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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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Patented: Topgolf’s Newest Award and More Inventions Across North Texas
Dallas Invents has reported a weekly roundup of patents granted in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, highlighting Topgolf’s new patent among other local assignees and inventors.
- Topgolf International, Inc. received U.S. Patent No. 12649095 for a Galton configuration in golf ball receiving apparatus and systems that uses RFID tags and an antenna reader to identify golf balls while avoiding jams.
- The article is a news roundup/commentary on patent activity, not a first-time corporate announcement; it also lists other grants to entities including Texas Instruments, Toyota, Samsung, Bank of America, Citibank, USAA, Halliburton, and Akamai.
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The Data Center Water Problem Is Soluble
ITIF has published a policy report arguing that data center water use can be managed through state-led regulation, standardized disclosure, watershed-based review, and targeted federal support.
- The report says states should require facility-level water disclosures, use watershed-specific performance standards, and establish joint water-energy review for large data center loads.
- It also recommends federal action on standardized metrics, procurement, and R&D rather than a national water mandate; examples cited include Nvidia Rubin liquid cooling and Microsoft zero-water cooling designs.
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New Jersey lawmakers pass bill to establish large load data center tariff
New Jersey lawmakers have passed a bill directing the state’s Board of Public Utilities to create a dedicated data center tariff for facilities of 50MW or more. The bill is now headed to Governor Mikie Sherrill for final approval.
- The bill applies to existing and new facilities, lowers the threshold from 100MW to 50MW, and aggregates sites under common ownership or on contiguous sites as one large data center.
- It requires projects to show they are not proposed elsewhere, provide financial guarantees covering at least 85% of requested service for 10 years, commit to demand response and flexibility programs, and be curtailed before residential customers during grid emergencies; it also prioritizes interconnection for data centers bringing clean generation or storage.
- The article also notes related actions in other states, including a new Oregon rate class, and laws or proposals in Oklahoma, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, and Virginia.
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AI’s Duplicate Demand Problem Drives Grids to Commitment-First Planning
FERC has initiated a pending rulemaking (RM26-4-000) exploring “commitment-first” planning for large loads to prevent inflated demand forecasts driven by speculative data center interconnection requests.
- Main announcement/action: Google has proposed a Capacity Commitment Framework that would require meaningful commercial commitments (examples: long-term service agreements, minimum demand charges, upfront collateral, withdrawal penalties) before large-load requests influence long-term transmission planning; major cloud/AI firms (Amazon, Microsoft, OpenAI) support maturity/commitment-based approaches and coordinated generation-load studies.
- Background and details: Regional reforms already in practice include ERCOT’s Batch Zero credibility test, SPP’s HILLGA framework, and PJM large-load proceedings; alternative proposals include NRG Energy’s open seasons for transmission capacity and state-level jurisdictional challenges (e.g., North Carolina urging preservation of the Federal Power Act’s jurisdictional line; Maryland regulators contesting PJM cost-allocation tied to AI-driven load growth).
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The Carolinas May Hold a Critical Resource for AI Data Centers
The US Geological Survey has published an assessment estimating substantial undiscovered lithium resources in the southern Appalachian region, concentrated in North and South Carolina.
- Key announcement: The USGS study estimates a median recoverable undiscovered resource of 1.43 million metric tons of lithium oxide in the southern Appalachian region, with North and South Carolina likely hosting most deposits; the report complements known resources (the identified Carolina Lithium and Kings Mountain deposits are estimated at 1.6 million metric tons of lithium oxide).
- Background and implementation details: The assessment used geological mapping, geochemistry, geophysics, and probabilistic modeling; Albemarle Corporation is seeking permits to restart and expand the Kings Mountain hard-rock lithium site (previously idled in the early 1990s). Utilities and stakeholders note the resource could support battery energy storage systems (BESS) to meet rising electricity demand from data centers, but near-term constraints include manufacturing capacity, refining, economics, skilled labor, and grid interconnection processes.
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Carolina West Wireless to Transfer Mobile Network to Verizon
Carolina West Wireless has announced it will shut down its wireless service by Sept. 30, 2026 and transition its network to Verizon.
