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Mississippi Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across Mississippi — updated daily.
Recent Mississippi data center news
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Mississippi Lands $20B xAI Data Centre: Jobs Surge but Pollution Fears Grow
The State of Mississippi announced a major investment: xAI will build a $20 billion data centre hub in Southaven, DeSoto County, as part of its Macrohard supercomputing initiative.
- Project details: xAI is investing $20 billion (£14.89 billion) to build a Macrohard/MACROHARDRR site in Southaven (DeSoto County) intended to be part of infrastructure supporting ‘the world’s largest supercomputer’ with 2 gigawatts of processing capacity; xAI trademarked Macrohard (filed 1 August 2025). The governor said the site is expected to be operational within the coming month and credited the deal with creating hundreds of long-term jobs plus thousands of contractor jobs.
- Background, incentives and local response: The project benefits from tax breaks approved in 2024 (exempting sales, franchise and corporate income taxes on the site and heavily reduced property tax rates approved by Southaven and DeSoto County). Local opposition includes the Safe and Sound Coalition (petition >900 signatures), and concerns from the NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center about fumes and impacts on nearby predominantly Black neighbourhoods; the Mississippi Development Authority provided no immediate public estimate of the cost to the public purse.
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Global Data Centers Poised for an ‘Investment Supercycle,’ JLL Says
JLL’s 2025 outlook projects global data center capacity will nearly double by 2030, driven primarily by AI demand and power-driven site selection changes.
- Main announcement/action: JLL forecasts global capacity rising from ~103 GW to 200 GW by 2030, requiring ~$3 trillion over the next five years (including $1.2 trillion in real estate asset value creation and $870 billion in new debt financing); current market fundamentals include ~97% global occupancy and ~77% of construction pipeline pre-committed, with lease rates forecast to grow at ~5% CAGR through 2030.
- Background and details: AI workloads expected to grow from ~25% (2025) to 50% by 2030 with an inflection around 2027 (inference surpasses training); power constraints are shifting siting to “power opportunistic” locations (e.g., Wisconsin, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, rural Illinois, Pennsylvania), equipment lead times average 33 weeks, grid-connection timelines often >4 years, and financing is maturing (core strategies now ~25% of fundraising) amid an “infrastructure investment supercycle.”
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Amazon Data Centers Aren’t Raising Your Electric Bills—They May Be Lowering Them
Amazon Web Services commissioned an E3 study finding its data centers generate surplus revenue and are not subsidized by other utility customers.
Main finding and scope: The E3 study projects $33,500/MW in surplus value in 2025 rising to $60,650/MW by 2030; for a typical 100‑MW data center this equates to $3.4 million in 2025 and ~$6.1 million in 2030. The study assessed multiple utility territories including PG&E, Dominion Energy, Entergy, and Umatilla Electric Cooperative, concluding revenues above regulated returns can fund grid modernization without shifting costs to residential ratepayers.
Partnerships, structures, and project details: AWS and utilities are using innovative models (e.g., NIPSCO GenCo: 3 GW investment with 2.4 GW for data centers and 600 MW reserved for grid reliability); NIPSCO projects ~$1 billion in cost savings returned as bill credits over a 15‑year duration. Other specifics include Entergy Mississippi’s $300 million Superpower Mississippi grid campaign, AWS’s >600 renewable projects (claimed to power 8.3 million U.S. homes), investments in nuclear and 11 solar-plus-battery projects, and AWS efficiency metrics (Graviton up to 60% less energy, Inferentia2 up to 50% better performance per watt, PUE 1.15 in 2024, 35% embodied carbon reduction).
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Broadband Industry Likes New Non-Deployment Bill
Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.) introduced the SUCCESS for BEAD Act to ensure states use their full BEAD allocations and to allow specified “non-deployment” infrastructure and workforce uses tied to AI.
- Main action: The bill would allow states to spend remaining BEAD allocations on wholesale fiber lines, mobile wireless infrastructure, submarine cables and landing stations, workforce development, mapping, and permitting reform, while explicitly excluding data centers as eligible uses. The Commerce Department estimates about $21 billion of the $42.45 billion BEAD program is currently unallocated for deployment; states would be required to hold another round of bidding for wholesale or backbone projects.
- Background and additional details: The Trump administration rescinded approval for non-deployment activities in June and the President issued an executive order directing NTIA to produce a policy notice making states ineligible for non-deployment funds if they have “onerous” AI laws; NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth said the agency was still “operating under the assumption” states could use full allocations. The bill does not permit spending on adoption, affordability, or device/plan subsidies; the administration also canceled $2.75 billion in Digital Equity Act funding. Supporters include Fiber Broadband Association, INCOMPAS, WIA, USTelecom, Connected Nation, Competitive Carriers Association.
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Wicker, Capito Introduce Bill to Ensure Use of Non-Deployment Funds
Sen. Roger Wicker and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito introduced legislation requiring states to use non-deployment funding from the Commerce Department’s BEAD program.
- Main action: The SUCCESS for BEAD Act would require states to “use all remaining amounts” from the $42.45 billion Commerce Department BEAD program, directing leftover non-deployment funds (about $21 billion expected to remain under updated rules) into a competitive subgrant program for eligible projects; the bill explicitly prohibits data center construction and lists allowed uses such as telecom workforce development, wholesale fiber, internet exchange points, and mobile wireless infrastructure.
- Implementation & background: The bill gives NTIA 30 days after enactment to provide guidance; states with workforce development boards may award funds without bidding; the NTIA earlier rescinded approval for non-deployment activities in June, and a Presidential executive order directs NTIA to issue a policy notice within 90 days to potentially withhold funds from states deemed to have “onerous” AI laws.
