Kansas Data Center Intel

Recent Kansas data center news

• Jan 25, 2026

  US’ carbon pollution up 2.4% in 2025, reversing past years’ reduction

  Rhodium Group released a study finding U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose 2.4% in 2025 compared to 2024.

  • Main announcement: The Rhodium Group study (released Jan. 13) reports a 2.4% increase in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2025, estimating 5.9 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent — 139 million tons more than 2024; cited drivers include a cool winter, explosive growth of data centers and cryptocurrency mining, higher natural gas prices, and a 13% increase in coal power.
  • Background and other details: The study notes solar generation jumped 34%, pushing zero-carbon sources to 42% of U.S. power; researchers say Trump administration policy rollbacks were not in place long enough to affect 2025 but may affect future years, and prior projections for a 2035 emissions decline of 38%–56% vs 2005 are now expected to be about one-third smaller.
• Jan 21, 2026

  ERMCO Expands Transformer Manufacturing West with New Arizona Facility

  ERMCO announced it will open a new 566,121-square-foot three-phase transformer manufacturing facility in Waddell, Maricopa County, Arizona.

  • Facility details: The plant is 566,121 square feet, located in Waddell (≈30 miles west of Phoenix), will focus on three-phase transformer production, is expected to be operational in 2027, and foundational work will begin this year; the project is expected to create more than 500 jobs in engineering, skilled trades, and operations.
  • Context and justification: The announcement cites ongoing transformer supply shortages, drivers such as aging grid infrastructure, rapid load growth from data centers and electrification, and states site selection was influenced by proximity to Western U.S. customers, Arizona’s business climate, and a skilled labor market. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. and currently employs nearly 3,500 workers across facilities in Tennessee, Georgia, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Texas, Quebec, and Mexico.
• Jan 20, 2026

  Against slow hiring, construction projects face hurdles: AGC

  The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) released its 2026 hiring and business outlook on Jan. 8, presenting survey findings via a webinar.

  • Main announcement: AGC’s survey reports widespread labor shortages with 82% of construction firms having difficulty filling hourly craft positions and 80% struggling to fill salaried roles; about 60% of respondents said a project was postponed or canceled in the past six months. The survey also finds 65% of contractors expect the data center construction market to grow over the next 12 months, while only 8% expect it to shrink.
  • Background and details: The webinar included remarks from AGC chief economist Ken Simonson and contractors such as Kyle Van Slyke of Musselman & Hall Contractors noting senior leadership retirements. The survey reports ~33% of firms were affected by immigration enforcement actions in the past six months and ~70% said tariffs affected business in 2025 (leading 40% to raise bid prices and about one third to accelerate materials purchases).
• Jan 15, 2026

  Firms Launch ‘AI Pods’ for Smaller US Cities’ Inference Needs

  Moonshot Energy, QumulusAI and Connect Nation Internet Exchange Points (IXP.us) announced a partnership to design and deploy QAI Moon Pods at 25 US sites, scaling to 125 sites, with the first deployment to begin by July 2026 at Wichita State University.

  • Deployment plan and technical roles:First deployment will begin by July 2026 on the Wichita State University campus in Kansas; the partners plan an initial roll-out to 25 cities and have identified up to 125 sites across US university research campuses and municipalities. Moonshot will design and build 2,000 kW modular units, QumulusAI will provide the GPU infrastructure, and IXP.us will supply carrier-neutral interconnection; companies say pod buildouts take several months, not years.
  • Scope and market rationale: The announcement focuses on delivering low-latency AI inference at the edge rather than building hyperscale data centers (IXP.us: “this is not a data center play”); the effort targets underserved areas and aims to place GPU compute where data moves and decisions happen, addressing growing inference-driven, latency-sensitive workloads and planned geographic expansion to 25 then up to 125 sites.
• Jan 15, 2026

  Firms Launch ‘AI Pods’ for Smaller US Cities’ Inference Needs

  Moonshot Energy, QumulusAI and Connect Nation Internet Exchange Points (IXP.us) announced plans to design and deploy QAI Moon Pods at 25 US sites, eventually scaling to 125 cities.

  • Main announcement: The partners will design and deploy QAI Moon Pods at 25 sites initially and scale to 125 sites across US university research campuses and municipalities, with the first deployment beginning by July 2026 on the Wichita State University campus in Wichita, Kansas.
  • Implementation details and background:Moonshot will produce 2,000 KW modular units, QumulusAI will supply the GPU infrastructure, and IXP.us will provide carrier‑neutral interconnection; the companies state the AI pod buildouts take several months, are not a hyperscale data center play, and target low‑latency inference at the network edge.
• Jan 15, 2026

  Partnership Targets Low-Latency AI at Internet Exchange Points

  Moonshot and QumulusAI announced a strategic agreement with Connected Nation Internet Exchange Points (IXP.us) to deploy a nationally distributed AI compute and internet exchange platform designed for low-latency AI workloads at the network edge.

