New Mexico Data Center Intel

Recent New Mexico data center news

• Feb 25, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - February 24, 2026

  The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) released a newsletter highlighting data center impacts, policy developments on Capitol Hill, and upcoming briefings and events.

  • Main announcement: EESI highlighted rising household energy costs driven in part by data center demand, noting electricity prices have risen by up to 267% since 2020 in high-concentration data center areas and that wildfires cost the United States up to $424 billion annually. The newsletter features the article “Data Center Power Demands Are Contributing to Higher Energy Bills,” a podcast on wildfire philanthropy, and announces briefings including “Understanding Load Growth and Energy Affordability” on Thursday, February 26 (3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online).

  • Background and other details: The newsletter summaries recent legislative actions and events: Senate Energy Committee advanced the Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2025 (S.714); House Committee approved the ACERO Act (H.R.390) to authorize NASA’s ACERO project; Senate Foreign Relations agreed to the Protecting Global Fisheries Act of 2026 (S.1369); House introduced the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R.7567). Events listed with dates/times/locations:

    • Understanding Load Growth and Energy Affordability — Feb 26, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online
    • Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy — Mar 3, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Russell Senate Office Building, Room 385 and online (Reception to follow)
    • Strategies to Lower Utility Bills Now for Households and Small Businesses — Mar 12, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online
    • 2026 Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum (EXPO 2026) — Jun 24, 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building Foyer and Gold Room and online
• Feb 25, 2026

  CTA Official Says It’s Time to Reclaim and Auction TV Station Spectrum

  The Consumer Technology Association’s SVP Michael Petricone called on Congress to pursue an “Incentive Auction 2.0” to reclaim and auction spectrum licensed to TV station owners.

  • Main action: Michael Petricone (CTA SVP of Government & Regulatory Affairs) urged Congress to reclaim broadcaster-held spectrum via an “Incentive Auction 2.0”, to auction it openly and let the market allocate it to its highest value uses; he also called for removing regulatory advantages that favor legacy TV stations and criticized proposals to loosen ownership rules to permit more mergers and consolidation.
  • Background and other details: The National Association of Broadcasters (Grace Whaley) pushed back defending local stations and praising FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for modernizing rules; the article also references related telecom items including Akamai opposing a USF tax on CDNs, calls to protect CBRS from auction, four ISPs joining an open-access network in Los Alamos, a Florida bill to make Big Tech pay data center energy bills, and a Starlink–Microsoft partnership to serve developing nations.
• Feb 23, 2026

  Los Alamos Names Public Broadband Network ‘Atomic Fiber’

  Los Alamos County has announced it selected “Atomic Fiber” as the name for its county-owned community broadband network and provided timeline, design, coverage and funding details.

  • Main announcement: Los Alamos County selected “Atomic Fiber” (received more than two-thirds of public survey votes) as the name for a county-owned, open-access fiber-to-the-premise network expected to serve more than 10,000 homes and businesses; the design phase completed January 2026, material procurement underway February 2026, and construction scheduled to begin April 2026 in eight phases across 47 distribution areas.
  • Project details & funding: The network will include three hubs (White Rock Fire Station 3, Los Alamos Municipal Building, Los Alamos Golf Course), offer symmetrical service up to 10 Gigabits per second, incorporate redundancy, anticipate first service-ready customers in fall 2026 with full buildout projected 2029–2030, and construction funding will be provided via New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax revenue bonds; existing ISPs will remain available while additional providers can use the open-access network.
• Feb 19, 2026

  Enhanced geothermal systems could expand geothermal power generation

  Fervo Energy is constructing the first large-scale commercial enhanced geothermal system (EGS) power generator in the United States (Cape Generating Station), planned to come online in June 2026.

  • Main announcement:Fervo Energy’s Cape Generating Station is under construction with a planned maximum capacity of 53 MW (28 MW net summer capacity) and is scheduled online June 2026; two additional 53 MW units at the same location are expected to begin operation January 2027, and Fervo has signed two PPAs totaling 320 MW with Southern California Edison for further expansion in 2028.
  • Background and other details: Ongoing federal and commercial efforts include DOE-sponsored FORGE research, Department of Defense partnerships with six geothermal developers to power bases in California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas, a Rodatherm Energy Corp. closed-loop pilot expected by January 2028, and a Meta–SAGE agreement to supply up to 150 MW of new geothermal power east of the Rocky Mountains.
• Feb 17, 2026

  Designing Data Centers for the Communities and Natural Environments Where We Operate

  Oracle commits to community-centered design and environmental protections for its AI data center projects.

  • Main announcement/action: Oracle will design and build AI data centers with community and environmental protections including closed-loop, non-evaporative cooling systems, commitments to preserve and enhance on-site land, reduced light and noise impacts, and a financial commitment of $50 million to modernize Doña Ana County’s water system. Oracle also states it will fund any electrical infrastructure upgrades required to service its campuses (not ratepayers), and that daily potable water use at its sites will be similar to a typical office building.