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What to Do With Remaining BEAD Funds, a.k.a 'Non-Deployment'?
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice prioritizing lowest-cost bids, voiding previously approved state plans, and rescinding authorization for non-deployment activities.
- Main action and effects: NTIA’s June 6 BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice requires states to resubmit plans within 90 days, eliminates scoring criteria for labor practices, climate resilience, and affordability, and replaces multi-criteria evaluation with a single metric—total BEAD cost per location; NTIA now estimates roughly $21 billion in BEAD “savings” across 56 states and territories.
- Background and specifics: States had planned to use non-deployment funds for workforce development, digital literacy, telehealth, device subsidies, and community anchor institution connections (examples: Louisiana $510 million, Florida ~$200 million); litigation risk and Congressional pushback (bipartisan letters, proposed RECAPTURE Act) are active, and NTIA has promised guidance in early 2026. The draft White House executive order would link eligibility for remaining funds to state AI regulatory frameworks, adding a legal and political dimension.
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Top Environmental Victories of 2025
The Sierra Club announces a roundup of its top environmental victories in 2025.
- Major announced actions: The article catalogs specific legal, legislative, and advocacy wins including: stopping a proposed public-lands sell-off after Congressional withdrawal; passage of the Climate Change Superfund Act in New York (following Vermont in 2024) and introduced bills in California, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Maine; legal victories blocking Commonwealth LNG (coastal use permit terminated) and two lawsuits creating guardrails on data centers in Kansas and Michigan; NEVI program restart unlocking $2.7 billion for EV charging; and a $744 million jury verdict against Chevron for coastal damages in Louisiana.
- Background and additional details: The piece lists species and land protections (Northern Rockies wolves, Colorado bison, Rice’s whales), closure of Merrimack Station (final New England coal plant) and repeal of an Ohio coal-bailout that would have cost nearly half a billion dollars, passage of Utah’s balcony solar law allowing small plug-in systems without utility approval, a coalition delivering ~500,000 public comments to defend the Roadless Rule (including 40,000 from Sierra Club advocates), and a world-record origami action sending more than 86,000 paper fish to oppose Enbridge’s Line 5.
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Alabama regulators approve two-year electric rate freeze and two solar projects for a Meta data center
The Alabama Public Service Commission approved a temporary two-year electric rate freeze and authorized two large-scale solar projects tied to Meta’s Montgomery data center.
- Main action: The PSC voted 3-0 to freeze electric rates at 2025 levels through 2027, delaying a rate increase tied to the $622 million purchase of a natural gas plant until 2028; the order also transfers projected excess 2025 profits into Alabama Power’s Natural Disaster Reserve and locks the Rate RSE factor for two years. The PSC approved two solar projects—Stockton I (80 MW) and Stockton II (180 MW)—to be built in Baldwin County by Dotier, LLC (a Meta subsidiary), with completion expected by Dec. 31, 2028, and Alabama Power buying the projects’ power while Dotier retains the RECs.
- Background and implementation details:Alabama Power will keep environmental compliance and fuel cost factors steady through 2027, use nuclear production tax credits to offset lost revenue during the freeze, and rely on internal cost control measures; critics (Energy Alabama) call the freeze a cost-shifting delay and noted limited public input during the shortened adoption period.
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The Five Types of Electro-Industrial States
Rocky Mountain Institute presents a typology classifying US states into five electro-industrial archetypes.
- Main announcement/action: RMI authors classify states into five archetypes — Momentum Hubs (Arizona, California), Fast‑Track Builders (Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ohio, Idaho), Policy Champions (New York, Michigan, Virginia, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania), Open‑Door Starters (Vermont, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Mississippi, Iowa), and Early‑Stage Starters (Missouri, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Maine, Alabama, Louisiana, Indiana, West Virginia, Montana, Arkansas). The typology is based on policy reliability, regulatory ease, economic capacity, physical infrastructure (power and interconnection), and market momentum.
- Background and details: The analysis highlights that market momentum and policy reliability should operate in tandem; low regulatory burdens accelerate short-term investment but may strain local housing and infrastructure without accompanying policy ambition. The authors reference the report GREASE Lightning as a policy playbook for designing investment-led, state-driven electro-industrial strategies.
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Power, Proximity, Policy: The Legal Landscape of Siting Data Centers Near Natural Gas Resources
Michelman Robinson partners Warren Koshofer and Seth Leibenstein analyze the legal and regulatory considerations for siting data centers near U.S. natural gas resources.
- Main announcement/action: The article provides a legal and practical guide on siting data centers adjacent to natural gas infrastructure, noting concrete facts such as data center loads often exceeding 100 megawatts per site and that natural gas supplies more than 40% of U.S. electricity. It identifies regional hubs (Texas/Permian Basin; Appalachian Basin — Marcellus & Utica; Midcontinent/Great Plains; Rockies — DJ and Powder River basins; Gulf South — Louisiana & Mississippi) and highlights relevant regulators like ERCOT and FERC, plus contractual vehicles such as PPAs and gas tolling arrangements.
- Background and details: The piece outlines regulatory and compliance requirements (Clean Air Act permitting, Section 401 water quality certifications, state environmental reviews), flags evolving ESG and carbon disclosure pressures (SEC proposals, IRA incentives), and lists states considering restrictions on fossil-fueled generation for new data centers (Oregon, Virginia, Illinois). Contact details for the authors are provided: Warren Koshofer (212-730-7700; wkoshofer@mrllp.com) and Seth Leibenstein (212-730-7700; sliebenstein@mrllp.com).