Massachusetts Data Center Intel

Recent Massachusetts data center news

• Oct 5, 2026

  Beyond the Megawatt: Why Data Center Site Selection Is Now a Three-Front Battle

  The article provides commentary and analysis on a new regulatory environment for data center development in the United States, not a single new company announcement.

  • State regulators and governors in California, Texas, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Oregon are tightening oversight of grid costs, water reporting, and land-use approvals for data centers.
  • The piece cites specific rules and actions including California’s AB 1577, AB 2383, and SB 887, Massachusetts Executive Order 658, New York’s Host Community Investment Framework, and Texas permitting and water-use reporting actions.
  • It also notes cost and reporting thresholds such as 25 MW in Massachusetts, $1 million per megawatt in New York’s framework, and an average 29% rate increase for some Oregon large energy users.
• Oct 2, 2026

  Von Neumann’s party

  Nature has published a science-fiction short story in which an unnamed narrator is repeatedly asked, “Were you at von Neumann’s party?”

  • The story is a fictional narrative set in Princeton and references John von Neumann, Institute for Advanced Studies, IBM, and a hall of servers in a data centre-like room.
  • It is not a real-world announcement or deal; the piece is literary commentary/fiction, with no commitments, prices, or project details disclosed.
• Sep 29, 2026

  The Power We Need Already Exists. It's Just Going to Waste.

  SPAN, via an MCJ newsletter post quoting Arch Rao, has described its XFRA product as a way to turn unused home electrical capacity into a distributed data center.

  • Main announcement/action: SPAN’s XFRA uses spare home capacity to create a fleet of small nodes coordinated as a single cloud for AI inference; each node pairs a compute module with a SPAN Panel and includes 16 GPUs, 4 CPUs, 3 terabytes of memory, a heat pump, and a 15 kilowatt-hour battery.
  • Background/details: The post says north of 98% of the 200-amp homes SPAN has installed in have about 19 kilowatts of unused conductor capacity; homeowners may lease capacity in exchange for discounted electricity, high-speed internet, and home backup power. The newsletter also references other MCJ portfolio updates, including a $1B Series D for Base Power, $74M for Odyssey Energy Solutions, $46M for Light, $27M for Revoy, $8M seed for Reservoir, and a $500M Pentagon commitment to Phoenix Tailings.
• Sep 28, 2026

  Why a network digital twin is the missing piece for AI-era operations

  Forward has published an e-book arguing that network digital twins are a prerequisite for autonomous network operations in the AI era.

  • The article explains that Forward’s guide, The Network Digital Twin Guide, promotes a software-based replica and deterministic mathematical model of the production network to verify changes before they reach production.
  • It cites external data and estimates, including Verizon’s 2025 DBIR (vulnerability exploitation rising from 3% to 22% of breaches), Gartner’s estimate of more than $500,000 per hour for an unplanned production network outage, and IBM/Ponemon data showing more than $10 million per U.S. data breach.
  • The piece is a commentary / analysis article, not a first-time corporate announcement, and it argues for pre-change verification, deterministic AI, and integration with ITSM, automation, and CI/CD workflows.
• Sep 24, 2026

  Data centre buildout uplifting US BESS market outlook, Wood Mackenzie says

  Wood Mackenzie has released its Q3 2026 US Energy Storage Monitor, projecting stronger US battery storage growth and highlighting data-centre-driven demand as a key support for the market.

  • The report says US storage installations will grow over 50% in MW terms over the next five years, with utility-scale storage projected to expand at an 8% average annual rate and over 130GW/534GWh of utility-scale BESS expected between 2026 and 2031.
  • The report cites Q2 2026 record US BESS installations of 5.4GW/18.9GWh, notes Massachusetts DOER is distributing about US$40 million to 36 BESS projects, and references recent actions including Tumbleweed Energy Storage commissioning in California and Base Power’s US$1 billion Series D at a US$13 billion post-money valuation.
• Sep 22, 2026

  Climate Week Talks Balance Hope For Clean Energy Against Uncertainty Over AI

  Associated Press reports that global climate leaders and experts are discussing renewable energy, AI, and data centers during New York Climate Week and the UN General Assembly period. The article is commentary and reporting on current debates, not a first-time corporate announcement.