  • Details and site-specific facts:

    • Port Washington, Wisconsin: 672-acre site; 172 acres to be preserved/enhanced; planting more than 2,000 native trees; supporting the Valley Creek Corridor Revitalization Project to restore/protect waterways.
    • Saline Township, Michigan:Three-quarters of the site to remain farmland, wetlands, and open space; buildings sit below road level; sensor-controlled, downward-facing lighting; site noise ~55 decibels at the property line; new stormwater systems will reduce runoff into the Saline River to below current levels.
    • Doña Ana County, New Mexico: closed-loop cooling initial fill will use non-potable water drawn from existing commercial water rights (not community drinking water); $50 million committed to modernize the county water system.
    • Abilene, Texas: data center will utilize excess, low-cost wind energy from the local grid to help stabilize utilization.
• Feb 9, 2026

  Closed-loop cooling in Oracle AI data centers

  Oracle announces it will deploy direct-to-chip, closed-loop, non-evaporative cooling systems at its upcoming AI data centers in New Mexico, Michigan, Texas, and Wisconsin.

  • Main announcement: Oracle will use direct-to-chip, closed-loop, non-evaporative cooling systems at AI data centers in New Mexico, Michigan, Texas, and Wisconsin, designed to remove heat at the server/processor level and avoid continuous consumption of potable water. The design circulates cooling fluid in sealed piping so day-to-day cooling does not depend on adding water.
  • Background and technical details: The cooling loop is initially filled using water delivered via tankers and then operates as a sealed, recirculating system with rare top-offs under abnormal conditions; ongoing daily water use for cooling is stated as effectively zero, and the article cites an Uptime Institute benchmark that conventional evaporative systems can use on the order of millions of gallons per year per megawatt of IT load.
• Feb 9, 2026

  Refrigeración de bucle cerrado en centros de datos de Oracle AI

  Oracle announces it will implement closed-loop, non-evaporative, direct-to-chip cooling in its new AI data centers in several U.S. states.

  • Main announcement: Oracle will deploy closed-loop, non-evaporative, direct-to-chip cooling in AI data centers in New Mexico, Michigan, Texas and Wisconsin; the systems are filled initially via tanker trucks and then operate as a sealed recirculation system, so daily cooling does not consume community potable water.
  • Background and details: The article cites an Uptime Institute estimate that conventional evaporative cooling can use on the order of millions of liters per MW per year; Oracle states that replenishment of coolant is rare and only for abnormal conditions, and that routine water use at the sites is limited to typical office occupancy needs. Oracle also notes local investments including hiring local staff, partnerships with colleges, and funding for infrastructure.
• Feb 2, 2026

  AI Data Centers Need Skilled People: Oracle Academy Helps Build AI Careers

  Oracle has announced a programmatic expansion pairing AI data center investments with education and workforce training through Oracle Academy.

  • Main announcement: Oracle is building AI data centers across the United States and hiring thousands of skilled employees, while Oracle Academy will bridge the talent gap by launching Data Center Technician courses to fast-track candidates into frontline roles; targeted states named include Texas, New Mexico, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
  • Background and program details: Oracle Academy (nearly 30 years of operation) provides curriculum, cloud technologies, software, and hands-on labs; recent launches include AI and machine learning in Java, generative AI workshops, and hands-on analytics and AI labs. In Texas Oracle Academy works with more than 130 institutions and nearly 350 faculty members; New Mexico partnerships include New Mexico State University and University of New Mexico.
• Jan 30, 2026

  Oracle may slash up to 30,000 jobs to fund AI data-center expansion as US banks retreat

  Oracle is considering workforce cuts and selling Cerner to alleviate financing pressure, according to TD Cowen.

  • Main action: TD Cowen reports Oracle is weighing 20,000–30,000 job cuts (to free $8–$10 billion in cash flow) and a potential sale of Cerner (acquired for $28.3 billion in 2022) to address financing shortfalls tied to an estimated $156 billion infrastructure capital requirement.
  • Background/details:US banks have pulled back from financing Oracle-linked data-center projects (raising borrowing costs and stalling leases); Oracle raised ~$58 billion of debt recently ($38 billion for Texas and Wisconsin facilities; $20 billion for New Mexico), while Asian banks remain willing to lend at premium rates; TD Cowen highlights slowed US data-center procurement and measures Oracle is pursuing such as 40% upfront deposits and BYOC arrangements.
• Jan 29, 2026

  What we’re reading: Polar vortex incoming

  Planet Detroit compiled a news roundup summarizing multiple environmental and infrastructure stories in Michigan and across the United States.

  • Major items summarized:stretched polar vortex impacting 230 million Americans starting Friday with frigid weather into late Jan/early Feb; Michigan AG Dana Nessel seeks to block $7 million of DTE‘s $574 million rate-hike request; Great Lakes Water Authority proposes 6.83% water and 5.98% sewer rate increases affecting 112 communities across 8 southeast Michigan counties; Consumers Energy proposes a $70 million, 45-MW battery storage project on the former Weadock coal plant site (5 of 74 acres, 36 lithium iron phosphate batteries, intended to support grid reliability for 30 years).
  • Additional factual details and background: Data shows 25 data center projects canceled in 2025 (about 4.7 GW of potential demand); an April oil/brine spill in Pigeon River Country State Forest totaled 221 barrels; Consumers Energy spent $164 million operating the Campbell plant under DOE emergency orders and recorded an $80 million loss; Detroit reported 51 broken water mains (Sterling Heights: 115 homes lost service); sources cited include PBS, mlive, The Detroit News, CBS, Detroit Free Press, Journal Sentinel, Utility Dive, and Gizmodo.