Massachusetts Data Center Intel

Recent Massachusetts data center news

• Feb 3, 2026

  GE Vernova expands its Grid Automation portfolio with a new solution for modern grids

  GE Vernova announced the launch of GridBeats™ APS, a software-defined automation and protection system to simplify substation operations and reduce hardware footprint.

  • Main announcement: GE Vernova launched GridBeats™ APS to modernize substations by supporting all protection and control applications on a single platform, using patented hardware abstraction to reduce required hardware and spares (can consolidate hundreds of individual packages into as few as ten). The product is being showcased at DTECH 2026 (February 3–5, San Diego, CA) and will be unveiled via a LinkedIn Live event; GE Vernova is exhibiting at booth #3112.
  • Background and product details: GridBeats™ APS enables operators to update cybersecurity and communications software without revalidating protection functions, run multiple protection/control applications on one device, perform remote application updates without taking devices offline, and addresses aging infrastructure, capacity expansion, operational complexity, and cybersecurity. The release is a product launch/announcement (press release) rather than a reporting on a prior deal.
• Jan 30, 2026

  Leading the Charge in AI Supercomputing, Innovation and Initiatives

  Dell Technologies announced expanded partnerships, infrastructure projects, workforce commitments, and a major philanthropic investment by Michael and Susan Dell.

  • Key announcement: Dell confirmed AI infrastructure partnerships and research projects (including powering the Massachusetts AI Hub and TACC’s new supercomputer Horizon), plus a $6.25 billion Invest America investment by Michael and Susan Dell and a company pledge to match a $1,000 Treasury seed deposit for each child of U.S.-based team members born between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2028.
  • Background and other details: Dell participated in the DOE Genesis Roundtable (Washington, D.C.) and partnered with the White House USTF to recruit 1,000 technologists for two-year federal agency terms; additional initiatives include the TCU AI Initiative (Dell AI Factory + NVIDIA), events at CES 2026 (Quantum AI, Circular Economy), the NGA Regional Economic Opportunity Summit in Austin, and product/education launches at Bett UK.
• Jan 29, 2026

  The Data Center Surge Has a Hidden Source of Carbon Emissions

  Tech companies are becoming buyers of low-carbon concrete as US data center construction surges.

  • Main announcement: Major tech firms (notably Microsoft and Amazon) are securing low-carbon concrete supply and forming buyer coalitions to reduce embodied emissions in data center construction; Microsoft agreed to purchase up to 622,500 metric tons of cement from Sublime Systems over six to nine years, and Amazon has a deal with Brimstone and is using low-carbon concrete in data centers in Virginia and Oregon.
  • Background and details:RMI projects data center expansion through 2030 will require 2 million metric tons of cement (traditional concrete would emit 1.9 million metric tons CO2); the Sustainable Concrete Buyers Alliance was launched in September by RMI and the Center for Green Market Activation with members including Amazon, Meta, and Prologis; the Inflation Reduction Act had earmarked roughly $1.6 billion for green concrete support which was later pulled, and Sublime cited an $87 million government funding loss and paused its Holyoke factory (laid off 10% of staff).
• Jan 24, 2026

  Intel’s AI pivot could make lower-end PCs scarce in 2026

  Intel announced it will pivot manufacturing capacity from PC client chips to Xeon processors to support AI workloads.

  • Main announcement: Intel will prioritize Xeon production for data centers and AI customers, with CFO David Zinsner acknowledging capacity constraints in Q3 and Q4 and that manufacturing capacity for Xeon is sold out for 2026; custom silicon programs currently have 6 to 8 month lead times (some orders rolling into 2027) and Intel projects increased chip production by Q2 2026.
  • Background and details: CEO Lip-Bu Tan said the server roadmap is being simplified to focus on Diamond Rapids and accelerate Coral Rapids; Intel will focus client efforts on mid- and high-end Core-series while lower-end availability tightens due to Panther Lake 18A node yield issues. Analysts cite expected PC price increases of 15%–20% in 2026, memory price increases >65% YoY, and NAND increases up to 25%, with some product price inflation >1,000% since 2025.
• Jan 22, 2026

  Can rising power demand boost renewables above policy obstacles in 2026?

  The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) set new July 4 construction deadlines and strict FEOC rules that curtail many Inflation Reduction Act tax credits and have immediate implications for project eligibility.

  • OBBBA actions and timelines: The OBBBA established a July 4 construction commencement deadline to qualify wind and solar projects for IRA production and investment tax credits; the FEOC rule went into effect Dec. 31, 2025 with Treasury guidance pending; the residential solar credit sunsetted at the end of 2025; commercial projects that commence construction by July 4 can qualify if placed in service by Dec. 31, 2030, while projects that do not commence construction by July 4 may still qualify if placed in service by Dec. 31, 2027.
  • Industry response and state actions: Developers (e.g., DSD Renewables) are triaging projects into mature / less-mature / at-risk buckets and cancelling or down-sizing projects that cannot meet deadlines; Treasury eliminated the 5% safe harbor test for >1.5 MW projects; states like Illinois (CRGA: 3 GW storage by 2030) and California (SB-254 transmission investment accelerator) are pursuing measures to speed transmission, interconnection and storage deployment; the Department of the Interior has issued stop-work orders and cancelled the environmental review for the 6.2-GW Esmeralda 7 project, and Dominion Energy has stated its 2.6 GW CVOW project will serve large data center demand.
• Jan 20, 2026

  Switched Source Expands Grid-Enhancing Technology Deployments by 60%

  Switched Source reported a 60% increase in deployments of its Phase-EQ grid-enhancing technology over the past year, with units now operating across more than 10 utility service areas from Alaska to Florida.

