Georgia Data Center News

May 22, 2026

Texas Powers Past Virginia in Global Data Center Rankings

Cushman & Wakefield has announced Dallas as the No.1 primary data center market globally in its latest Global Data Center Market Comparison report.

Main announcement: The report ranks Dallas as the No. 1 primary data center market, followed by Atlanta, Virginia, Columbus, and Johor, and reports capacity under construction ~31.7 GW (2025) versus 12.5 GW in the prior edition; the study examined 107 global markets using 24 variables and places greater emphasis on near- and mid-term scalability and power constraints.
Background and details: Cushman highlights power delivery timelines (~5 years in Americas/EMEA, ~2.7 years in APAC) and the shift to bring-your-own-power/on-site generation; firms and projects cited include OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank’s Stargate (Abilene/West Texas), Meta (El Paso), Google (pledged $40 billion in US infrastructure investment) and Soluna; the note also contrasts Northern Virginia, Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, and Dublin as markets facing tighter utility and transmission constraints while Texas/ERCOT offers more developable land and generation/transmission pipeline.

May 22, 2026

US Adds 9.7 GWh Energy Storage Capacity in Strongest Q1 on Record

The US energy storage sector recorded a record first quarter in 2026, installing 9.7 GWh of new capacity according to a SEIA and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence report.

Main announcement: The report from Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence states 9.7 GWh installed in Q1 2026, with utility-scale 7.8 GWh, C&I 648 MWh, residential 515 MWh, and a raised long-term forecast of more than 610 GWh cumulative by 2030. The article cites technology companies (Google, Meta) procuring tens of thousands of MWh of storage capacity to support AI and hyperscale data centre operations.
Context and details: The piece notes 467 solar and storage projects have permits pending (per SEIA analysis), highlights leading states Texas, Arizona, California, and links accelerated storage investment to energy price volatility and domestic manufacturing. It warns federal permitting delays in Washington could slow deployments and affect AI infrastructure timelines.

May 21, 2026

From Uptime to Resilience: AI Infrastructure Changes the Data Center Risk Equation

Zurich North America has published its 2026 U.S. report ‘Data Center Risks Right Now: 6 Critical Questions to Enable a Resilient Buildout.’

Main announcement: Zurich North America presents a 2026 U.S. report arguing that the AI-driven data center buildout is now an industrial megaproject combining construction, operational, power, weather, supply-chain, labor, cyber/physical, and financial risks; the report provides concrete risk framing including an illustrative three-mile, 20-building AI campus requiring ~2,000 MW and notes insured project average values rising from ~$150 million (5 years ago) to roughly $3 billion today, with upper-end projects reaching tens of billions.
Key details and background: The report recommends integrating lifecycle risk review, using Estimated Maximum Loss (EML) instead of full replacement value for bankability, and highlights concrete constraints including potential $200 billion annual power-generation investment needs, 2 GW reviewed project scale, turbine lead times of ~3+ years, and replacement/asset cost estimates such as $900M–$1.5B for land/construction/power/cooling for a 100 MW AI site plus $2.5B+ for servers/network/GPU; it also cites labor shortfalls (Associated Builders and Contractors: ~349,000 net new workers needed in 2026) and specific weather and equipment failure examples.

May 21, 2026

How a Rare Wildflower Became a Model for Environmental Stewardship

DataBank announced that it relocated threatened Georgia Asters discovered during construction and, in partnership with Pollinator Partnership and construction/landscape partners, established native pollinator habitat and planted a pollinator garden at two Atlanta data center facilities.

Main action: DataBank relocated Georgia Asters found on-site (discovered three years ago) to a protected area, replaced water-intensive sod with a native wildflower mix, and this past week planted a manicured pollinator garden at the front entrance of two Atlanta facilities with volunteers from DataBank, local community members, and representatives from the American Legion; the planting required digging more than 60 holes through dense Georgia red clay.
Background & partners: The effort was voluntary (no regulation required), executed with the nonprofit Pollinator Partnership, and involved DataBank’s sustainability team and construction/landscape partners Kimley Horn and Brasfield & Gorrie; the initiative is presented as part of ongoing community-relations and environmental stewardship activities across DataBank’s portfolio.

May 20, 2026

T5 Services Appoints Mason Thornburg as Chief Financial Officer to Support Next Phase of Strategic Growth

T5 Services has appointed Mason Thornburg as Chief Financial Officer (announced May 20, 2026).

Appointment details:Mason Thornburg named Chief Financial Officer at T5 Services (announcement date: May 20, 2026); he will report to Tom Mertz, President & COO, and oversee accounting, financial reporting, treasury, forecasting, and investment discipline across T5 Construction and T5 Operations.
Context and scale: The announcement follows T5’s strategic alignment into two operating entities; the business supports more than 90 third-party facilities globally and has surpassed $1.6 billion in annual revenue, prompting a move to strengthen financial leadership for continued expansion and operational rigor.

May 19, 2026

Big Fiber’s $250M Signals an AI Dark-Fiber Land Rush

Big Fiber has secured $250 million in financing from Stonepeak and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) to expand its dark fiber footprint and network capacity.

Main action:$250 million financing from Stonepeak and CDPQ to support greenfield construction and overbuilds of exhausted legacy telecommunications corridors, targeting AI-driven demand in regions including the San Francisco Bay Area, Hillsboro, and Atlanta; funds will expand dark fiber footprint and network capacity for hyperscalers and large-scale data center operators.
Context and details: Analysts and company executives cite extreme route diversity (tri-/quad-versity), rising inference workload demand for dense metro connectivity, and power-rich regions (West Texas, Ohio, Tennessee, Louisiana, Georgia) as drivers; the article notes optical supply chain tightening (CRU Group) and provides traffic multipliers (AI “scale-up” and “scale-out” bandwidth impacts) but does not specify implementation timelines.