  • Main action: The partners will pair carrier-neutral internet exchange points with modular “AI Pods”, initially targeting 25 IXP.us sites and planning to scale to as many as 125 locations across U.S. research university campuses and municipalities over the next five years.
  • Details and timeline: The model colocates GPU compute adjacent to network-dense interconnection facilities as an alternative to centralized hyperscale data centers; the first deployment is scheduled to begin by July 2026 at an IXP.us site on the Wichita State University campus in Kansas.
• Jan 14, 2026

  Power, Not Space: The Colocation Battleground in 2026

  GridFree AI launched its South Dallas One site in December 2025, targeting to deliver more than 1.5 GW within 24 months from lease signing by operating off-grid.

  • Main announcement/action: GridFree AI’s South Dallas One will operate off-grid and aims to deliver >1.5 GW within 24 months from lease signing, outpacing the typical four-year timeline for traditional developments; this demonstrates a push toward power-advantaged site selection and accelerated delivery timelines.
  • Context and additional details: The article frames this within a broader industry shift: global colocation market forecast from $104.2 billion (2025) to $204.4 billion (2030); primary market vacancy fell to 1.6% H1 2025; ~3/4 of 5,242 MW under development in North America are pre-leased; pricing reached $184 per kW per month for 250–500 kW deployments; notable capital commitments include Anthropic’s $50 billion buildout (including a $7 billion, 15-year lease for 245 MW) and Nscale’s $865 million agreement for 40 MW. Supply-chain and memory/storage shortages are expected to persist into Q3 2026.
• Jan 14, 2026

  EPA tries to narrow water law powers

  The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule to narrow states’ and authorized tribes’ authority under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act to review and condition federally regulated projects.

  • Main action: The EPA’s proposal would limit the scope of Section 401 reviews to focus on direct discharges to federally regulated waters, set clear applicant submission requirements, impose strict review deadlines, and require states/tribes to fully explain any conditions or permit denials. A final rule is expected in the spring after a public comment period.
  • Background and specifics: The proposal largely reinstates Trump-era constraints, follows the Biden administration’s 2023 rule that allowed states to “holistically evaluate” project impacts, and comes after the 2023 Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court decision that narrowed federal jurisdiction over some waters. The rule explicitly targets reviews of projects including natural gas pipelines, dams and data centers, and drew criticism from Earthjustice saying EPA’s concerns are “baseless.”
• Jan 13, 2026

  US carbon pollution rose in 2025. Experts blame cold winter, high natural gas prices, data centers

  The Rhodium Group reported U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose 2.4% in 2025.

  • Main finding and figures: The Rhodium Group estimated U.S. emissions rose 2.4% in 2025 to 5.9 billion tons (5.35 billion metric tons) CO2e, an increase of 139 million tons (126 million metric tons) from 2024; the report attributes the rise to a cold winter, explosive growth of data centers and cryptocurrency mining, and higher natural gas prices leading to a 13% increase in coal power.
  • Background and additional details:Solar generation jumped 34%, zero-carbon sources supplied 42% of U.S. power, the study’s authors (including Ben King) said Trump administration rollbacks had not yet influenced 2025 levels, and researchers now project the 2035 emissions decline to be about one-third smaller than previous projections; statements and reactions were provided by the University of Michigan (Jonathan Overpeck), activist Bill McKibben, and the EPA.
• Jan 13, 2026

  US carbon pollution rose in 2025. Experts blame cold winter, high natural gas prices, data centers

  Rhodium Group calculated that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2025 compared with 2024.

  • Main finding: The Rhodium Group estimated the U.S. emitted 5.9 billion tons (5.35 billion metric tons) of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, an increase of 139 million tons (126 million metric tons) from 2024; the report cites a cool winter, explosive growth of data centers and cryptocurrency mining, and higher natural gas prices as primary drivers, with coal generation up 13% contributing substantially to the power-sector increase.
  • Additional details and context:Solar generation jumped 34%, pushing solar past hydro and bringing zero-carbon sources to 42% of U.S. power; the Rhodium authors say Trump administration policy rollbacks had not been in place long enough to affect 2025 data, and the report’s earlier 2035 projections have been revised down (projected pollution drop now about one-third less than prior estimates).