North Carolina Data Center News

Feb 22, 2026

Data centers in Ohio: Economic boost or environmental burden?

House Bill 646 would create a data center study commission to examine data center expansion across Ohio and assess environmental and grid impacts before projects move forward.

Main announcement: House Bill 646 proposes a bipartisan data center study commission that will examine environmental effects, electrical grid impacts, water usage, noise, and local economic impacts prior to project approvals; the bill is currently in committee.
Background & details: Ohio has about 200 data centers (many clustered in Central Ohio); New Albany has seen 14 companies build more than 68 data centers (about 40 operational). Policy Matters Ohio reports at least $140 million in tax exemptions granted for data center construction and estimates up to $1.6 billion in potential state/local revenue foregone tied to incentives for Amazon, Google and Microsoft. The article cites concerns including a proposed Adams County facility that would use >20x the county’s electricity, potential water use of up to 5 million gallons/day, and reliance on diesel backup generators (sound levels up to 90dB). Microsoft has pledged carbon negative by 2030 and a community-first infrastructure commitment; Amazon aims net-zero by 2040 and to power some operations with nuclear by 2050.

Feb 18, 2026

Dispelling Trump’s dystopia: A European blueprint for Gaza’s renewal

Jared Kushner presented a Trump economic development plan for Gaza at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Main announcement/action: Jared Kushner unveiled a 20-point Trump economic development plan for Gaza featuring AI-generated renderings of glass towers and marinas, a proposal to fragment Gaza into seven discontinuous residential areas, 180 tourist beachfront towers, designated zones for data centres, and proposals for heavily surveilled “alternative safe communities”; Europeans and Arab states are due to be asked to consider the plan when the Board of Peace meets in Washington on February 19.
Background and concrete details: The plan would place reconstruction and contracting under the Board of Peace (BoP) chaired by President Trump, alludes to “amazing investment opportunities” for private businesses (including reported interest from figures such as Larry Ellison and Peter Thiel), mentions private security contractors (e.g., UG Solutions, the Alligator Alcatraz team) and includes proposals for biometric monitoring and restricted coastal access; the author calls for alternative donor mechanisms such as a World Bank-managed trust fund and immediate humanitarian priorities (clearing rubble, restoring services, temporary shelter) to be led with Palestinian ownership and oversight.

Feb 13, 2026

The 50 States of Power Decarbonization: States and Utilities Navigate Large Load Customer Demand in 2025

The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) released its 2025 Annual Review and Q4 2025 edition of the 50 States of Power Decarbonization report.

Report release & headline findings: The NCCETC released the 2025 annual review and Q4 2025 quarterly report, finding 49 states plus Puerto Rico took a total of 667 actions on electric power decarbonization and resource planning in 2025; 37 states took 104 actions related to large load customers. The report highlights top trends including new large-load tariffs, increased natural gas capacity additions, state-led procurement of energy storage, and consideration of advanced nuclear.
Background & concrete details: The release documents integrated resource plan filings showing planned capacity additions of 144,405 MW solar, 125,016 MW natural gas, 58,581 MW storage, 58,381 MW wind, and 56,475 MW planned coal retirements in 2025; it notes 400 actions tracked in Q4 2025 plus more than 270 introduced bills, and calls out surging data center development driving large-load policy responses.

Feb 5, 2026

What’s up with data centers in Minnesota?

Fresh Energy calls on Minnesota regulators and the Public Utilities Commission to adopt policies ensuring data center development benefits Minnesotans and aligns with the state’s 100% clean electricity by 2040 law.

Main announcement / action: Fresh Energy urges the Commission to implement better load forecasting, rate design (large-load tariffs), and transparency on water and behind-the-meter generation to ensure data centers pay their fair share; Minnesota currently has 13 operating data centers with 43 MW of capacity and 12 planned projects totaling 1,120 MW (as of January 2026). Key regulatory actions already in motion include Xcel Energy’s large-load tariff filed July 2025 and the Commission requiring Dakota Electric to file an additional tariff in December 2025.
Background and details: Fresh Energy cites national context such as data center investment growth from $13.8 billion to $41.2 billion per year and nearly 100 GW of proposed behind-the-meter gas plants nationwide; it recommends using IRP updates, stochastic/scenario-based forecasting, and tariff rate classes so utilities do not overbuild infrastructure or shift costs to residential customers.

Jan 29, 2026 · IT Brief Asia

Taiwan NCHC joins iRODS data management consortium

Taiwan’s National Centre for High-Performance Computing has joined the iRODS Consortium.

Main announcement: NCHC has become a member of the iRODS Consortium to integrate iRODS into its systems, including use within its proprietary Trusted-Cloud Platform (aligned with the Trusted Research Environment framework and the Five Safes model). NCHC stated iRODS will help register existing files without extra replicas, support heterogeneous storage filesystems, and contribute to Safe Settings and Safe Data in its sensitive data architecture. Key people: Chang-Wei Yeh, Principle Engineer and Lead of the Sensitive Data Authorization System at NCHC (quoted).
Background and details: NCHC operates national research infrastructure in Taiwan supporting HPC, AI, large-scale data services, academic research networks, and security research. The iRODS development team is based at RENCI (affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States) and the Consortium noted iRODS deployments in thousands of locations across sectors including biosciences and archives. Consortium comment from Terrell Russell, iRODS Consortium Executive Director, affirms continued collaboration.

