Georgia Data Center Intel

Recent Georgia data center news

• Mar 26, 2026

  KU School of Engineering to host 76th annual Environmental Engineering Conference

  The University of Kansas School of Engineering will host the 76th Annual Environmental Engineering Conference on April 15, 2026.

  • Main announcement: The Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering will host the 76th Annual Environmental Engineering Conference with the theme “Environmental Planning and Engineering in the Era of AI”, chaired by Kazi Parvez Fattah; the event is a full-day conference (7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the Kansas Union, with check-in at 7:30 a.m. and opening remarks at 8:30 a.m..
  • Details & logistics:
    • Date: April 15, 2026
    • Time: Check-in 7:30 a.m.; conference runs 7:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; opening remarks 8:30 a.m.
    • Location: Kansas Union, University of Kansas
    • Agenda / subjects: drinking water, sustainable wastewater treatment, water contamination, air quality, data centers in the industry, AI and data analytics in environmental management
    • Speakers / participants: representatives from Ramboll, Evergy, CDM Smith, Jacobs, HDR, T8 Environmental LLC, multiple universities and government entities (KDHE, Office of Laura Kelly, HRSD, Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials)
    • Registration: Early bird registration ends April 2
    • Contact: event contact envconf@ku.edu; media contact Emma Herrman (emma.herrman@ku.edu)
• Mar 23, 2026

  How Stadium Data Centers Power Fans, Operations, and Broadcast

  HPE deployed a multi-site, redundant core for the Milano Cortina Olympics and HPE and Cisco executives outlined stadium data center and networking architectures prepared for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

  • Main announcement/action: HPE deployed a multi-site, redundant core across two locations with fiber and WAN connectivity to roughly 40 venues for the Milano Cortina Olympics; the end-to-end architecture combined HPE and Juniper technologies with Mist AI cloud management, Juniper MX backbone routers, and Juniper SRX firewalls to provide redundant, AIOps-enabled venue networks.
  • Background and further details: Stadiums typically run two physically isolated data centers (an IT data center for ticketing/guest services and a media data center for high-bandwidth broadcast); live production can reach 100 Gbps for 8K/16K workflows, and AI-enabled edge systems (AIOps, Media eXchange Layer) are being adopted ahead of the 2026 World Cup across 16 stadiums in Canada, the United States, and Mexico; HPE/Cisco technologies were also noted at venues including Levi’s Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and others.
• Mar 13, 2026

  The Gigawatt Bottleneck: Power Constraints Define AI Data Center Growth

  Bloom Energy has released the 2026 Data Center Power Report finding electricity availability has become a defining boundary on data center expansion.

  • Main announcement: The Bloom Energy 2026 Data Center Power Report concludes electricity availability is now a primary constraint for data center growth; it projects U.S. IT load could rise from ~80 GW (2025) to ~150 GW (2028), and highlights major grid forecast revisions such as ERCOT increasing its 2030 data center demand projection from 29 GW to 77 GW and a possible statewide peak of 218 GW by 2031. The report also states roughly one-third of U.S. data centers may rely entirely on onsite power by 2030 and that ~20% of campuses could exceed 1 GW by 2030, rising to nearly 1 in 3 by 2035.
  • Background and details: The analysis is based on surveys of hyperscalers, colocation providers, utilities, and equipment suppliers through 2025 and documents operational shifts: Texas may exceed 40 GW by 2028 (nearly 30% national share); Georgia market share projected +75% while several legacy markets could lose >50% relative share; utilities and developers show a 1–2 year expectation gap on “time to power”; >70% of developers are evaluating onsite power providers; by 2028, 60% expect higher-voltage busways and 45% expect DC architectures.
• Mar 12, 2026

  DOE Unveils Initiative to Add 5 GW of Nuclear Capacity Through Uprates and Restarts

  The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort (UPRISE) to accelerate nuclear uprates, restarts, and life extensions with targets of 2.5 GW by 2027 and 5 GW by 2029.

  • Main announcement/action:UPRISE unveiled March 12 will focus on power uprates, license renewals, restarts, and plant efficiency optimization, delivering 2.5 GW by 2027 and 5 GW by 2029 through targeted technical support to owners and the NRC, matchmaking workshops between plants and large end-users, and expanded use of federal loan authority to de‑risk investments.
  • Background and concrete details: DOE/EDF provide financial and program support including EDF loan authority > $289 billion (can fund up to 80% of eligible project costs); specific restart loans include a $1.52 billion DOE loan guarantee for Palisades (800 MW, Holtec targeting 2026) and a $1 billion DOE loan for Crane (Constellation’s ~ $1.6 billion restart, 835 MW, possible 2027 online under a Microsoft contract); Duane Arnold is a candidate for restart targeting ~2029 with a PPA announced by NextEra/Google; NEI and NRC pipeline data cited (NEI: >8 GWe potential from fleet; NRC: ~30 expected uprates through 2030 representing ~2.5 GWe).
• Mar 12, 2026

  Why Nuclear Power is Most Viable Option for Data Centers

  Ryan Mallory (CEO, Flexential) argues that SMRs will enable on-site, self-generated nuclear power for data centers.

  • Main announcement/action: Ryan Mallory asserts that SMRs can power data centers on-site and remove dependence on grid interconnection, enabling facilities to run continuously while controlled fission reactions operate adjacent to server racks; he cites expected SMR outputs of 50–300 MW, lead times of about 5–7 years for SMRs versus 10–12 years and ~$10 billion capital for a conventional 1.2-GW plant.
  • Background and details: The commentary notes interconnection wait times of around five years, U.S. data center demand rising from 176 TWh (2023) to a potential 580 TWh by 2028 (up to 12% of national demand); examples include Oklo’s Aurora at Idaho National Laboratory and TerraPower’s Natrium in Wyoming, mentions the cancelled NuScale-UAMPS project (2023) due to cost overruns, and cites nearly $9 billion committed to SMR-related development plus $50–$75 million potential early-site permitting costs.
• Mar 12, 2026

  Valley Data Center to be Acquired with Plans for Major Expansion

  RadiusDC has announced a definitive agreement to acquire phoenixNAP’s Phoenix, Arizona data center and colocation business, with closing expected in Q2 2026.

