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Indiana Data Center Intel

Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across Indiana — updated daily.

Recent Indiana data center news

  • Jensen Huang Maps the AI Factory Era at NVIDIA GTC 2026

    Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced that AI is entering an infrastructure phase and unveiled hardware, software, and reference architectures to build gigawatt-scale “AI factories” for continuous inference.

    • Main announcement: Nvidia unveiled new infrastructure components including Grace Blackwell NVLink72, Vera Rubin (rack-scale systems with ~3.6 exaflops per rack and 45°C hot-water liquid cooling), the Vera Rubin DSX AI Factory reference architecture and Omniverse DSX digital-twin blueprint, and software layers OpenClaw / Nemo / Nemotron to orchestrate and secure agentic AI systems; Nvidia estimated a $1 trillion AI infrastructure market and cited an industry shift to continuous inference.
    • Details & partners: Nvidia described hybrid architectures integrating Groq accelerators (disaggregated inference via Dynamo orchestration), a production co-packaged optical switch built with TSMC, DSX integrations with partners (Cadence, Dassault Systèmes, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Vertiv, Trane Technologies, Switch) and energy partners (GE Vernova, Siemens Energy, Hitachi Energy, Emerald AI); the keynote also referenced venture funding > $150 billion for AI startups and examples like Nestlé reducing compute costs by 83% on a GPU-accelerated workload.
  • US Data Centre Pipeline Hits 241 GW, Growth Slows in Q4: Wood Mackenzie

    Wood Mackenzie reported that the disclosed U.S. data centre pipeline reached 241 GW by end-2025, while Q4 additions slowed to about 25 GW.

    • Main finding: The disclosed U.S. data centre pipeline reached 241 GW by end-2025; Q4 2025 additions were ~25 GW (about half of Q3). Large-load capacity tied to construction or electricity supply agreements is ~183 GW (≈22% of U.S. peak demand in 2025), and developers shifted to executing existing projects due to load queue constraints and speculative mega-project activity in the U.S. South and Southwest.
    • Additional details: The report projects major developers will increase capital spending by about $94 billion versus 2025 (growth expected to slow in 2026). Oracle Corporation has taken on significant debt for its “Stargate” campuses (many relying on on-site generation). ERCOT and PJM account for 72% of large-load commitments; Texas leads planned capacity and on-site generation, while New Mexico, Indiana, and Wyoming saw the fastest Q4 project growth. The report also notes proposed grid/interconnection rule changes in ERCOT and Southwest Power Pool that could require new generation contracts or introduce non-firm transmission/curtailment risks.
  • Landowners and Locals are Fighting AI Expansion of High-Voltage Power Lines

    PPL has announced plans to build a 500-kilovolt transmission line (the 12-mile “Sugarloaf” project) that could cross John Zola’s 40-acre property in eastern Pennsylvania.

    • Project details and local action: The 12-mile Sugarloaf project would reuse and expand an existing corridor, involve 240-foot metal towers and require a wide corridor (up to 200-foot-wide in some projects); PPL serves more than 1.5 million customers, projects peak electricity demand to more than triple by 2030, has offered landowners cash payments (offers reported rising from $17,000 to $85,000 for one owner) and may pursue eminent domain if landowners refuse.
    • Background and national context: The article places the Sugarloaf dispute in a broader national trend driven by AI-era data center demand: a $1.7 billion proposed Pennsylvania-spanning line, a $22 billion Midwest transmission package under dispute, and utilities forecasting transmission spending to nearly $50 billion a year by 2028; opponents include landowners, conservationists, state regulators and regional stakeholders.
  • 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.
  • Digital Infrastructure Boom Faces Complex Labor Crisis

    William Self of Mercer warned that labor — not capital, land, or energy — is the single biggest constraint on the current data center buildout during a Marsh-hosted webinar on March 9.

    • Main announcement/action:William Self (Mercer) stated the workforce shortfall could be 75,000–140,000 skilled workers over the next few years; he said companies must plan for two talent phases (construction trades vs. long-term operations) and build labor pipelines via apprenticeships, community college partnerships, veteran pipelines, and in-house academies. The webinar was hosted by Marsh on March 9.
    • Background and details: Self flagged geographic shifts from hubs (Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Dallas) to emerging locales (Columbus, Ohio; South Bend, Ind.; Abilene, Texas; rural Louisiana; Texas Panhandle), noted a resulting boomtown dynamic and service shortfalls, reported cross-industry poaching (power/utilities, defense, process industries), mentioned a risk-based pay response to a “psychological burden” tied to conflict in the Middle East, and cited typical data center technician pay of $60,000–$90,000 annually.
  • Illinois to data centers: Bring your own renewables and skip the line

    The Protecting Our Water, Energy, and Ratepayers Act (POWER Act) has been introduced in Illinois to incentivize data centers to build or procure new clean energy by offering fast interconnection and guaranteed access to the amount of clean power they procure.

