Indiana Data Center Intel

Recent Indiana data center news

• Mar 12, 2026

  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).
• Mar 11, 2026

  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.
• Mar 10, 2026

  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.
• Mar 10, 2026

  US solar installations down in 2025 after Trump policies jolt market, report says

  The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie published a study showing US new solar installations fell to 43 GW in 2025, down from nearly 50 GW in 2024.

  • Study finding and causes:43 GW installed in 2025 versus nearly 50 GW in 2024; utility-scale solar installations declined 16% and community solar declined 25% in 2025. The report attributes the disruption to policy changes under the Trump administration, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the scrapping of subsidies and tax breaks for renewable developers, and a freeze on approvals for major projects. Top states: Texas added 11 GW, followed by Indiana, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Utah and Arkansas.
  • Background and projections: The report notes solar and energy storage accounted for 79% of new capacity additions in the first year of the Trump administration, with more than two-thirds of installations in states won by him. It projects the US will add 490 GW of new solar capacity by 2036, taking cumulative installed capacity to nearly 770 GW. Key spokespersons: Darren Van’t Hof (SEIA interim President and CEO) and Michelle Davis (head of solar, Wood Mackenzie).
• Mar 9, 2026

  Data center water spikes could cost billions

  A UC Riverside research team led by Shaolei Ren has announced that community waterworks across the U.S. will need billions of dollars in new infrastructure to meet projected peak water demands from data centers.

  • Main finding: The study quantifies that, within four years, data center cooling peak demands could require 697 million to 1.45 billion gallons per day of additional peak water capacity, and the estimated cost of required water infrastructure is $10 billion to $58 billion, depending on data center growth rates. The report calls for reporting peak water use (not just annual averages) and recommends developers add or fund water capacity or efficiency improvements to offset their own use.
  • Background and specifics: The paper notes that on very hot days single data centers can withdraw >1 million gallons/day, with some planned allocations up to 8 million gallons/day. In February 2026, three major technology companies secured multi-million gallons/day water allocations for projects in Virginia, Louisiana, and Indiana, with combined related infrastructure costs approaching $1 billion. The study stresses limits from snowpack and reservoirs and cites the EPA estimate of trillions of dollars needed for national water/wastewater upgrades over the next two decades.
• Mar 6, 2026

  AI Infrastructure Brief: Power, Capital, and Silicon Collide in the Next Phase of the Data Center Buildout

  Data Center Frontier summarizes multiple AI infrastructure announcements and projects scaling to gigawatts across North America.

  • Main announcement/action: The article reports an industry-wide acceleration of hyperscale AI data center development, including CoreWeave’s plan to add roughly 5 GW of capacity by 2030, xAI’s $659 million permit filing for Memphis “Colossus,” Nebius’s $150.6 billion Chapter 100 bond approval, and a $2.4 billion B&W/Base Electron design-build agreement to deliver 1.2 GW of natural-gas generation to supply Applied Digital AI campuses; it also cites La Caisse’s C$240 million commitment to Cologix’s MTL8 and Google’s $40 billion investment pipeline in Texas through 2027.
  • Context and additional details: The report documents wider trends: institutional capital flows (Blackstone exploring a public data-center vehicle; HighBrook targeting 300 MW), growth in dedicated/behind-the-meter generation (the “power island” trend), and rising political and community scrutiny (Birmingham 180-day moratorium, Oregon HB 4084 proposal, project withdrawals/controversies in Apex NC and West Louisville).
• Mar 5, 2026

  Hyperscalers Sign White House Pledge to Fund Data Center Power, Grid Upgrades

  The White House convened seven major AI/hyperscaler companies on March 4 to sign the non‑regulatory Ratepayer Protection Pledge committing to fund new generation capacity and pay for required grid upgrades so costs are not passed to residential or commercial ratepayers.