  • Acquisition details: RadiusDC will acquire the existing Phoenix colocation facility, interconnection infrastructure, and development rights; upon closing RadiusDC will expand DC1 to 8 megawatts of IT power and develop DC2 to add up to 18 megawatts, with initial DC2 phases expected online beginning first half of 2028, positioning the Phoenix I campus to scale to approximately 26 megawatts of total critical IT power capacity; closing is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
  • Background & advisors: Approximately 80% of phoenixNAP’s global business will remain independently owned and operated by phoenixNAP, which will remain a tenant in the Phoenix facility; financial and legal advisors include J.P. Morgan (financial advisor to RadiusDC), BofA Securities (exclusive financial advisor to phoenixNAP), Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Snell & Wilmer LLP, and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.
• Mar 11, 2026

  General Assembly Budget Conferees Need to Invest in Quality of Life, Not Big Tech

  The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) has called on Virginia lawmakers to eliminate or substantially limit the sales tax credit on data center equipment to redirect revenue to public services.

  • Main action: PEC submitted a letter to General Assembly leadership and budget conferees requesting elimination or phased reduction of the sales tax exemption on data center equipment, arguing the exemption cost more than $1.9 billion in FY2025 and could have raised state revenue from $31.2 billion to $33.1 billion if collected. The letter identifies priorities for redirected revenue: water supply and wastewater treatment, transportation and transit, schools, childcare, and food security.
  • Background and details: PEC cites Dominion Energy data that it is receiving requests for ~10 additional data center applications monthly totaling 2–3 GW, bringing cumulative demand to 70 GW, while current peak demand is 24 GW with >36% electricity imports. PEC estimates Dominion will need to invest over $100 billion in generation, transmission and substation infrastructure (including nearly $30 billion for transmission) to meet the backlog over the next ten years.
• Mar 8, 2026

  Central Illinois data center policies advance; environmental, utility concerns remain

  Logan County Board advanced local consideration of data-center policy as residents and utilities raised concerns about specific projects (including a proposed 500-megawatt site near Latham).

  • Main action: Logan County held a special meeting (March 6, 2026) where residents opposed a proposed 500-megawatt data center near Latham; counties across Central Illinois are drafting local rules covering construction, noise, environmental impacts and potential utility rate increases.
  • Background and details: The article documents public opposition, references a related Logan County meeting on March 5, 2026 about hiring a data-center consultant, notes concerns over noise, environmental impact and utility rates, and situates the debate within broader interest in data centers driven by the AI race and existing multi-tenant facilities such as Digital Realty in Chicago.
• Mar 5, 2026

  Hyperscalers Sign White House Pledge to Fund Data Center Power, Grid Upgrades

  The White House convened seven major AI/hyperscaler companies on March 4 to sign the non‑regulatory Ratepayer Protection Pledge committing to fund new generation capacity and pay for required grid upgrades so costs are not passed to residential or commercial ratepayers.

  • Main announcement (signatories & commitments): The pledge was signed on March 4, 2026 by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI, committing to build, bring, or buy new generation resources and cover the cost of all power delivery infrastructure upgrades required for their data centers; companies also agree to pay for contracted power and infrastructure whether or not they ultimately consume the electricity. The White House framed the effort as a policy response to AI-driven load growth and stated companies will negotiate separate rate structures with utilities and state governments to isolate costs from existing ratepayers.
  • Background & implementation details: The article cites EPRI projections (U.S. data center demand ~177–192 TWh in 2024, rising to 9–17% of national demand by 2030, up to 793 TWh in a high scenario). It documents specific company actions and figures: Google >7,800 MW contracted in Texas and a $4.75 billion Intersect Power acquisition pending; Microsoft contracted 7.9 GW in MISO; Amazon-related deals cited ~$1 billion projected customer savings (Indiana) and a $300 million Entergy transformation (Mississippi); OpenAI’s Stargate aims for 10 GW U.S. AI compute by 2029 and committed $175 million for local infrastructure in Wisconsin. The notes also record that the pledge is non‑binding and the White House disclosure does not specify independent auditing, penalties, or a defined enforcement methodology.
• Mar 5, 2026

  AFCOM: Rack Density and Build-Outs Surge as AI Overhauls Data Center Design

  AFCOM has released its 10th annual State of the Data Center report, reporting a structural shift toward larger, higher-density facilities driven by AI demand.

  • Main announcement/action: The report shows average facility size approaching 38 MW (up from 32 MW last year) and average rack density rising to 27 kW per rack (from 16 kW last year, 7 kW in 2021); 72% of respondents expect AI to increase capacity needs and 74% plan to deploy AI-capable solutions. The survey also reports 36% have liquid cooling deployed (another 28% plan adoption in 12–24 months), 25% have on-site power (another 23% plan implementation within 12 months), and 38% use renewable energy today (another 37% plan to adopt within three years).
  • Background and implementation details: The article frames this as a report-backed analysis rather than a new product launch; it highlights a design shift toward planning full halls/pods and integrated systems (power, cooling, networking) as default. Analysts (Dell’Oro Group) and AFCOM emphasize utility-forward, modular planning, with respondents expecting density increases within 12–36 months and staged delivery of large facilities in coordinated phases.