North Carolina Data Center Intel

Recent North Carolina data center news

• Jan 3, 2026

  Big Tech’s fast-expanding plans for data centers are running into stiff community opposition

  Communities across the United States are increasingly blocking or delaying proposed data centers intended to serve AI and cloud computing workloads.

  • Major local defeats and delays: Data Center Watch (a project of 10a Labs) counted 20 proposals valued at $98 billion across 11 states that were blocked or delayed between April and June; opponents have also forced rezoning losses in states such as Indiana and pulled projects from city agendas (e.g., Matthews, NC). The article cites Microsoft’s securities filing acknowledging “community opposition, local moratoriums, and hyper-local dissent” as operational risks.
  • Project and developer details / background: Developers and trade groups such as The Missner Group, JLL, Mortenson, and the Data Center Coalition are adjusting strategy—considering selling power-secured sites or increasing early community engagement; one Mortenson project in Minnesota is on hold after internal emails revealed officials knew of the plan a year before public disclosure, and a Matthews, NC proposal reportedly would have funded half the city’s budget.
• Jan 2, 2026

  State Broadband Bills of 2025: A Legislative Review

  State legislatures across the United States enacted and considered broadband-related legislation in 2025; fewer than 140 of more than 600 proposed bills became law.

  • Main actions: States enacted laws prioritizing infrastructure and permitting reforms, pole and rights-of-way access, criminal penalties for theft/vandalism, state broadband funding, and data center incentives. Notable enacted measures include Hawaii H 934 (established a state Broadband Office and programs, enacted in June and backed by $400 million in combined funding), West Virginia SB 907 (expanded the Economic Development Project Fund to allow up to $25 million annually for broadband incentives and up to $125 million annually for broadband loan insurance) and West Virginia HB 2014 (signed in April; created microgrid districts with zoning/permitting exemptions and special property tax treatment for qualifying projects).
  • Additional details and timelines: States also raised criminal penalties (e.g., Oklahoma classified willful damage to a critical infrastructure facility as a Class D3 felony with fines up to $100,000 and prison up to 10 years; Louisiana authorized fines up to $50,000 and prison up to 20 years; California AB 476 increased penalties for knowingly buying illegally obtained scrap metal to $5,000). Other enacted programs include California SB 338 (a $2 million telehealth pilot), New Mexico SB 126 (Rural USF increased from $30 million to $40 million), and Oregon’s device support up to $100 in Lifeline-related assistance. At least 37 states passed data center incentives in 2025 and over 1,000 AI-focused bills were introduced nationwide, with ~38 states adopting or enacting roughly 100 AI measures in 2025.
• Jan 2, 2026

  Transformers in 2026: Shortage, Scramble, or Self-Inflicted Crisis?

  Wood Mackenzie and POWER report that U.S. transformer supply remains structurally out of balance, with multi-year deficits in large power and generator step-up units even as manufacturers commit major North American investments.

  • Main findings and actions:Wood Mackenzie estimates a 30% shortfall for power transformers and 10% for distribution units in 2025, with demand increases since 2019 of 119% for power transformers and 274% for GSUs; lead times average 128 weeks for power transformers and 144 weeks for GSUs. Despite nearly $1.8 billion–$2.0 billion in announced North American manufacturing investments since 2023, major corporate commitments include Hitachi Energy (over $1 billion continental, CA$270 million Varennes expansion, $457 million South Boston, VA project due by 2028, $106 million Alamo, TN expansion), Siemens Energy ($150 million Charlotte plant, production targeted early 2027), Eaton ($340 million South Carolina facility targeting 2027), Prolec GE (more than $300 million), Virginia Transformer Corp. ($40 million), ERMCO (>$70 million), and Central Moloney ($50 million). Unit prices have also climbed: power transformers +77%, GSUs +45%, some distribution up to 95%.

  • Background, policy, and procurement details: Federal trade measures (copper tariffs up to 50%, expanded Section 232 steel/aluminum duties) and the budget package nicknamed “One Big Beautiful Bill” (phasing down some renewables credits and tightening FEOC rules) have raised input costs and domestic‑content constraints; federal/state incentives and site support are driving reshoring to Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and elsewhere. Counterpoints include broker Patrick Tarver of Bolt Electrical LLC, who argues “There is not a shortage” and attributes delays to utility/EPC procurement practices (qualification lists, vendor rules) rather than factory capacity; Tarver says he can deliver standard substation transformers in 12 to 14 months and typically charges 12%–15% over factory cost.

