Illinois Data Center Intel

Recent Illinois data center news

• Dec 22, 2025 · IT Brief Asia

  HPE dominates TOP500 with trio of exascale leaders

  Hewlett Packard Enterprise has built the world’s three fastest exascale supercomputers (El Capitan, Frontier, Aurora), delivered six of the top ten TOP500 systems overall, and supplied ten of the top 20 Green500 energy-efficient machines.

  • Main announcement: HPE-built systems occupy the top three TOP500 positions (El Capitan, Frontier, Aurora). Key performance figures: El Capitan — 1.809 exaflops (4% gain), Frontier — 1.353 exaflops, Aurora — 1.021 exaflops; HPE also built six of the top ten TOP500 systems and ten of the top 20 Green500 systems using fanless direct liquid cooling derived from Cray designs.
  • Background and details: The ranking confirms institutional locations and uses: El Capitan at Lawrence Livermore National Labouratory (AMD Instinct MI300A); Frontier at Oak Ridge National Labouratory (AMD Instinct MI250 + AMD Epyc); Aurora at Argonne National Labouratory (built with Intel). HPE announced additional sovereign AI installs: TELUS (Canada) — 22.74 petaflops and Alem.Cloud Sovereign AI (Kazakhstan) — 20.48 petaflops, and continues to deploy second-generation exascale designs, liquid-cooled architectures, and open-source tools such as Chapel under the High Performance Software Foundation.
• Dec 19, 2025

  Driving the connected mobility shift: Verizon’s view on V2X

  Verizon Business, via SVP Daniel Lawson, outlines how its Edge Transportation Exchange (ETX) platform will scale vehicle‑to‑everything (V2X) by combining 5G connectivity, edge compute, and network slicing for transportation use cases.

  • Main details: ETX targets emergency-vehicle preemption, vulnerable road user protection, tolling efficiency, autonomous freight corridors, and OEM test facilities, leveraging ultra‑reliable low‑latency 5G, edge inferencing for cameras and sensors, and programmable network slices (for first responders, trucking, transportation) to orchestrate traffic infrastructure and vehicle data in near real time; Verizon is running pilots in Texas (Houston–Dallas autonomous trucking) and Germany (OEM facilities) and testing vulnerable‑road‑user protections with TCU manufacturers.
  • Background and context: Lawson emphasizes secure‑by‑design cybersecurity, multi‑stakeholder commercialization challenges (cities, OEMs, insurers, toll operators), and the need for top–down governance plus local customization; McKinsey’s ACES framing and MCFM provide analytical context, while projections cited include 90%+ of cars connected and ~50% level‑2+ autonomy by 2030, pointing to a 2030s landscape where V2X platforms, edge analytics, and programmability form critical infrastructure for mobility.
• Dec 18, 2025

  Feds Allow Big Tech to Plug Data Centers Right Into Power Plants

  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a unanimous order allowing large tech data centers to effectively colocate and draw power directly from power plants within the PJM mid-Atlantic territory.

  • Main action: FERC’s order requires PJM Interconnection to develop rates and conditions for multiple colocation scenarios (including with new power plants and existing plants) and may allow big users to pay only for transmission services they use; it stems from a dispute over a proposed colocation between Amazon’s cloud-computing subsidiary and the owner of the Susquehanna nuclear power plant. Key names: Laura Swett (FERC chair), Chris Wright (Trump’s energy secretary). The mid-Atlantic territory covers about 65 million people.
  • Background and details: The order is pitched as protecting ratepayers while enabling rapid connections for data centers; it was welcomed by power plant owners and supported in part by Advanced Energy United, while Edison Electric Institute said it would “continue to work” on rapid connections. The decision grew from disputes between power plant owners and electric utilities, and FERC may require colocating users to pay to replace diverted energy to the broader grid.
• Dec 18, 2025

  Feds pave the way for Big Tech to plug data centers directly into power plants

  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a unanimous order allowing tech companies to connect large data centers directly to power plants.

  • FERC order clears regulatory questions around “colocation” agreements and enables direct plant connections for massive energy users across the mid-Atlantic territory (~65 million people); the order could serve as a blueprint for responding to an October request from Energy Secretary Chris Wright to prioritize rapid power access for data centers and large manufacturers.
  • Background and additional details: Laura Swett called the move a “critical step” to give investors and consumers certainty; power plant owners applauded and saw share-price increases; Advanced Energy United said the order helps clarify setup options for big users, Edison Electric Institute said it would “continue to work” to support rapid data center connection while protecting ratepayers, and the Electricity Customer Alliance (Jeff Dennis) said the order addresses looming demand issues and the urgency to reform grid policy.
• Dec 18, 2025

  NVIDIA, US Government to Boost AI Infrastructure and R&D Investments Through Landmark Genesis Mission

  NVIDIA has announced it will join the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission as a private industry partner and has signed an MOU with DOE to accelerate scientific discovery using AI, robotics and high‑performance computing.