Jan 27, 2026

Roundup: Luxury slowdown / Consumer confidence / Meta-Corning deal

Meta has signed a multiyear agreement to purchase fiber-optic cable from Corning worth up to $6 billion.

Agreement details:Multiyear purchase agreement between Meta and Corning valued up to $6 billion to buy fiber-optic cable, intended to accelerate the build-out of U.S. data centers to support artificial intelligence (reported by The Wall Street Journal).
Background and implementation:Corning will expand its manufacturing footprint in North Carolina and boost employment as part of fulfilling the contract; the article frames the deal as part of rapid infrastructure investment behind AI growth.

Jan 27, 2026

Meta Inks $6B Fiber Optic Deal with Corning for US Data Centers

Meta Platforms has announced a $6 billion multi-year fiber-optic supply agreement with Corning to accelerate expansion of its US data center infrastructure.

Main announcement: Meta has agreed a $6 billion multi-year supply deal with Corning for optical fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions; Corning will ramp up manufacturing at its Hickory, North Carolina facility where Meta will serve as an anchor customer, and Corning said it will add up to 20% more workers in North Carolina (Hickory and Durham). The companies noted Meta has agreed to pay for optical fiber through 2030.
Background and details: Meta currently has 26 data centers planned or under construction in the US as part of its $600 billion AI strategy; the deal will supply fiber for major projects including the 1 GW Prometheus (New Albany, Ohio) and 5 GW Hyperion (Richland Parish, Louisiana) sites. Corning reported $1.65 billion in third-quarter optical communications revenue (up 33%) and said enterprise optical communications sales rose 58%.

Jan 26, 2026

Laying the Foundation for Low-Emission Cement and Concrete

Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced the Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act (S.1067) in March 2025; the House reintroduced the IMPACT Act (H.R.1534) to establish a temporary low-emission cement, concrete, and asphalt program at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Main announcement/action: The Senate introduced S.1067 (Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act) in March 2025 to accelerate the use of low-emission concrete and asphalt; the House reintroduced H.R.1534 (IMPACT Act) to create a temporary low-emission cement, concrete, and asphalt program at the U.S. Department of Energy (legislative actions introduced/reintroduced in 2025).
Background & other details:Market valuation: global green concrete market $39 billion (2024) projected to reach $102 billion (2032); targets to reduce clinker-to-cement ratio include the American Cement Association moving from 0.88 to 0.75 by 2050 and the GCCA projecting a global drop from 0.76 to 0.52 by 2050. Research and industry actions cited: Northwestern University developed a carbon-negative cement from seawater, Qatar University found a concrete mix with treated wastewater + recycled aggregates + 20% fly ash reduced maintenance costs by 60% and life-cycle costs by 19%; tech company partnerships include AWS using low-carbon concrete from American Rock Products for U.S. data centers and Meta partnering with CarbonBuilt.

Jan 26, 2026

EPA moves toward changing particulate matter standard as manufacturers urge action

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving to revisit and ask the court to vacate the Biden-era annual PM2.5 standard of nine micrograms per cubic meter.

Main action: The EPA filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit asking the court to vacate the March 2024 PM2.5 annual standard (lowered from 12 µg/m3 to 9 µg/m3). The agency said the Biden EPA took a “regulatory shortcut” and failed to adequately consider compliance costs; EPA urged vacatur before the initial nonattainment determinations due on Feb. 7 and states’ implementation plans due in April.
Background and details: Industry groups including NAM and 15 trade associations (e.g., SMA, Aluminum Association, American Cement Association) have pressed the Trump administration to revert the standard; EPA previously estimated the 2024 rule could prevent 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays, with monetized benefits of $22 billion to $46 billion and $590 million in estimated costs by 2032. A 2025 ACA report estimated 1 million metric tons of cement needed for AI data centers by 2028 and projects U.S. data centers rising from 5,426 to 6,000 by 2027.

Jan 22, 2026

CBRE’s 2026 Data Center Outlook: Demand Surges as Delivery Becomes the Constraint

CBRE announced its 2026 U.S. data center outlook and confirmed the acquisition of Pearce Services (announced November 4, 2025), positioning the firm to address power and execution constraints in large-scale data center delivery.

Main announcement: CBRE’s outlook finds the U.S. data center market constrained by power delivery rather than land, capital, or connectivity; developers and occupiers now prioritize sites capable of supporting 300-MW-plus deliveries within 36 months, with preleasing expected in the mid-70% range and construction/interconnection timelines commonly extending 24–48 months for incremental generation or transmission upgrades.
Acquisition and execution detail: CBRE acquired Pearce Services (announced Nov 4, 2025) for approximately $1.2 billion in cash plus an earn-out up to $115 million; Pearce is forecast to generate > $660 million revenue and > $90 million EBITDA in 2026, and CBRE expects to produce > $350 million of Core EBITDA from its digital and power infrastructure services businesses in 2026; financial advisors included J.P. Morgan Securities and Wells Fargo, with legal advisers Sullivan & Cromwell (CBRE) and Ropes & Gray (Pearce/New Mountain Capital).

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