• Jan 2, 2026

  Meeting the Moment: Industry Leaders Chart the Course for Power in 2026

  POWER’s executive editor Aaron Larson compiles industry leaders’ perspectives on the power sector outlook for 2026, highlighting AI, data‑center demand, solar growth, supply‑chain constraints, and regulatory changes such as FEOC.

  • Main announcement/action: Industry leaders describe 2026 as a pivotal year where AI integration into grid management and data center-driven load growth will force planning for gigawatts of new capacity; examples and concrete figures cited include the Hale Kuawehi Solar and Battery Project reaching commercial operations on March 25, 2025 (30 MW PV + 30 MW/120 MWh storage), the IEA projection of ~3.68 TW of solar capacity added by 2030, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 2028 data‑center energy projections of ~325–580 TWh under different scenarios.
  • Background and specific details: The article documents regulatory and supply‑chain constraints including FEOC rules restricting tax credits for projects with covered‑nation links (China, Russia, North Korea, Iran); notable investments and timelines cited include National Grid investing £35 billion over the next six years to strengthen supply chains in England and Wales, Dominion Energy spending $2.1 billion on transmission in the prior year and planning >$2.8 billion annually starting in 2027, and Siemens Energy investing about €220 million (Sept 2025) in Nuremberg and $150 million in 2024 in Charlotte. It also notes the DeepSeek R1 release in 2025 as a pivotal event influencing data‑center power demand forecasts.
• Dec 30, 2025

  Scorecard: Looking Back at Data Center Frontier’s 2025 Industry Predictions

  Data Center Frontier published a 2025 scorecard grading eight data center industry trends and issued verdicts on each, emphasizing that power, cooling, and utility coordination dominated what shaped the industry in 2025.

  • Main announcement: Data Center Frontier released a year-end scorecard evaluating eight core trends with graded verdicts (e.g., “VERDICT: MASSIVE HIT” for power constraints and hyperscale megacampuses; “VERDICT: STRONG HIT” for natural gas bridging supply). The article cites specific figures and deals including estimates that U.S. data center energy use could reach up to 12% of U.S. electricity by 2028 (Congressional Research Service), a reported $120+ billion of AI data center spending shifted off balance sheets (Financial Times), and Alphabet’s $4.75 billion acquisition of Intersect Power to align energy and compute deployment timelines.
  • Background and details: The piece documents operational shifts in 2025—liquid direct-to-chip cooling moved to baseline design assumptions (TrendForce: DLC adoption ~33% in 2025), natural gas and behind-the-meter generation emerged as fast-to-deploy reliability options (ExxonMobil’s 1.5-GW plant plans and CCS pairing), and quantum and immersion cooling progressed technically but remained “Too Early” for broad adoption. It also notes concrete geographic and market examples (record-low primary market vacancy at 1.6% per CBRE; secondary market growth in Central Ohio, Indiana, Louisiana, Utah, Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee).
• Dec 29, 2025

  North Texas Startup Joins Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Utilities in Open Power AI Consortium Focused On How We ‘Make, Move, and Use Electricity’

  KYRO AI signed a memorandum of understanding with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to join the Open Power AI Consortium and will contribute field-tested utility operations expertise to the consortium’s effort to develop open-source AI models and a sandbox for electricity-sector applications.

  • Main announcement: KYRO AI (Plano) signed an MOU with EPRI to participate in the Open Power AI Consortium (OPAI) alongside tech firms (Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, AWS) and major utilities (Duke Energy, Exelon, Southern California Edison). KYRO will bring field-level operational data and workflows to help build open-source models and testcases for forecasting demand, triaging outages, and prioritizing work in the consortium’s sandbox environment.
  • Background and details: The consortium (announced March 2025) is developing domain-specific LLMs trained on EPRI data and aims to shorten interconnection study timelines (currently up to 4 years) by at least five times. Article cites specific figures: 22% rise in U.S. data-center power demand this year, a potential $22 billion in returns from cutting permitting timelines by one year, and a near $10 million error at the founder’s prior company as context for KYRO’s founding.
• Dec 28, 2025

  Stokes data center plan stirs economy vs. environmental debate

  A developer has proposed zoning changes for land northeast of Walnut Cove in Stokes County to build a data center, prompting local debate between economic development supporters and environmental opponents.