  • Genesis Mission partnership & MOU: NVIDIA will integrate a discovery platform connecting government, industry and academia under the DOE’s Genesis Mission, targeting AI leadership in energy, scientific research and national security, and has signed an MOU covering AI for manufacturing and supply chains, open‑source AI, fission and fusion energy, robotics, AI‑enabled digital twins, and quantum computing.
  • Technical focus & prior collaborations: Existing and future work spans open AI science models (NVIDIA Apollo), robotics and autonomous labs, nuclear energy, quantum computing research, biology, materials science and synthetic design, subsurface and geothermal resources, and environmental cleanup; it builds on collaborations such as an Oracle‑NVIDIA DOE supercomputer at Argonne and seven new AI systems at Argonne and Los Alamos National Laboratories to advance DOE’s mission.
• Dec 18, 2025

  How the 2026 Washington Legislature Can Right-Size the Power Grid  

  Washington State lawmakers are being urged to overhaul transmission planning and permitting to expand grid capacity and connect more clean energy by 2026.

  • Main reforms proposed include creating a state transmission authority with revenue bonding power, broadening EFSEC expedited processing to avoid trial-like adjudicative hearings, clarifying or mandating that transmission lines be allowed in most/all local zones, and targeted SEPA exemptions or substitutions where impacts are minimal or already covered by EFSEC standards, all while preserving Tribal consultation and privacy.
  • Context and details: Article cites New Mexico, Colorado, and California public or quasi-public transmission models, highlights decade-long stagnation in Washington grid build-out, documents multi-year local conditional use permit delays (e.g., Energize Eastside) and their cost pass-through to PSE customers, and references recent historic flooding in Washington as evidence of escalating climate risks that make faster grid expansion urgent.
• Dec 17, 2025

  What is a data center used for? Are they bad for the environment?

  Indianapolis Star explains what data centers are and why Hoosiers are concerned about AI data centers.

  • Main explanation & announcement: The article defines data centers and summarizes the current Indiana situation: more than 80 data centers in Indiana (Data Center Map, as of Dec. 16, 2025), with 35 in Marion County, 16 in Fort Wayne, 13 in South Bend, 8 in Gary, and at least 24 proposed projects (Citizens Action Coalition). It references specific projects including a Google proposal withdrawn in Franklin Township (Oct. 2025) and Meta’s 700,000-square-foot AI data center in Jeffersonville (Meta said the project would have more than 1,250 workers on site at peak construction and had promised 100 permanent jobs when opened).
  • Background & supporting details: The piece reports concerns from the Citizens Action Coalition about utility cost increases, air/climate pollution, intense water consumption, and noise pollution; cites an estimate that a single AI data center can use 1 to 5 million gallons of water per day for evaporative cooling; and notes the Midwest (IL, OH, KY, MI, IN) has 592 data centers planned or operational (Data Center Map).
• Dec 16, 2025

  12 Days of Regulatory Insights: Day 9 – The Economic Development Edge

  The Regulatory Oversight Podcast releases an episode titled “12 Days of Regulatory Insights: Day 9 – The Economic Development Edge” featuring David Dove and Kirk Dillard discussing U.S. economic development trends for 2025–2026.

  • Episode focus: Shifting federal regulations and tariffs shaping onshoring and investment decisions across Midwest manufacturing, agribusiness, clean energy, and emerging sectors such as quantum computing, microelectronics, AI, with emphasis on incentives, grants, and workforce programs and the concept of “positive lawyering” for growth projects.
  • Infrastructure and siting details: Speakers highlight local partnerships and chambers, address rural siting issues (e.g., truck counts, road redesigns), and stress infrastructure needs for data centers, including utilities, water availability, and grid capacity, drawing on their roles with the Regional Transportation Authority, Illinois Economic Development Corporation, and University System of Georgia Board of Regents.
• Dec 16, 2025

  Renewable energy is key to powering Texas data centers

  Google announced it plans to construct three new data centers in Texas at a cost of $40 billion.

  • Main announcement & implementation details: Google will build three new data centers in Texas at an estimated $40 billion and has committed a $30 million Energy Impact Fund to scale energy initiatives; the company reports more than 6,200 megawatts of new generation and capacity contracted via power purchase agreements. The OpenAI/Oracle Stargate campus near Abilene has its first two buildings operational and the remaining six buildings are expected to be completed by mid-2026.
  • Context, background and project metrics: Texas currently has 375 data centers operating and 70 under construction (Baxtel); ERCOT saw large-load interconnection requests rise from 56 GW (Sept 2024) to 205 GW one year later. Renewables growth includes nearly 877–900 solar projects under development in Texas, >200% increase in ERCOT solar capacity over four years, and 8 TWh of wind/solar curtailed in 2024 due to transmission limits. The SEIA warns federal permitting changes are slowing some solar and storage projects.
• Dec 13, 2025

  Frontier Galvanizing: The Critical Role Of Galvanizing In Renewable Energy And Utility Projects

  Frontier Galvanizing emphasizes its hot-dip galvanizing process as critical for improving durability and corrosion resistance in renewable energy and utility infrastructure.

  • Main announcement / action: Frontier Galvanizing, with over 75 years of experience, highlights the role of hot-dip galvanizing in protecting steel components used in solar mounting systems, wind turbine towers and bolts, substations, smart grid components, and energy storage facility structures, aiming to extend service life and reduce maintenance for renewable projects.
  • Background and details: The article states coatings meet rigorous industry standards, are applied across projects throughout the country, and the company positions galvanizing as a technical quality-control measure that supports long-term performance, reliability, and resilience of renewable energy distribution and utility assets.