Louisiana Data Center Intel

Recent Louisiana data center news

• Feb 20, 2026

  Urban vs. Rural: Why Data Centers Are Built Where They Are

  The article analyzes a shift in U.S. data center site selection toward greater geographic diversity, including more rural builds.

  • Main finding: The piece argues that as regions expand power capacity, extend long‑haul fiber, and streamline permitting and incentives, legacy hub advantages (e.g., Northern Virginia, Silicon Valley, greater Chicago) are weakening and site selection is diversifying toward a wider set of geographies, including rural areas.
  • Supporting details: The analysis lists core site-selection factors — infrastructure, demand proximity, economics, governance, risk and resilience, and community/social license — and cites emerging growth markets and examples such as parts of Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Utah, while noting new urban hubs like Boston and Denver; it also references multi-decade grid requirements and decades of legacy investment in hubs.
• Feb 20, 2026

  Urban vs. Rural: Why Data Centers Are Built Where They Are

  This article analyzes shifting patterns in data center site selection in the United States and is an analytical overview rather than a new corporate or government announcement.

  • Main finding: Data center site selection is diversifying as power capacity expansion, long-haul fiber, streamlined permitting, and incentives reduce legacy clustering in hubs such as Northern Virginia, Silicon Valley, and the greater Chicago area.
  • Drivers and trade-offs: The piece outlines six selection factors — Infrastructure, Demand Proximity, Economics, Governance, Risk and Resilience, and Community and Social License — and cites emerging markets in parts of Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Mississippi, alongside growing urban hubs like Boston and Denver.
• 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 27, 2026

  Meta Inks $6B Fiber Optic Deal with Corning for US Data Centers

  Meta Platforms has announced a $6 billion multi-year fiber-optic supply agreement with Corning to accelerate expansion of its US data center infrastructure.

  • Main announcement: Meta has agreed a $6 billion multi-year supply deal with Corning for optical fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions; Corning will ramp up manufacturing at its Hickory, North Carolina facility where Meta will serve as an anchor customer, and Corning said it will add up to 20% more workers in North Carolina (Hickory and Durham). The companies noted Meta has agreed to pay for optical fiber through 2030.
  • Background and details: Meta currently has 26 data centers planned or under construction in the US as part of its $600 billion AI strategy; the deal will supply fiber for major projects including the 1 GW Prometheus (New Albany, Ohio) and 5 GW Hyperion (Richland Parish, Louisiana) sites. Corning reported $1.65 billion in third-quarter optical communications revenue (up 33%) and said enterprise optical communications sales rose 58%.
• Jan 27, 2026

  Russian crude decline, refining expansion mark turning point for India’s oil and gas strategy: Experts

  India Energy Week 2026 opened in Goa; industry experts flagged a turning point in India’s oil and gas strategy driven by disrupted crude flows, refining expansion and growing roles for gas and low-carbon fuels.

  • Main announcement/action:India Energy Week 2026 opened in Goa; S&P Global Energy speakers highlighted disrupted crude trade flows, a drop in Russian crude imports from 1.6–1.8 million bpd (H1 2025) to ~1 million bpd currently, potential re-entry of Venezuelan crude at 100,000–150,000 bpd if sanctions ease and production recovers, and a 2.2 million tonnes per annum LPG term deal with the US. They noted refining capacity is expected to rise 20% by 2028 to ~300 million tonnes per annum, with projects such as HPCL’s 180 kbpd Barmer refinery and NRL’s 120 kbpd expansion due in 2026.

  • Background and other details: India reiterated a 15% gas share target by 2030 (from ~6% currently); achieved 20% ethanol blending in 2025 (corn ~46% of feedstock); refiners (IOCL, HPCL) modified units to co-process used cooking oil for SAF ahead of a 1% SAF mandate for international flights by 2027; 35 GW of solar added in 2025, non-fossil installed capacity crossed 50%, and data centre power demand is expected to grow nearly fivefold by 2030, making India the second-largest data centre market in Asia-Pacific.

• Jan 26, 2026

  Laying the Foundation for Low-Emission Cement and Concrete

  Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced the Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act (S.1067) in March 2025; the House reintroduced the IMPACT Act (H.R.1534) to establish a temporary low-emission cement, concrete, and asphalt program at the U.S. Department of Energy.

