Illinois Data Center Intel

Recent Illinois data center news

• Aug 20, 2026

  Governors' Races are Being Increasingly Buffeted by The Toxic Politics of Data Centers

  Associated Press reports that several U.S. governors and candidates are tightening or proposing restrictions on data centers as public backlash grows. The article is commentary/news analysis about election-year politics and regulatory responses, not a first-time company announcement.

  • Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said his administration will no longer fast-track data center permits or tax exemptions unless developers meet electricity-payment, water-use, and local approval requirements; he called them the “strictest guardrails in the nation.”
  • The piece also cites broader state actions, including Arizona‘s three-year sales tax exemption moratorium, New York‘s one-year ban on large data centers, and Illinois‘s halt on new sales tax exemptions, alongside recent political ads and candidate positions in Texas, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
• Aug 20, 2026

  Shapiro Sets Binding GRID Requirements in Pennsylvania, Targets Data Center Power Costs

  Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has announced an executive order that makes the state’s GRID standards binding for large data center projects above 25 MW and ties permitting, tax benefits, and utility treatment to compliance.

  • The order immediately removes data center projects from the PA Permit Fast Track Program, restricts nondisclosure agreements, and directs state agencies to condition the Computer Data Center Equipment sales and use tax exemption on GRID compliance.
  • It also directs DEP to create a template Consent Order and Agreement, requires projects to secure local approvals before permits are issued, and asks the PUC to consider curtailment and cost-allocation rules for large data center loads.
  • Shapiro said the order is meant to “weed out speculative proposals” and that the standards are now legally-binding requirements; the article also notes two endorsed Pennsylvania data center projects in Salem Township and Falls Township representing $20 billion in investment.
• Aug 20, 2026

  Key Capture Energy raises US$300 million from Standard Chartered, with NY-ISO and MISO deployments in mind

  Key Capture Energy has announced a new $300 million letter of credit financing facility with Standard Chartered to support its battery storage development pipeline.

  • The financing was announced on 18 August and is the first publicly announced financing for KCE since owner SK Innovation E&S was reported to be considering strategic options, including a possible buyer search.
  • The facility will support projects in NY-ISO and MISO; KCE said its operating portfolio totals 623MW, including 580MW in ERCOT in Texas, and the company is also active in New York, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.
• Aug 20, 2026

  LG Energy Solution begins LFP and NMC BESS and EV cell production at Michigan factory

  LG Energy Solution has announced the start of production at its battery cell factory in Lansing, Michigan, while DeltaX has announced plans to establish its North American headquarters in Walton County, Georgia.

  • LG Energy Solution Michigan-Lansing has begun production of LFP and NMC battery cells, with a target of more than 35GWh annual capacity at full scale; the plant will supply BESS and EV applications, and Toyota cells will support the 2027 Toyota Highlander EV.
  • LG ES said it has invested over US$2 billion in the Lansing facility, which employs about 900 people and is expected to grow to 1,700 at full capacity; the article also references a prior US$4.3 billion Tesla supply agreement and a US$1.4 billion investment at the Holland, Michigan plant.
  • DeltaX announced on 14 August a US$141 million investment to build a North American headquarters and manufacturing campus in Monroe, Georgia, including a 100,000-square-foot BESS assembly facility on about 25 acres.
  • DeltaX said the Georgia project is expected to create approximately 250 jobs and will support BESS, BMS, and AI-powered energy management technologies for utility-scale projects, renewable energy integration, data centres, and C&I applications.
• Aug 19, 2026

  $1B Capital Commitment Launches Phoenix-Based Data Center Firm

  Saragon has announced its official launch as a new U.S. data center company focused on colocation, high-density computing, and AI inference infrastructure.