  • Main announcement (signatories & commitments): The pledge was signed on March 4, 2026 by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI, committing to build, bring, or buy new generation resources and cover the cost of all power delivery infrastructure upgrades required for their data centers; companies also agree to pay for contracted power and infrastructure whether or not they ultimately consume the electricity. The White House framed the effort as a policy response to AI-driven load growth and stated companies will negotiate separate rate structures with utilities and state governments to isolate costs from existing ratepayers.
  • Background & implementation details: The article cites EPRI projections (U.S. data center demand ~177–192 TWh in 2024, rising to 9–17% of national demand by 2030, up to 793 TWh in a high scenario). It documents specific company actions and figures: Google >7,800 MW contracted in Texas and a $4.75 billion Intersect Power acquisition pending; Microsoft contracted 7.9 GW in MISO; Amazon-related deals cited ~$1 billion projected customer savings (Indiana) and a $300 million Entergy transformation (Mississippi); OpenAI’s Stargate aims for 10 GW U.S. AI compute by 2029 and committed $175 million for local infrastructure in Wisconsin. The notes also record that the pledge is non‑binding and the White House disclosure does not specify independent auditing, penalties, or a defined enforcement methodology.
• Mar 5, 2026

  OpenAI and the Rise of the Multi-Cloud AI Factory

  OpenAI is deepening infrastructure partnerships with AWS to deploy large-scale Trainium capacity and pursuing multi-cloud compute strategies, with reports of very large cloud commitments and potential strategic investments.

  • Main announcement: OpenAI is expanding its infrastructure footprint with AWS, planning to deploy as much as 2 GW of Trainium-based AI compute capacity under an expanded long-term cloud agreement; reporting also suggests the AWS–OpenAI contract could grow by as much as $100 billion in cloud consumption commitments and include a potential $50 billion Amazon investment (reported). These are reported/plausible terms presented as industry reporting rather than a formal OpenAI press release.
  • Background and details: The article synthesizes reporting and analysis: it highlights multi-cloud strategies (Azure + AWS + specialized providers), continued centrality of Nvidia GPUs (and architectures like Vera Rubin), involvement of capital providers such as SoftBank, and mentions other infrastructure partners like Oracle Cloud and CoreWeave; it frames the shift as a transition to gigawatt-scale AI infrastructure and discusses governance questions tied to OpenAI’s nonprofit/for-profit structure.
• Mar 4, 2026

  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 the latest roundup of data center career opportunities on the Data Center Frontier jobs board.

  • Main announcement: Data Center Frontier and Pkaza published 13 current data center job listings across the United States (examples include Electrical Applications Engineer, Electrical Commissioning Engineer, Production Architect – Data Center Facilities Design, Director of Construction, and Data Center Facility Operations Director), with many roles offering remote options or multiple city locations (e.g., Pittsburgh, Dallas, New York, Ashburn, Columbus, Boulder, Chesterton, Augusta).
  • Background and details: Listings are provided by/for mission-critical and colo/hyperscale sectors and emphasize reliability, energy efficiency, sustainable design and LEED expertise; roles cover engineering design & commissioning firms, electrical contracting, general contracting and data center developers, and include positions supporting AI/HPC infrastructure and brownfield conversions.
• Mar 4, 2026

  EQT, GIP Move to Take AES Private in $33B Bet on Data Center Power Demand

  A consortium led by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and EQT has announced a definitive agreement to acquire AES Corp. in an all-cash transaction.

  • Deal terms and timing: The consortium will acquire AES for $15.00 per share in cash, valuing equity at $10.7 billion and enterprise value at about $33.4 billion (including debt); the transaction is expected to close in late 2026 or early 2027, subject to shareholder approval and U.S. and foreign regulatory approvals.
  • Operational and financing context: AES said it is self‑funded through 2027, plans to continue investing roughly $1.8 billion a year in growth, will maintain existing capital programs (including a 1.2-GW gas repowering at AES Indiana and 4.8 GW of backlog projects under construction through 2027), and the consortium will fund 100% of the purchase price in equity; AES utilities in Indiana and Ohio will remain locally operated and regulated, and regulators will review transaction impacts on rates and ring-fencing measures.