May 18, 2026

Data Center’s Onsite Generation Strategy Could Be the Key to Navigating Community Opposition

ERock promotes flexible, pipeline-connected natural gas reciprocating engine onsite generation as a strategy to reduce community opposition to data center projects.

Main announcement/action: ERock positions flexible onsite generation (pipeline-connected natural gas reciprocating engines) as a solution to ratepayer cost and community concerns; it cites an installed base of 1,000 MW, 400+ operational microgrids, 38,500+ hours of utility outages covered, and typical deployment capability of 50 MW in 12–18 months with 50 MW expansions every six months.
Background and details: The article documents mounting local pushback — $64 billion in projects blocked or delayed between 2023 and Q1 2025, rising to $162 billion in Q2 2025 — and describes technical/community advantages: up to 99% lower emissions vs diesel, water-free operation, ~5 dBA at 23 feet noise levels, and compliance with CARB-DG emissions standards or use of renewable natural gas.

May 18, 2026

Fiber Industry Confronts Marathon of BEAD Compliance, Data Center Backlash

Panelists at Fiber Connect 2026 warned that the broadband buildout has shifted from a sprint into a marathon, citing BEAD compliance, surging hyperscaler demand, tripling pole make-ready costs, and rising local opposition to data centers.

Main announcement/action: Panelists at Fiber Connect 2026 (Orlando, Fla., May 18, 2026) said the industry now faces a prolonged delivery cycle driven by BEAD milestone-based reimbursements, surging hyperscaler demand, and sharply higher pole make-ready costs; speakers noted roughly 300% increase in pole make-ready costs and that rural per-mile build costs rose from $20,000–$25,000 to about $100,000 per mile.
Background and details: The panel (BroadbandLive session hosted by Broadband Breakfast) highlighted that NTIA→state→subgrantee milestone reimbursements will slow cash flow, state broadband offices are stretched as ARPA projects wind down, and local opposition / moratoria (citing Maine Gov. Janet Mill’s veto and Georgia water-rate dispute) are driving calls for more deliberate siting and coordination with environmental/permitting agencies.

May 14, 2026

Record Power Burn Expected This Summer as Coal Retirements and Data Centers Drive Gas Demand

The Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA) released its Summer Outlook on May 13, forecasting record U.S. natural gas supply of 117 Bcf/d while warning that rising LNG exports, data center load, industrial activity, and power generation will tighten storage and push power burn to record levels.

Main announcement: NGSA/EVA projects total U.S. supply of 117 Bcf/d (including 111.7 Bcf/d dry gas) and total demand of 108.7 Bcf/d this summer; power burn is forecast at 40.3 Bcf/d (up 2.0 Bcf/d), and end-of-summer storage is projected near 3,662 Bcf (about 106 Bcf below the five-year average). The report was issued as the Summer 2026 Natural Gas Market Outlook (May 13) prepared by EVA for NGSA.
Background and details: The outlook identifies LNG exports rising 4.3 Bcf/d to 19.9 Bcf/d (new capacity including Plaquemines LNG, Corpus Christi Stage 3, Golden Pass Train 1), notes data center capacity growing from 44 GW (2025) to 55 GW (2026) and to 74 GW (2027) (Oracle 1.2-GW Stargate, Meta 1-GW Prometheus, Google $40B Texas commitment), and documents industrial project additions (63 completed projects ~1.99 Bcf/d and $104.3 billion investment; 20 planned projects adding ~1.98 Bcf/d and $44.3 billion investment through 2030). The note highlights permitting and infrastructure policy actions (Trump July 2025 executive order, DOE site openings, SPEED Act House passage Dec 18, 2025, FERC rule changes Oct 2025) and recent pipeline developments (Williams NESE FERC reauthorization Aug 2025; ground-breaking April 2026).

May 14, 2026

Land and Expand: NVIDIA, IREN, Coatue, Microsoft, Switch, Cerebras, Core Scientific

NVIDIA announced two major partnerships to accelerate industrial-scale AI infrastructure deployment with IREN and Corning Incorporated.

Main announcement: NVIDIA partnered with IREN to target deployment of up to 5 gigawatts of NVIDIA DSX-aligned AI infrastructure (focus on IREN’s 2-gigawatt Sweetwater campus in Texas) and separately partnered with Corning Incorporated to expand U.S. optical connectivity manufacturing (10x optical connectivity capacity increase; >50% domestic fiber production increase; construction of three new advanced manufacturing facilities in North Carolina and Texas). The IREN deal includes a five-year right for IREN to sell NVIDIA up to 30 million ordinary shares at $70 per share (potential consideration up to $2.1 billion).
Background and details: The article details additional industry moves into powered land, gigawatt campuses, crypto-to-AI conversions, and domestic supply-chain expansion, including Coatue/Next Frontier & Fluidstack’s 430 MW Indiana campus backed by $5.7 billion in senior secured notes (first 65 MW online by July 2027), Digi Power X’s 10-year MSA with Cerebras for a 40 MW Columbiana, AL campus (initial contract ~$1.1 billion, potential $2.5 billion, Phase 1 ready-for-service targeted Dec. 15, 2026), CloudBurst’s Texas campus ($14.5 billion investment; 1.2 GW planned), and Core Scientific’s acquisitions and campus expansions (e.g., $421 million cash acquisition of Polaris DS LLC; Muskogee and Pecos expansions to ~1.5 GW gross power).

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