Kansas Data Center News

May 12, 2026

Case Study – Norwalk Sportsplex

Aureon partnered with the Norwalk Sportsplex development team to design and install fiber during the groundwork phase, delivering full site coverage and enabling internet activation within days of tenant move-in.

Main action: Aureon installed fiber before concrete was poured, achieving 100% site coverage, pre-wired buildings, enabling tenant activation within days, and avoiding $10K+ in excavation/rework costs. It coordinated trenching and conduit placement directly with construction crews to embed connectivity into the build schedule.
Background & details: The site previously had no existing fiber. The deployment covered 4 sectors: Sports, Retail, Restaurant, Hotel, resulted in 0 excavation required, and produced an “internet-ready“ leasing advantage for tenants.

May 8, 2026

EDP Renewables and Meta ink PPA for 250-MW solar project

Meta has reached a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with EDP Renewables North America to offtake energy from the Cypress Knee Solar project in southeast Arkansas.

Main announcement: Meta signed a long-term PPA with EDP Renewables North America for the 250-MW Cypress Knee Solar project in southeast Arkansas; EDP anticipates project completion in 2028, while an EDP fact sheet estimates the project will begin commercial operations next year. This is the third EDP–Meta deal, bringing the total procured energy between the two companies to 545 MW.
Background and details: Cypress Knee Solar is “expected to contribute more than $25 million in additional funding to Chicot County over the project’s 30-year life through an Industrial Revenue Bond agreement with the County”; Meta says the agreement “supports Meta’s efforts to add new generation to the grid as it continues to match 100% of its annual electricity use with new clean and renewable energy.” Related context: Meta has other deals including NextEra’s 11 PPAs to offtake 2.1 GW, and Entergy Louisiana reached an agreement to deliver 5.2 GW of natural-gas capacity to support Meta’s $27-billion Hyperion data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana.

May 8, 2026

Meta Signs 250 MW U.S. Renewables Deal with EDP Renewables

EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) announced a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Meta for the 250‑MW Cypress Knee Solar project in Arkansas.

250‑MW Cypress Knee Solar PPA with Meta: The project is located near Lake Village, Arkansas, is expected to include approximately $400 million of capital investment, will generate energy equivalent to the average consumption of more than 43,400 homes, and has completion anticipated by 2028. This is Meta’s third agreement with EDPR NA and nearly doubles the total energy procured between the companies to 545 MW.
Background and additional details: Meta ranked as the largest corporate clean energy offtaker globally in 2025 (per BloombergNEF, contracting 10.24 GW in that year). Meta has set targets to reach net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2030 and to continue to match 100% of the electricity used in its data centers and offices with renewable energy.

Apr 22, 2026

Render Networks Announces $14.3 Million Funding Raise From Black Kite Partners

Render Networks announced $14.3 million in private equity growth funding and the acquisition of mPower Innovations.

Acquisition and funding: Render Networks will acquire mPower Innovations and announced $14.3 million in private equity growth funding from BlackKite Partners; as part of the acquisition Render will transition mPower’s digital modeling platform to Esri’s ArcGIS. Greg Calcari (mPower founder) and Jason Brown (mPower CEO) will remain in senior leadership roles at Render. The company is based in Australia with U.S. headquarters in Denver. No specific implementation timeline for the transition or integration was provided in the announcement.
Context and background: Render provides an AI-driven SaaS platform for construction data and cites use in BEAD deployment and major infrastructure projects; past customers named include Lumen, Connect2First, and Craighead Electric Cooperative Corporation. BlackKite Partners is an Australian private equity firm that launched in March 2026. The announcement includes executive statements from Stephen Rose (Render CEO) and Adrian Kerley (BlackKite Partners).

Apr 22, 2026

Patented: Verizon’s Signal Spoof Detection at Base Stations and More North Texas Inventive Activity

Dallas-Fort Worth reported 171 patents granted for the week of March 24 and Verizon was granted a patent for detecting GPS/satellite signal spoofing at cellular base stations.

Main announcement: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (19100) 171 patents granted for the week of March 24, ranked No. 8 out of 250 U.S. metros; notable individual patent: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc. (U.S. Patent No. 12587857) for signal spoof detection at base stations using a comparison of a station’s known “true position” with a calculated “real time position” and generating an alert when the distance exceeds a threshold. Named inventors on the Verizon patent are Jerry Gamble, Jr. (Grapevine, TX) and Sumanth S. Mallya (Flower Mound, TX).
Background/details: The article is a patent roundup (Dallas Invents) listing utility and design patents connected to North Texas; it enumerates classification counts (G: Physics 53; H: Electricity 49; DESIGN: 31, etc.), top assignees (e.g., Texas Instruments Inc. 17; Traxxas L.P. 17; Samsung 8; Verizon 6) and highlights many granted patents across domains (telecom, AI/ML, medical devices, robotics, energy, networking). For each patent the report includes patent number, inventor(s), assignee, application file/date, and abstract (no speculative outcomes).

Apr 19, 2026

AI data center deals must be carefully crafted, EPA chief says in Las Vegas

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin hosted a roundtable with Las Vegas business leaders and urged carefully structured AI data center deals while highlighting water-reuse priorities.