  • The company launches with ten data centers across nine U.S. markets, approximately 53 MW of installed power, and 259,000 square feet of colocation space, backed by up to $1 billion in committed capital from I Squared Capital.
  • Saragon was established after I Squared’s acquisition of ten data center facilities from Cogent Fiber, LLC; the portfolio spans Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Baltimore, Houston, Nashville, and Stockton. The company says it will expand through targeted investment, customer-led expansion, and additional acquisitions, with Steve Orlando as CEO and Kevin Dalton as President.
• Aug 17, 2026

  PJM’s New Deal for Data Centers: Bring Power or Face Cuts

  PJM Interconnection has filed a proposal with FERC to create a conditional reliability framework for major new electricity users, including data centers.

  • Filed on August 13, the tariff would let New Large Loads begin service before sufficient new capacity is available, with unsupported demand subject to curtailment before pre-emergency load management measures.
  • PJM would also create a Large Load Registry, expand BYONC options, and change how unsupported load is treated in RPM starting with the 2029/30 delivery year; PJM requested an Oct. 12, 2026 effective date.
  • The article is a news report about a FERC filing and industry dispute, not a standalone company press release.
• Aug 12, 2026

  Supercomputing 2026

  AMAX has announced that it will exhibit at Supercomputing 2026 (SC26) in Chicago and highlight its AI infrastructure and professional services offerings.

  • The event is scheduled for November 15–20, 2026 at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL, with AMAX at Booth #4532.
  • AMAX is promoting multiple solution briefs, including AI Factory Infrastructure at Any Scale, HostMax™, AMAX Professional Services, AMAX OEM Hardware Solutions, and AI Factory solutions with NVIDIA HGX™ B300 and NVIDIA RTX PRO™ 6000.
  • This is an event announcement and product marketing page, not a report of a new commercial deal or investment.
• Aug 10, 2026

  As Data Centers Spread, Cities Fight to Keep Up

  Aurora, Illinois and Anchorage, Alaska have each adopted new local rules for data centers in response to zoning gaps and community concerns.

  • Aurora imposed a moratorium on new data center approvals on September 25 of last year, then adopted permanent regulations this spring requiring 25% renewable energy sourcing, on-site battery storage for 50% of peak load for 15 minutes, plus water, energy, and sound studies before final occupancy.
  • Anchorage adopted an ordinance in March creating a conditional use permit process for data centers in commercial and industrial zones, with noise, visual, and setback standards and a requirement that developers prove electrical, water, and wastewater capacity or fund upgrades.
  • The article also cites wider context, including a 24% electricity rate increase in 2025 in Aurora attributed to new data center demand and a national tracker counting 219 local moratoriums as of August 4.
• Aug 6, 2026

  Texas Audit Could Delay 49.8 GW of Data Center Load, Cost Projects Up to $15 Billion, BNEF Warns

  BloombergNEF said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Aug. 3 directive pausing new ERCOT data center connections could delay major data center load growth while the state audits the interconnection queue.

  • Abbott ordered the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT to verify and audit every data center project in the queue before additional projects advance; ERCOT then suspended Batch Zero timelines and said it would seek a good-cause exception before the Aug. 20, 2026 PUCT meeting.
  • BNEF estimated 49.8 GW of exposed data center demand on ERCOT, with possible revenue at risk of just over $8 billion in a 60% AI mix and roughly $15 billion in a 100% AI mix; the report also noted Texas SB 6 rulemaking, a $50,000/MW financial security requirement, and that ERCOT’s queue totals 474 GW of pending large-load requests.
• Aug 6, 2026

  A new way to watch heat move through electronics

  MIT researchers have demonstrated a new X-ray and laser-based method to study heat flow in multilayer materials, with potential applications for electronics and chip design.

  • The team used ultrafast X-rays and laser pulses to measure heat transfer in a gallium nitride on silicon device, identifying a single micron-scale defect that caused a fourfold reduction in heat transfer at that spot.
  • The work was published in Nature Communications and includes researchers from MIT, University of Texas at Austin, and Argonne National Laboratory; it was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. National Science Foundation, and the MIT School of Engineering Distinguished Energy Efficiency Fellowship.