- Main action:Carolina West Wireless (CWW) will cease wireless operations by Sept. 30, 2026 and is transitioning its network to Verizon; customers who switch to Verizon before July 30 will receive a $150 Mastercard gift card per line and Verizon will not charge mobile line activation fees. CEO Slayton Stewart said the decision reflects rising infrastructure demands and the company pledged support for employees via severance and career services. CWW did not disclose the fate of its FCC-overseen wireless licenses.
- Background and reaction: CWW was founded in 1991 and is owned by a partnership of Skyline Telephone and Surry Communications; the Competitive Carriers Association President & CEO Tim Donovan urged sustainable USF operational expense support for rural carriers and called on Congress and the FCC to act promptly. Links to CWW customer transition FAQs and local reporting are cited in the article.
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Construction employment rises in 30 states over past year, AGC reports
The Associated General Contractors of America reported that construction employment increased in 30 states and the District of Columbia between May 2025 and May 2026.
- Main announcement: AGC reported state construction employment increased in 30 states and D.C. between May 2025 and May 2026; Texas added 18,700 jobs (2.1%), North Carolina added 13,600, Wisconsin added 9,000, and Wisconsin posted the largest percentage increase (6.2%); California recorded the largest annual decline at 13,100 jobs (−1.5%).
- Monthly detail and risks: From April to May, construction employment increased in 23 states and D.C., declined in 22 states, and was unchanged in 5 states; monthly leaders included Texas (+3,600) and Wisconsin (+2,900). AGC officials Ken Simonson and Jeffrey D. Shoaf cautioned that opposition to data center projects and uncertainty over federal transportation funding pose threats to future construction job growth.
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Climate Change Solutions - June 16, 2026
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) released new fact sheets on lithium and cobalt and announced its 29th annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO (EXPO 2026).
- New EESI publications: EESI published fact sheets on Lithium and Cobalt, noting the U.S. relies on imports for >50% of lithium consumed and 76% of cobalt consumed; the newsletter links to a 2025 Critical Minerals Issue Brief for deeper analysis.
- Event and policy updates: EXPO 2026 is scheduled for Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (reception 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.) at the Rayburn House Office Building Gold Room (Room 2168) and online; the newsletter also reports House action on the Agriculture Appropriations Act (H.R.8646) providing $22.5 billion to USDA through September 2027, and updates on geothermal permitting bills and the DOMINANCE Act to secure critical mineral supply chains.
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Tennessee Valley Corridor summit participants focus on AI, quantum initiatives
The state of Tennessee has pledged $43 million for the Tennessee Quantum Initiative (TQI).
- $43 million pledge by the State of Tennessee to the Tennessee Quantum Initiative (TQI) to build the ecosystem that moves quantum technologies toward real-world adoption; the initiative will increase access to quantum resources, support workforce development, and is linked to hiring through the K-Quantum Accelerator and plans for a 100,000-square-foot quantum foundry in Knoxville.
- Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit (May 28-29, Chattanooga): attended by ORNL, DOE, UT-Battelle, U.S. Reps. Chuck Fleischmann and John Rose, and state leaders; ORNL highlighted its AI history (Oak Ridge Applied Artificial Intelligence Project, 1979), continued leadership in HPC/exascale via the Genesis Mission, and cited an industry partnership with Nvidia tied to Nvidia’s $5.5 trillion market valuation.
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Data Centers’ Next Hurdle: Winning Public Trust and Social License
The article reports that community opposition is emerging as a decisive constraint on U.S. data center development.
- Main action: Local communities and voters have begun to block or reshape large data center projects: Monterey Park approved a citywide ban on new data centers; opposition in Festus, Missouri helped thwart a proposed $6 billion campus and unseat incumbent council members; the proposed Stratos project in Utah was reduced from 40,000 acres to about 20,000 acres. The piece also cites a seasonally adjusted annual construction rate of $50.7 billion (April 2026, US Census Bureau) as context for the scale of recent growth.
- Background & policy details: State-level responses include North Carolina lawmakers considering utility cost-recovery changes for major customers and New York’s proposed Responsible Data Center Development Act, which would pause new large data center permits for one year and require public hearings, host-community benefit programs, and separate utility rate classifications. The article is an analytical report summarizing local disputes, polling (Pew, Gallup), expert comments, and cited regulatory proposals.