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Illinois Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across Illinois — updated daily.
Recent Illinois data center news
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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.
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$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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Hogan Lovells Cadwalader expands technology and life sciences capabilities with addition of David Emanuelson to antitrust team in San Francisco
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader has announced the addition of David Emanuelson as a partner in its Antitrust and Competition practice in San Francisco.
- Emanuelson joined from Arnold & Porter and will advise on merger analysis, private antitrust litigation, government investigations, and antitrust compliance.
- The firm said he has experience with semiconductor, AI, datacenters and cloud computing, autonomous driving, healthcare technology, and biotechnology issues; no deal value or pricing was disclosed.
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Data Center Jobs: Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, Sales, Field Service and Facility Tech Jobs Available in Major Data Center Hotspots
Data Center Frontier, in partnership with Pkaza, has posted a roundup of current data center job opportunities on the Data Center Frontier jobs board.
- The article highlights multiple roles including CFD Engineer, Electrical Commissioning Agent, Critical Power Sales Associate, Architect, Electrical Project Manager, Commissioning Project Manager, Owner’s Rep - Construction Cost Controls Director, Project Executive, Data Center Construction Project Manager, Mechanical Commissioning Engineer, Mechanical Controls Engineer, Critical Facilities Systems Manager, Principal Electrical Engineer, and Director of Project Deliverables.
- Listings span remote and on-site roles across the United States, with repeated references to enterprise, colocation, hyperscale, and mission-critical data center facilities; no compensation or investment figures are provided.
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Nuclear Momentum Meets the Megawatt Test
The article is a news analysis of recent U.S. nuclear industry announcements and their links to AI and data center demand.
- Constellation Energy advanced the Crane Clean Energy Center restart in Pennsylvania after a FERC waiver and NRC draft environmental review, supported by a 20-year agreement with Microsoft for all electricity, capacity and clean-energy attributes.
- The piece also covers Kairos Power’s Hermes 2, four criticality demonstrations, the Savannah River Site data center proposal, DOE’s $17.5 billion conditional financing for AP1000 reactors, Walmart’s nuclear PPA, Palisades restart progress, and NRC/DOE fuel and licensing reforms.