Kansas Data Center Intel

Recent Kansas data center news

• Feb 6, 2026 · RMI

  New Ways to Power Data Centers and Other Large Energy Users

  RMI has published an insight brief proposing Bring-Your-Own (BYO) and Clean Transition Tariffs to meet large customers’ energy needs while protecting other ratepayers.

  • Main action: RMI recommends baseline large load tariffs complemented by voluntary Bring-Your-Own (BYO) and Clean Transition Tariffs to accelerate clean resource deployment and allocate cost/risk to participating large loads. Key concrete examples cited: PJM’s Bring Your Own New Generation Program (proposal for generators greater than 250 MW, board letter dated Jan 16, 2026), Tri-State’s member cooperative self-supply program, Evergy Kansas Large Load Rate Plan settlement including a Clean Energy Choice Rider (settlement document referenced), NV Energy’s Clean Transition Tariff used by Google to procure an enhanced geothermal system toward its 24/7 clean energy goal, and Georgia Power’s 2025 IRP addition of a Customer-Identified Resource (CIR) option to CARES.
  • Background and details: BYO tariffs are presented as a voluntary pathway alongside a “baseline” large load tariff and can support multiple procurement types (Utility-Owned, Utility-Contracted (sleeved PPA), Customer-Contracted (physical PPA), Customer-Owned/behind-the-meter). The brief advises regulators to require emission impact assessment and reporting, validate inclusion of BYO-procured resources in long-term planning to avoid redundant builds, and consider pairing BYO with interruptible service tariffs and virtual power plants to capture flexibility.
• Jan 30, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - January 27, 2025

  The U.S. Congress has enacted the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R.6938), signed into law by the President.

  • Main action: The appropriations minibus (H.R.6938) was signed into law, providing FY2026 funding for agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy, EPA (including ENERGY STAR®), NASA, and the Forest Service; bill summaries for Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment appropriations are linked in the newsletter.
  • Other legislative and policy items referenced:NFIP Extension Act of 2026 (H.R.5577) advanced in the House to extend NFIP authorization through September 2026; Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act (H.R.2860) was reported out with $10 million annually through 2031 for the Northwest Straits Commission; the Advancing Cutting Edge (ACE) Agriculture Act (H.R.7142 / S.3637) was reintroduced to reauthorize the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority. The newsletter also announces an EESI briefing postponed (wildfire briefing) and lists upcoming briefings (dates, rooms, and RSVP links).
• Jan 30, 2026

  The Benefits of Amazon Investments       

  Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a major data center investment and related developments in Mississippi.

  • Main announcement: AWS announced a $10 billion Madison County project (Jan 2025) covering 1,700 acres across two sites, with 1,000 direct high-tech jobs averaging $80,000 annually, and 6,000–7,000 construction workers needed through 2027; AWS also announced a $3 billion investment in Warren County. The first building is coming online soon, with full construction completion targeted for 2027.
  • Background and additional details: Local firms have scaled rapidly (e.g., Mighty Fresh expanding from one truck to 14 trucks and adding two more within 90 days at $150,000–$200,000 per vehicle); ABB is investing $40 million to double its Senatobia facility and add 122 jobs; direct AWS suppliers must meet $5 million–$10 million insurance minimums and other requirements; primes listed include Yates Construction, Gray Construction, Haskell, Cupertino Electric, MMR Group, Faith Technologies Inc., and Edwards Electrics.
• Jan 29, 2026

  Town hall meeting to discuss environmental impact of proposed data centers in Montgomery County

  Montgomery County community members will host a town hall meeting Thursday regarding a proposed 5,000-acre mega site for two data centers.

  • Main announcement: The town hall will be held Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 7 p.m. at Montgomery County High School to discuss environmental concerns and present research by environmental geologists and community members; the forum responds to recent local controversy after the Montgomery County Commission confirmed the proposed site near I-70 and Highway 19 and approved a tax break for the Green Amazon data center project earlier this month.
  • Background and project details: The proposal includes Amazon planning a 1,000-acre facility starting with four buildings and potential expansion up to 13 buildings; New York-based Spade Property proposes approximately 850 acres including three primary buildings, a security guard station, and a visitor center; community concern centers on water and energy usage and local utility pressures.
• Jan 28, 2026

  From Factory to Frontier: North Texas’ Moonshot Pushes AI Pods to the Edge, Anchors National Network With New Manufacturing Hub

  Moonshot announced it is opening a 505,265-square-foot global headquarters and manufacturing hub in Lewisville, backed by a $50 million expansion investment, and has launched a joint venture (QAI Moon) with QumulusAI and IXP.us to deploy a nationally distributed AI Pod network beginning with 25 initial sites and scaling to 125 sites over five years.

  • Main announcement: Moonshot will build a 505,265-square-foot global headquarters and manufacturing hub in Lewisville with a $50 million expansion investment; the site will manufacture modular AI Pods for the newly formed QAI Moon JV (Moonshot + QumulusAI + IXP.us). The rollout starts with 25 initial sites (including an alpha site at Wichita State University in July) and the partners plan to scale to 125 U.S. sites over the next five years. GPU-as-a-Service will operate the AI Pods while QumulusAI handles orchestration and IXP.us provides interconnection at IXPs.

  • Background and details: Moonshot formed Moonshot Energy (early 2025) to operate GPU-as-a-Service and expanded from cryptocurrency mining into UL-certified electrical systems and modular electrical units under Moonshot Electrical & Controls. The company reported rapid growth (more than 3,800% growth reported by Dallas Business Journal) and cited a $26 million revenue month (January 2024); customers named include Foxconn, Google, Anthropic, TeraWulf, and Fermi America. Products include switchboards, control panels, modular electrical units, and power transformers for utility and solar applications.

• 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.