  • Johan Rockström said Earth is “not well” and warned that humanity is close to crossing thresholds that could lead to irreversible, unmanageable outcomes; the Potsdam Institute released a report saying the world has breached seven of nine planetary boundaries.
  • The piece also highlights how AI and data centers are becoming central to climate talks, with Simon Stiell saying AI is raising pollution and energy costs, while Evelyn Wang said data centers are about five years away from being water neutral and roughly a decade away from no longer adding to planet-warming emissions.
• Sep 22, 2026

  PG&E selects six new California microgrids for US$30 million investment, Massachusetts awards US$40 million across 36 BESS projects

  PG&E and Massachusetts state agencies have announced new funding awards for microgrids and battery energy storage projects.

  • PG&E selected six new California microgrid projects for a US$30 million investment through the second application window of its Microgrid Incentive Programme (MIP); the projects will serve more than 2,200 customers and support critical facilities including schools, fire stations, and health centres.
  • In Massachusetts, the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) awarded about US$40 million across 36 BESS projects, including large awards to wastewater treatment, public works, schools, housing, and community facilities; two projects will test LDES technologies from Inlyte and Eos Energy.
  • The PG&E programme originated from Senate Bill 1339 (2018) and the CPUC authorized the US$200 million MIP in April 2023; the Massachusetts article also references Governor Maura Healey’s earlier data centre development framework and a separate 1,000MW storage RFP issued in July.
• Sep 22, 2026 · Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

  Congress Should Make the CHIPS Act’s Investment Tax Credit Permanent

  ITIF has published an opinion article arguing that Congress should make the CHIPS Act’s Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit permanent.

  • The article says Section 48D under the CHIPS and Science Act has helped drive more than 160 semiconductor projects across 30 states since 2020, with $825.8 billion in announced private investment.
  • It notes the current construction deadline of December 31, 2026, says the credit was 25% originally and later increased to 35% for qualifying property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
• Sep 18, 2026

  US ROUNDUP: Eos draws US$87 million DOE loan, FlexGen-Lightshift expand to 16 projects, Georgia Power energises 128MW facility

  This roundup reports three separate announcements by Eos Energy Enterprises, FlexGen Power Systems with Lightshift Energy, and Georgia Power.

  • Eos Energy Enterprises received a US$87 million advance under the second tranche of its DOE loan agreement; the reimbursement covers 80% of eligible costs at the Thorn Hill manufacturing facility in Warrendale, Pennsylvania.
  • The company says Line 2 entered commercial production in June 2026 and is ramping toward ~2GWh annual capacity, with Eos expecting ~4GWh across two lines after Line 1 is relocated; separately, FlexGen and Lightshift are expanding to 16 BESS projects across Massachusetts, Virginia and Vermont, and Georgia Power has brought the 128MW Robins Battery Facility online near Warner Robins, Georgia.
• Sep 17, 2026

  11 AI Bills Cleared Committee this Summer, But None Has Reached the House Floor

  Rep. Jay Obernolte said the bipartisan AI package he co-authored could be combined into a single bill for a House floor vote in December.

  • 11 bills from the Great American AI Act were split and routed to relevant committees; the House Science, Space and Technology Committee cleared the science-related bills in July, while the FRONTIER Act remains with the Energy and Commerce Committee.
  • The package includes preemption of some state AI laws for three years, frontier-model disclosure and risk-management requirements, and potential federalization of frontier safety laws in California, New York, and Illinois; Obernolte and Lori Trahan introduced the original 269-page draft on June 4, and Obernolte spoke at Tarana Wireless’ Connecting Communities Summit in Milpitas, California.