    • Main action: The bill would give data centers a fast-track grid connection if they submit a clean energy plan that procures 80% of predicted annual demand from new clean energy by 2030 and 100% by 2045, and it guarantees uninterrupted access to the amount of clean energy they pay to build or acquire; it also allows utilities to curtail facilities that fail to meet clean-energy thresholds during high-demand periods.
    • Additional details and context: The bill requires data centers to pay for transmission and substation upgrades, contribute to a public benefits and affordability fund (amounts set by peak demand), funds a compensation fund for community groups intervening in regulatory proceedings, mandates quarterly water-use reports and community-benefit agreements, and is supported by the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition and groups like Vote Solar and the Union of Concerned Scientists; the Illinois legislative session ends in late May and the measure will undergo consensus-building.
  • 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.
  • Fossil generation could rise with faster-than-expected growth in data center power demand

    The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) published an analysis showing that faster-than-expected electricity demand growth driven by data centers could increase natural gas and coal generation and raise wholesale electricity prices.

    • Main analysis and assumptions: The EIA produced a high demand growth scenario in which 2026 and 2027 growth rates are 50% higher than the February STEO in data-center-heavy regions, while other regions are +1 percentage point above STEO; the scenario assumes no additional generating capacity beyond the February STEO and applies an assumed +$0.50/MMBtu increase in natural gas delivered prices across regions.
    • Key modeled outcomes and metrics: Under the scenario, natural gas generation rises to +7.3% (123 BkWh) between 2025–2027 (vs 1.7% baseline), coal generation declines by 5.0% (37 BkWh) nationwide in the high case, and ERCOT 2027 wholesale prices model +$37/MWh above the February STEO (excluding ERCOT the average 2027 wholesale price is +$2.10/MWh above the STEO forecast of $48/MWh).
  • Meta’s Expanded MTIA Roadmap Signals a New Phase in AI Data Center Architecture

    Meta has outlined and is deploying its MTIA (Meta Training and Inference Accelerator) program, describing roadmaped chip generations and current production use in its data centers.

    • Main announcement/action: Meta outlined a roadmap for successive generations of MTIA processors and reports that first production deployments are already running in its data centers, supporting ranking and recommendation models that generate trillions of predictions per day. Future generations are expected on an ~18–24 month cadence and aim to increase throughput and efficiency for large-scale inference.
    • Background and details: The engineering blog post and industry reporting detail how MTIA lets Meta shape rack-level power and thermal envelopes, integrate with liquid-to-chip cooling, and apply chip-level power management (power capping, workload throttling) to run racks closer to electrical limits; the article also situates MTIA alongside other hyperscaler chips (Google TPUs, AWS Trainium/Inferentia, Microsoft Maia) and notes hyperscale planning for hundreds of megawatts to gigawatt-scale campuses.
  • From Real Estate to AI Factories: 7x24 Exchange's Michael Siteman on Power, Politics, and the New Logic of Data Center Development

    Data Center Frontier published a podcast episode featuring Michael Siteman (President, Prodigious Proclivities and longtime 7x24 Exchange leader) discussing how AI demand, power scarcity, network strategy, and local politics are reshaping data center development.

    • Main announcement/action: The episode frames site selection as now a systems engineering challenge driven by power availability, network topology, and political risk; Siteman highlights the rapid market shift toward behind-the-meter/onsite generation (usually gas) — noting attitudes changed from “no grid interconnection, no interest” six months ago to willingness to accept onsite generation in the last 30 days. Also cited: rack densities of 120–150 kilowatts and widespread adoption of liquid-to-chip cooling for AI workloads.
    • Background and details: The conversation documents increased pre-leasing of capacity before building completion (with lenders wary because contracts often include termination rights), the labor shortage (“Data centers don’t run themselves”), and a concrete cost datapoint that one high-performance AI server with GPUs and storage can cost over half a million dollars; examples include an island-powered site relying entirely on onsite generation where fiber is ~1,000 feet away.

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