  • Main announcement/action: The Senate introduced S.1067 (Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act) in March 2025 to accelerate the use of low-emission concrete and asphalt; the House reintroduced H.R.1534 (IMPACT Act) to create a temporary low-emission cement, concrete, and asphalt program at the U.S. Department of Energy (legislative actions introduced/reintroduced in 2025).
  • Background & other details:Market valuation: global green concrete market $39 billion (2024) projected to reach $102 billion (2032); targets to reduce clinker-to-cement ratio include the American Cement Association moving from 0.88 to 0.75 by 2050 and the GCCA projecting a global drop from 0.76 to 0.52 by 2050. Research and industry actions cited: Northwestern University developed a carbon-negative cement from seawater, Qatar University found a concrete mix with treated wastewater + recycled aggregates + 20% fly ash reduced maintenance costs by 60% and life-cycle costs by 19%; tech company partnerships include AWS using low-carbon concrete from American Rock Products for U.S. data centers and Meta partnering with CarbonBuilt.
• Jan 26, 2026

  EPA moves toward changing particulate matter standard as manufacturers urge action

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving to revisit and ask the court to vacate the Biden-era annual PM2.5 standard of nine micrograms per cubic meter.

  • Main action: The EPA filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit asking the court to vacate the March 2024 PM2.5 annual standard (lowered from 12 µg/m3 to 9 µg/m3). The agency said the Biden EPA took a “regulatory shortcut” and failed to adequately consider compliance costs; EPA urged vacatur before the initial nonattainment determinations due on Feb. 7 and states’ implementation plans due in April.
  • Background and details: Industry groups including NAM and 15 trade associations (e.g., SMA, Aluminum Association, American Cement Association) have pressed the Trump administration to revert the standard; EPA previously estimated the 2024 rule could prevent 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays, with monetized benefits of $22 billion to $46 billion and $590 million in estimated costs by 2032. A 2025 ACA report estimated 1 million metric tons of cement needed for AI data centers by 2028 and projects U.S. data centers rising from 5,426 to 6,000 by 2027.
• Jan 22, 2026

  Your Guide to the Most Important Broadband Conferences of 2026

  Broadband Breakfast has assembled a list of the most important broadband conversations for 2026, with a focus on the first half of the year.

  • Main announcement: Broadband Breakfast published a curated events calendar highlighting major industry conferences (dates and locations) such as NTCA AI Summit (Jan. 30, Online), Net Inclusion (Feb. 3-5, Chicago), INCOMPAS Policy Summit (Feb. 4-5, Washington, D.C.) — including a Broadband Breakfast livestream on Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. ET — and the BEAD Implementation Summit (March 18, Washington, D.C.), noting “billions of dollars now being awarded with BEAD” and a focus on deployment, funding and technology decisions.
  • Background and details: The listing also references recurring and partner activities such as Broadband Breakfast Live Online’s weekly webcast (Wednesdays at 12 Noon ET) and membership benefits (post your own broadband events); other events called out cover topics including AI, data centers, energy, digital equity, fiber, ISPs, and sustainability, with dates/locations provided for each conference.
• Jan 22, 2026

  CBRE’s 2026 Data Center Outlook: Demand Surges as Delivery Becomes the Constraint

  CBRE announced its 2026 U.S. data center outlook and confirmed the acquisition of Pearce Services (announced November 4, 2025), positioning the firm to address power and execution constraints in large-scale data center delivery.

  • Main announcement: CBRE’s outlook finds the U.S. data center market constrained by power delivery rather than land, capital, or connectivity; developers and occupiers now prioritize sites capable of supporting 300-MW-plus deliveries within 36 months, with preleasing expected in the mid-70% range and construction/interconnection timelines commonly extending 24–48 months for incremental generation or transmission upgrades.
  • Acquisition and execution detail: CBRE acquired Pearce Services (announced Nov 4, 2025) for approximately $1.2 billion in cash plus an earn-out up to $115 million; Pearce is forecast to generate > $660 million revenue and > $90 million EBITDA in 2026, and CBRE expects to produce > $350 million of Core EBITDA from its digital and power infrastructure services businesses in 2026; financial advisors included J.P. Morgan Securities and Wells Fargo, with legal advisers Sullivan & Cromwell (CBRE) and Ropes & Gray (Pearce/New Mountain Capital).
• Jan 21, 2026

  Irate Sen. Rand Paul Ready to Strip YouTube's Legal Immunity over Controversial Maduro Video

  Sen. Rand Paul has announced he no longer defends Google/YouTube’s legal immunity under Sec. 230 after receiving death threats tied to a YouTube video he calls defamatory and wrote about in a New York Post Op-Ed.

  • Main action: Sen. Rand Paul changed his position on Google/YouTube liability, citing death threats and labeling the video a “ludicrous accusation” spread by “paid trolls”; he wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Post describing these events.
  • Context and other details: The newsletter lists multiple telecom industry items: FCC policy positions (cable market consolidation and transition to all-IP), a Texas broadband grant tied to flood monitoring, a claimed U.S.-Australia subsea optical route (single longest continuous path), rising fiber deployment costs (FBA), and vendor moves including altafiber using Nokia 25G PON and AT&T Business expanding a 30-day offer.