovation competitiveness report comparing 87 regions in India and the United States.
- The report benchmarks 36 Indian states and territories and 51 U.S. regions across 12 indicators in three pillars: knowledge economy, globalization, and innovation capacity.
- It finds the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and California top the U.S. list, while Chandigarh, Maharashtra, and Delhi lead India; it also discusses AI policy, FDI concentration, renewable energy, Internet access, R&D, business creation, and patenting.
- The article is a report summary/analysis and appears to be the first public release of this index, with a downloadable report PDF; it includes multiple monetary figures such as $57.2 billion in India FDI equity and $1 billion for New Hampshire’s biofabrication cluster.
- The piece is substantively about innovation, infrastructure, digital connectivity, AI, and clean energy, and is relevant to data centres because it discusses AI infrastructure, GPUs, digital infrastructure, and power/renewables.
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AI Is Outgrowing the Grid
MCJ has published a newsletter article highlighting DG Matrix’s multi-port solid-state transformers and the role of behind-the-meter power in AI data centers.
- DG Matrix says it has commercialized the world’s first multi-port solid-state transformer and can replicate a 5,000 square foot work cell that produces up to 400 megawatts a year in double shift with 20 people.
- Haroon Inam says the company could reach 4 gigawatts of annual capacity in about three months once a facility and power are secured; the article also discusses the shift toward grid power, batteries, natural gas, and fuel cells for AI data centers.
- The piece is an opinion/commentary-style newsletter feature dated Sep 04, 2026, and includes related portfolio updates and podcast mentions rather than a standalone corporate press release.
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US data centre power goes distributed: Sunrun signs VPP deal with Google supplier Voltus
Sunrun has announced a new agreement with Voltus to support Bring Your Own Capacity (BYOC) programmes for AI hyperscalers using residential solar-plus-storage resources.
- Sunrun will provide energy capacity from a portion of its thousands of residential solar-plus-storage systems to support electricity demand in PJM and MISO.
- The article also references prior Voltus deals, including a three-year BYOC agreement with Google for 100MW in PJM and Sunrun’s earlier partnership with Renew Home and Tesla for over 16GW of flexible capacity.
- The story is a news article summarizing the agreement and related context; it points readers to the original PV Tech piece and does not present a direct company press release in the excerpt.
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Zayo Reaches Fiber Reserve Deal with Corning
Zayo has announced a long-term fiber supply agreement with Corning to support its projected fiber needs through the rest of the decade.
- The companies said Zayo will secure “a significant portion” of the fiber it projects it will need through the rest of the decade.
- The deal was announced Thursday in Washington, Aug. 20, 2026; the companies declined to disclose financial terms and the article cites a Business Wire announcement.
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Capitol Hill Conference on AI, Cyber, & Tech Policy Priorities
The Lexington Institute hosted the Capitol Hill Conference on AI, Cyber, & Tech Policy Priorities on July 24, 2026 in Washington, DC.
- The forum examined AI, cybersecurity, data centers, antitrust enforcement, and competition with China, with 10-minute speeches by policymakers, industry executives, scholars, and subject matter experts.
- Daniel Castro, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, spoke about the importance of accelerating AI adoption in the U.S. economy.
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Space Solar Power Is Coming Home to the Energy Industry
The article is an opinion/commentary piece arguing that space solar power is becoming relevant to the energy industry, while also reporting several company updates shared at a panel and an upcoming symposium.
- Virtus Solis Technologies said it had signed terms for its first 500-MW deployment agreement, with pilot deployments targeted within 24 months; the company is building a commercial SSP system scalable from 100 MW to 20 GW.
- Overview Energy described plans to power utility-scale solar farms at night using near-infrared laser transmission from geosynchronous orbit, while Reach Power discussed terrestrial wireless power systems; the article also notes a Sept. 30, 2026 Space Solar Power Symposium in Washington, D.C. and cites an Overview Energy and Meta capacity reservation agreement announced a week later.
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Infocast’s Transmission & Interconnection Summit 2026
Troutman Pepper Locke has announced it will be a Gold Sponsor of Infocast’s Transmission & Interconnection Summit 2026 and will have partners moderating panels.
Main announcement: Troutman Pepper Locke is a Gold Sponsor of Infocast’s Transmission & Interconnection Summit 2026 (June 23–25) at the Hamilton Hotel, Washington, D.C.; the firm will have Partner Chris Jones moderating “Easing Transmission Challenges in the West – Impacts of New Reforms and Regional Collaboration” on June 24 at 11:00 a.m. ET, and Counsel Anne Dailey moderating “Cost Allocation & New Tariff Structures — Avoiding Rate Increases and Customer Blowback” on June 24 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Background & details:Conference focus: grid impacts of unprecedented load growth and regulatory change, including the claim that new data centers alone are driving an estimated $1.1 trillion in transmission investment; agenda topics include CAISO’s EDAM, SPP’s WEIS, WECC-wide planning, WestTEC 10- and 20-year studies, lessons from SunZia, and FERC Order No. 1920 cost allocation processes.
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How Microsoft and Google Plan and Place AI Workloads
Microsoft and Google described a shift in hyperscaler workload planning toward range-based forecasts and late-binding decisions at Data Center World 2026.
- Main announcement/action: Microsoft (Julianne Carroll, senior director of M365 capacity management) and Google (Shen Jackson, director of energy) said they now use range-based forecasting instead of point estimates, delay binding decisions as late as practical, and run frequent (at least weekly) planning reviews to rebalance capacity against volatile demand. The session was presented as part of Data Center World 2026 (session: “Landing Data Center Workloads: How Hyperscalers Plan, Scale, and Adapt”).
- Details & background: Both firms highlighted modular/fungible architectures, use of internal workloads to absorb unused capacity, and AI-driven changes to resource ratios (compute, storage, network) after launches like Microsoft Copilot; Microsoft maintains six- and 12-month forecasts but emphasizes short-term adaptability, while Google focuses on affecting outcomes one to two years out and designing campus-level coordination for power, cooling, and networking.
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ICYMI: Mission First, AI Forward
Dell Technologies announced initiatives to help federal agencies, research institutions, and communities move AI from pilot to production by supplying mission-ready infrastructure, partnerships, and secure solutions.
- Main announcement: Dell is partnering with U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Navy / Naval Postgraduate School, NVIDIA, and research centers to deliver mission-ready AI infrastructure, including the delivery of Cech — a Dell-powered early-access system for NERSC ahead of full deployment later this year, shipment of a desktop with NVIDIA GB300 technology, and co-engineering an air-gapped solution for classified environments. Michael Dell’s participation in the Dell Federal Symposium and his appointment to PCAST were highlighted as part of federal engagement.
- Background and other details: Activities span events and programs: Dell Federal Symposium (Washington, D.C.) promoting practical, secure AI; NVIDIA GTC debut of GB300 desktop and air-gapped solution; RSA 2026 announcements on quantum-ready security; community efforts include TCU university AI environment, a United Way Institute launch in North Texas with an AI Day of Learning on April 20 (North Texas), and a Power Up Philly AI Discovery Zone at Temple University. External recognitions cited include Ethisphere, Forbes, Fast Company, and Nextgov/FCW.