Main action: Zeldin hosted a roundtable at the Vegas Chamber and visited a Switch AI data center and Symphony Park; he emphasized the EPA’s updated Water Reuse Action Plan and urged that data center agreements be structured to provide net benefits to communities. He noted that Las Vegas has banned evaporative cooling for commercial properties (the final commercial permit was issued in 2024) and promoted closed-loop or air-cooling alternatives for new data centers.
Background and details: The article cites a Western Resource Advocates analysis saying NV Energy may need to quadruple peak energy capacity to serve pending data-center requests; Zeldin referenced examples such as Google powering a West Memphis data center with a solar farm and battery storage (linked reporting references a $4 billion Google investment). Zeldin also said EPA officials are taking local input “back to Washington, D.C.” to standardize enforcement practices.

Apr 2, 2026

States Race to Win the Tech Economy in 2026 State of the State Addresses

Broadband and technology were prioritized across nearly 30 governors’ 2026 State of the State addresses.

Main announcement: Governors across the country emphasized broadband expansion, AI policy and workforce development, and data center/energy planning; specific claims include Maine reporting “more than a quarter million homes and businesses” served, Wisconsin reporting 410,000 businesses and households with new or improved internet, Kansas connecting 117,000 households and businesses, and the Virgin Islands reporting a territory-wide internet program with over 50,000 users per month. The addresses also included concrete funding and contract figures: Maryland announced a $4 million AI workforce training investment, and South Dakota cited a $35 million Department of Defense contract for warhead production.
Background and other details: Governors described partnerships and policy actions: Maryland cited collaborations with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Microsoft, a South Korean biotech firm, and AstraZeneca for AI work; Iowa cited partnerships with Amazon Web Services and Google Public Sector to modernize state systems; several governors (Indiana, New York, Nebraska) debated who should shoulder data center energy costs or accelerate permitting; some states (New Hampshire, Delaware, South Carolina) signaled nuclear energy pathways and DOE engagement. Implementation timelines are those stated in addresses (2026) and referenced ongoing programs and contracts (e.g., South Dakota’s $35 million DoD contract already awarded).

Mar 27, 2026

Trump Admin’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge: What It Means for Hyperscalers

Seven major operators—Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI—signed the White House-brokered Ratepayer Protection Pledge on March 4, committing to build, procure, or directly fund new electricity generation capacity and to cover transmission and interconnection upgrade costs rather than passing them on to residential or commercial ratepayers.

Main announcement: The seven named hyperscalers signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge (White House-brokered, March 4) to fund new generation and pay for transmission/interconnection upgrades tied to their U.S. data center demand; the pledge explicitly shifts upgrade costs away from residential/commercial ratepayers and toward data center builders.
Context and implementation details: States and regional operators are already acting (e.g., Texas Senate Bill 6, PJM process updates) to assign large-load cost responsibility; companies are negotiating tailored agreements (upfront funding, cost-sharing, long-term commitments), examples include Microsoft’s Community-First framework and Microsoft’s involvement in restarting a Three Mile Island unit, while EPRI projects accelerated electricity demand growth through 2030.

Mar 26, 2026

KU School of Engineering to host 76th annual Environmental Engineering Conference

The University of Kansas School of Engineering will host the 76th Annual Environmental Engineering Conference on April 15, 2026.

Main announcement: The Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering will host the 76th Annual Environmental Engineering Conference with the theme “Environmental Planning and Engineering in the Era of AI”, chaired by Kazi Parvez Fattah; the event is a full-day conference (7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the Kansas Union, with check-in at 7:30 a.m. and opening remarks at 8:30 a.m..
Details & logistics:
- Date: April 15, 2026
- Time: Check-in 7:30 a.m.; conference runs 7:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; opening remarks 8:30 a.m.
- Location: Kansas Union, University of Kansas
- Agenda / subjects: drinking water, sustainable wastewater treatment, water contamination, air quality, data centers in the industry, AI and data analytics in environmental management
- Speakers / participants: representatives from Ramboll, Evergy, CDM Smith, Jacobs, HDR, T8 Environmental LLC, multiple universities and government entities (KDHE, Office of Laura Kelly, HRSD, Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials)
- Registration: Early bird registration ends April 2
- Contact: event contact envconf@ku.edu; media contact Emma Herrman (emma.herrman@ku.edu)

Mar 23, 2026

Communities Are Raising Noise Pollution Concerns About Data Centers

Miguel Yañez-Barnuevo reports on noise pollution from data centers and local policy responses, citing community complaints, health impacts, and mitigation options.

Main announcement/action: The article documents local regulatory and community pushback (e.g., Chandler, AZ adopted a zoning code amendment in 2022 and the Chandler city council unanimously voted against a proposed AI data center in 2025) in response to persistent data center noise; it also reports that 46 planned/permitted/under-construction U.S. data centers will use off-grid gas turbines that run continuously, and cites specific facility details such as an xAI site with 27 natural gas turbines and a Granbury, Texas bitcoin mine with ~60,000 computers located under 100 yards from residences.
Background and factual details: The piece notes the EPA retains legal authority over noise (historically ran the Office of Noise Abatement and Control until defunding in 1981), documents technical facts such as cooling = ~40% of data center electricity use, generators are tested at least once a month, the EPA allows up to 50 hours/year operation of emergency generators in non-emergency testing, and cites measured noise ranges including ~96 dB in large computing warehouses and industrial diesel generators reaching up to 105 dB.

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