  • Deployment growth & scope: Switched Source reports a 60% increase in deployments year-over-year, with Phase-EQ units operating in more than 10 utility service areas including New York, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Texas, and Washington state; field data from operational sites shows 10% to 25% increase in load-serving capacity on active distribution circuits.
  • Device function & program support: Phase-EQ is described as the first distribution automation device that balances power flow between the three phases by exchanging real and reactive power; the company was founded in 2016 and the project is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E SCALEUP program. A recent Georgia Power deployment is designed to reduce load imbalance by half and voltage imbalance by more than 30%, with the utility supplying substation-level data to track performance.
• Jan 20, 2026 · Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

  Advancing Multilateral AI Partnerships: A Pre-Summit Event for 2026 AI Impact Summit

  The Center for Data Innovation and The Dialogue are convening an official pre-summit event, sponsored by Google, in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2026.

  • Event announcement and core details:

    • Date & Time: January 20, 2026, 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM EST (doors open for registration at 11:30 AM; lunch served at 12:00 PM)
    • Location: 25 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20001
    • Organizer & Sponsor:Center for Data Innovation and The Dialogue, sponsored by Google
    • Agenda/Subject: Three panels on AI adoption & skills, Compute Equity and resilient data centers / secure supply chains, and shared roadmap for AI policy and innovation; this pre-summit will feed directly into the 2026 India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

  • Background and session specifics:

    • The India AI Impact Summit aims to close the global AI divide with a people-centric approach anchored in the Sutras of People, Planet, and Progress and operationalized via seven Chakras (science, human capital, safe and trusted AI, democratizing AI resources, etc.).
    • Panel 2 will address the “Compute Corridor” and discuss heterogeneous compute access, resilient data centers, secure supply chains, and interoperable safety/security standards as models for global compute equity; named speakers include representatives from OpenAI, Google Cloud, the Embassy of India, and think tanks/industry groups.
• Jan 16, 2026

  US ROUNDUP: Duke Energy, Elevate, Fluence with BrightNight and Cordelio progress BESS projects

  Duke Energy has brought online a 50MW/200MWh BESS at the former Allen coal plant in North Carolina.

  • Main announcement: Duke Energy commissioned a 50MW/200MWh battery energy storage system at the former Allen coal plant on Lake Wylie, North Carolina, costing around US$100 million, finished under budget and ahead of schedule, began serving customers in November with final testing ongoing; construction of a second 167MW/668MWh BESS will start in May on a 10-acre site, and both systems are eligible for federal ITCs covering 40% (including an additional 10% for reinvestment into an energy community).
  • Additional project actions and timelines: Fluence Energy will supply its Gridstack Pro BESS (US-made cells/modules/enclosures/thermal systems) for BrightNight and Cordelio Power’s 300MW/1,200MWh Pioneer Clean Energy Centre in Yuma County, Arizona (PPA with APS; commercial operations expected April 2027); Elevate Renewables has acquired the 150MW/600MWh Prospect Power BESS in Virginia (scheduled operations mid-2026).
    • Energy Storage Summit USA: 24-25 March 2026, Dallas, TX; agenda includes FEOC challenges, power demand forecasting, and BESS supply chain management.
• Jan 15, 2026

  Elevate Renewables Acquires Major Battery Storage Project in PJM

  Elevate Renewables has announced the acquisition of the Prospect Power battery storage project.

  • Acquisition details: Elevate Renewables (an Arclight portfolio company) has acquired the Prospect Power project: a 150-MW / 600-MWh standalone battery storage installation in Rockingham County, northern Virginia; the project is under construction and is expected to enter commercial operation mid-2026 (this summer). It is fully contracted under a 15-year PPA with Dominion Energy Virginia.
  • Background and strategy: The project sits within PJM Interconnection’s Data Center Alley and is positioned to support grid reliability amid rising load from data centers, AI, and electrification; Elevate says it will continue to scale battery storage across PJM and uses a co-location strategy with thermal generation to accelerate deployment and lower costs.
• Jan 14, 2026

  Startup IO River aims to virtualize the edge and break CDN vendor lock-in

  IO River announced it has closed a $20 million Series A funding round to accelerate deployment of its multi-edge virtualization platform.

  • Announcement: IO River raised $20 million Series A (bringing total raised to $25.4 million) to expand its multi-edge virtualization platform that decouples application-layer services from CDN infrastructure; Series A was led by Venture Guides and New Era, with participation from S Capital and private investors Ofir Ehrlich and Pavel Gurvich.
  • Context and details: The Boston-based startup (founded 2022) currently processes more than 200 petabytes monthly for paying customers in streaming, gaming, retail and SaaS; its platform uses WebAssembly and JavaScript to run microservices across heterogeneous CDN runtimes (Akamai, Cloudflare, Fastly, AWS) and integrates with Kubernetes at origin; it has partnerships with independent security vendors Check Point, Palo Alto Networks, Imperva to provide consistent security across multiple CDNs.