  • Main announcement: A proposed rezoning and possible construction of a data center on land near Tuttle Road northeast of Walnut Cove (Stokes GIS PINs 6964918321 and 6973734188) has been publicized with a rezoning notice posted; photos of the site were taken Dec. 23, 2025 and the site lies near Duke Energy’s Belews Creek Steam Station.
  • Background and details: The article documents visible community opposition (a “No Data Centers” sign), site features including proximity to the Dan River and Hanging Rock, and local reporting credits (author Richard Craver, staff reporter John Deem contributed). Contact details published: rcraver@wsjournal.com, 336-727-7376. All facts are from the published article and photo captions.
• Dec 24, 2025

  UK’s Nscale to Boost US Footprint with $865M Data Center Deal

  UK-based Nscale will invest $865 million for a 10-year, 40 MW colocation agreement with WhiteFiber at the planned NC-1 data center in Madison, North Carolina.

  • Deal details: Nscale commits $865 million for a 10-year, 40 MW colocation agreement at WhiteFiber’s NC-1 (one million sq ft on 96 acres). Payments begin for 20 MW in April 2026 and the remaining 20 MW in May 2026; WhiteFiber will provide priority notification of additional available capacity.
  • Background and funding: WhiteFiber (a subsidiary of Enovum Data Centers) has invested $150 million in the facility and is in advanced talks with lenders to fund buildout to accommodate Nscale; Nscale raised $1.1 billion in Series B in September and recently contracted with Microsoft to deliver 104,000 Nvidia GPUs for a 240 MW site in Barstow, Texas.
• Dec 18, 2025

  Calls for US Data Center Freeze Grow as Local Enthusiasm Melts

  Senator Bernie Sanders has called for a national moratorium on new data center construction, urging Congress to slow AI expansion and involve more people in decisions about AI’s future.

  • Main action and scope:Sen. Bernie Sanders publicly advocated a national moratorium on data center construction; more than 200 environmental organizations (via a letter) also called for a moratorium citing impacts on water resources, electricity consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions; Data Center Watch reports $64 billion in data center plans have been blocked or delayed by local activism in the last two years.
  • Background and additional details: Federal debate is split—Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen, and Richard Blumenthal are investigating links between data center power usage and rising consumer bills and have sent letters to major hyperscalers (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, CoreWeave, Digital Realty, Equinix); the Trump administration and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright have pushed for accelerated permitting and less state regulation; a Carnegie Mellon University study projects data center and crypto growth could raise average U.S. electricity costs ~8% by 2030 (with regional spikes, e.g., >25% in Virginia).
• Dec 18, 2025

  New Topic Areas Electrify the 2026 State Energy Conference of NC

  The NC Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) announces the 2026 State Energy Conference of North Carolina, a two-day clean energy and policy conference at NC State University’s McKimmon Center in Raleigh on April 28–29, 2026.

  • Event details: The conference will run April 28–29, 2026 at the McKimmon Center, Raleigh, NC, featuring multiple tracks on grid-scale resources, distributed resources, electrification & industrial loads (including data centers), load flexibility, energy efficiency & building technologies, and innovation & entrepreneurship, with opportunities to earn professional continuing education credits; expected attendance is ~800+ professionals from sectors such as energy companies, clean tech firms, real estate developers, government, universities, and nonprofits.

  • Participation options: NCCETC offers exhibitor opportunities and flexible sponsorship packages with branding and speaking benefits; early bird registration is open through March 20, 2026, standard registration from March 21–April 23, 2026, and on-site registration during the event, with registration, email sign-up, sponsor and exhibitor information available via the State Energy Conference website.

  • Event/conference metadata:

    • Name: State Energy Conference of North Carolina (2026 edition)
    • Dates: April 28–29, 2026
    • Location: McKimmon Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
    • Organizer: NC Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC)
    • Agenda/subject: Clean energy, grid-scale and distributed resources, electrification (including transportation and industrial loads), data centers, load flexibility, energy efficiency and building technologies, innovation, policy and markets, and professional networking and education.