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North Carolina Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across North Carolina — updated daily.
Recent North Carolina data center news
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Can data center developers turn public skepticism into trust?
This article is a commentary-style roundup referencing a Fortune report about how data center developers can address community skepticism and build trust.
- The piece highlights public opposition to data centers over water use, electricity demand, backup generators, and local impacts, citing rejected projects in Arizona, Florida, Virginia, and North Carolina.
- It quotes Adhum Carter Wolde-Lule of Prism Power Group, who says developers should disclose water use in electricity generation, explain cooling methods, set limits on backup generation, and provide realistic grid-connection plans; it also cites Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory data that U.S. data centers used 17 billion gallons of water for cooling in 2023, with consumption potentially doubling or quadrupling by 2028.
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U.S. Nuclear Policy Enters a New Era: NCCETC Dataset Tracks the Nationwide Sprint Toward New Nuclear Deployment
The NC Clean Energy Technology Center has announced the latest edition of its Nuclear Energy Policy Dataset, a biannual resource tracking commercial nuclear energy policy and market activity across the United States.
- The October 2026 update covers all 50 states, U.S. territories, and federal actions, and says 45 states and Puerto Rico took new action between April and September 2026; 48 states and Puerto Rico have acted since the start of the year.
- Noteworthy developments cited include New Jersey’s 1.1 GW capacity certificate program, Illinois’ statewide inquiry, Tennessee’s first fusion plant license to Type One Energy at Bull Run in Clinton, and the TVA Clinch River SMR construction permit from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
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The 2026 US-India Subnational Innovation Competitiveness Index
ITIF and the Institute for Competitiveness, India have released a new subnational innovation competitiveness report comparing 87 regions in India and the United States.
- The report benchmarks 36 Indian states and territories and 51 U.S. regions across 12 indicators in three pillars: knowledge economy, globalization, and innovation capacity.
- It finds the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and California top the U.S. list, while Chandigarh, Maharashtra, and Delhi lead India; it also discusses AI policy, FDI concentration, renewable energy, Internet access, R&D, business creation, and patenting.
- The article is a report summary/analysis and appears to be the first public release of this index, with a downloadable report PDF; it includes multiple monetary figures such as $57.2 billion in India FDI equity and $1 billion for New Hampshire’s biofabrication cluster.
- The piece is substantively about innovation, infrastructure, digital connectivity, AI, and clean energy, and is relevant to data centres because it discusses AI infrastructure, GPUs, digital infrastructure, and power/renewables.
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Beyond the Demand Forecast: Six Questions About Powering Data Centers From DPX 2026
POWER magazine has published a conference-based analysis of DPX 2026, highlighting the main questions discussed about building power infrastructure for data centers and AI load growth.
- The article summarizes remarks from Peter Lake, Jehmal T. Hudson, Alexander Hubbard, Matthew Gardner, Nelli Babayan, and Jason Reagan rather than announcing a single new project.
- It includes concrete policy and market details such as Virginia’s GS-5 rate class effective Jan. 1, 2027, Berkeley Lab’s 192 TWh to 649 TWh U.S. data center electricity forecast, and GE Vernova’s planned turbine output ramp to 20 GW in Q4 2026, 24 GW by 2028, and 30 GW by 2030.
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Speed to Power: The Vertically Integrated Advantage in the Southeast
Troutman Pepper Locke has published a podcast transcript episode on vertically integrated utilities and speed to power in the Southeast.
- Josh Combs and Andy Flavin discuss how vertically integrated utilities in the Southeast differ from RTO/deregulated markets, with generation, transmission, and distribution handled under one utility structure.
- The conversation explains how IRP and state commission oversight connect load growth, resource planning, and grid build-out over 10-25 years, with examples including Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
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How Data Center-Driven Load Growth Is Reshaping the Renewable Energy Market
This article is a commentary/opinion piece by Evelyn Carpenter, CEO of Invera Energy, about how data center-driven load growth is changing renewable energy market requirements.
- It argues that speed-to-power, reliability, scalability, and certainty of energization are becoming more important for hyperscale data center developers than price alone.
- It discusses solar, battery storage, hybrid behind-the-meter and grid-tied solutions, plus emerging commercial structures, but does not announce a specific project or deal.
- The article also includes unrelated Experience POWER conference listings in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 28–30, 2026 with panel sessions and speakers.
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Evan Swarztrauber: The Hidden Supply-Chain Risk Inside America’s AI Data Centers
This article is an opinion/commentary piece arguing that the FCC should add optical transceivers to its covered list as a national security measure.
- The author says the FCC is reportedly considering a ban on new Chinese-produced optical transceivers, and argues the move would effectively block foreign-made transceivers from U.S. sale and import without an exemption.
- It cites earlier incidents, including Iranian drone strikes on Amazon Web Services data centers in the United Arab Emirates and damage to a facility in Bahrain, and references U.S. manufacturing expansion by Applied Optoelectronics, Coherent, and Lumentum; it also mentions a $5 billion rip-and-replace program for telecom equipment.
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Major Leap for Solid-State Transformers: Megawatt-Class Unit Demonstrated on Live Feeder
North Carolina State University, the New York Power Authority, and EPRI have announced the first independent validation of a megawatt-class solid-state transformer on a live 13.2-kV utility distribution feeder.
- The NC State-built prototype was tested at EPRI’s power delivery laboratory in Lenox, Massachusetts over a three-day field campaign in mid-June, where it was energized and de-energized at least 10 times, supplied an EV load, and injected reactive power for grid support.
- The project began in 2018 with DOE support under award DE-EE0008450; NYPA funded and helped field-test the system, while NC State designed and built the power-electronics hardware. The prototype’s individual module efficiency was said to peak at about 98% in laboratory testing, and the article notes possible future applications in data centers, EV charging, renewables, storage, and microgrids.
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US calls for hands-off AI regulation at G20 tech meeting
The US has urged G20 members to avoid creating new AI regulations and adopt the “Carolina Principles” at a G20 Innovation Ministerial meeting in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
- Michael Kratsios said the principles would focus new rules only on novel situations involving AI and that governments should apply existing regulatory frameworks where possible.
- Kratsios said countries that signed the principles agreed to the approach; he also said China had signed, though he did not provide a copy of the document. The article also cites comments from Demis Hassabis, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk on AI safety, open-weight models, EU regulation, and energy for data centres.
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Ansaldo Returns to U.S. Gas Turbine Market as Equipment Crunch Widens Supplier Field
Ansaldo Energia has announced an order to supply Pacifico Energy with eight AE64.3A gas turbines and associated generators for a Texas data center power project.
- First equipment deliveries are scheduled for 2027; the eight units represent about 624 MW of nominal generating capacity based on the 78-MW simple-cycle rating.
- The article says the project supports major data center infrastructure and places Ansaldo back in the U.S. generation market after more than 30 years; Pacifico Energy has separately identified Texas projects including GW Ranch and Fort Spunky.