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New York Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across New York — updated daily.
Recent New York data center news
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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
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Cipher Digital Provides Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Business Update
Cipher Digital (formerly Cipher Mining) announced a strategic rebrand and business update focusing on HPC data center development.
- Main announcement: Cipher Digital rebranded from Cipher Mining and sold a 49% interest in three 40 MW joint-venture sites (Alborz, Bear, Chief) to Canaan Inc. for approximately $40 million (all-stock). The Company completed three high-yield bond offerings to fully finance construction at its two named HPC projects (Barber Lake and Black Pearl), raising aggregate proceeds of $3.73 billion. The financing includes $1.4 billion of senior secured notes at 7.125%, an additional $333 million at 7.125% (bringing Barber Lake financing to $1.73 billion), and $2.0 billion of senior secured notes at 6.125%.
- Background and details: Cipher has 600 MW gross contracted HPC capacity via two leases (a 15-year 300 MW lease with AWS and a 10-year 300 MW lease with Fluidstack and Google). Both Barber Lake and Black Pearl developments are reported on schedule (Barber Lake: ~95% of long-lead equipment secured and design milestones achieved; Black Pearl: EPC activities underway). Financial highlights include Q4 2025 revenue of $60 million and Adjusted Net Loss of $55 million.
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ESG Today: Week in Review
New York lawmakers have passed a bill mandating greenhouse gas (GHG) disclosure by large companies.
- Main action: New York lawmakers passed a bill requiring GHG disclosure by large companies, establishing a statutory reporting obligation (announcement of legislative passage). Microsoft also announced it has achieved 100% renewable electricity, and the ECB fined Crédit Agricole €7.6 million for not meeting climate risk expectations.
- Additional facts and context:ISO launched a new climate adaptation standard; France granted INEOS €300 million to decarbonize a chemical plant; notable capital raises include Lydian Energy $689 million (U.S. solar + battery storage), hummingbirds $59 million (nature-based carbon), Metafuels $24 million (synthetic SAF), and Utility Global $100 million (clean hydrogen). Google and Ormat signed a deal to power data centres from new geothermal projects; Shell and IAG led a capital raise for LanzaJet at roughly a $650 million valuation.
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The Hidden Cost of America’s AI Boom: How Trump’s Pollution Rollbacks Are Clearing the Way for Coal-Fired Data Centers
The Environmental Protection Agency finalized the repeal of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) under the Trump administration.
- Main action: The EPA, led by Administrator Lee Zeldin, finalized repeal of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) (originally implemented in 2012) to ease limits on mercury, arsenic and other hazardous pollutants; the administration explicitly framed the rollback as necessary to keep generation capacity online to power AI data centers. The EPA had previously estimated MATS would prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks, and 130,000 asthma attacks annually.
- Legal and political follow-up: A coalition of state attorneys general (New York, California, Illinois) and environmental groups (Sierra Club, Earthjustice) have signaled intent to sue and prepare litigation; Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation to codify MATS into law (not expected to pass in the current Congress). The article reports the repeal is part of a broader deregulatory push including relaxed carbon and methane rules and streamlined permitting for fossil fuel infrastructure.
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Columbia Gas Ohio Rates Surge 35% in 2026
Columbia Gas Ohio announced a 35% hike to its default supply (Price to Compare, PTC) rates effective February 1, 2026.
- Main announcement: Columbia Gas Ohio raised its default supply/PTC rate by 35% effective February 1, 2026, producing a utility PTC of $1.071 per ccf; a customer using 100 ccf would pay $107.10 in supply charges, with delivery charges and taxes noted as an additional $125, making a total bill more than $230. The release is an announcement by OHEnergyRatings.com warning residential customers about the rate increase.
- Background and details: The firm cites an Arctic blast / Winter Storm Fern, higher spot and futures prices (spot average $9.03 per mmBTU, February NYMEX $7.460 per mmBTU, markets in New York/New England > $40 per mmBTU), and demand drivers including LNG exports and data centers. OHEnergyRatings.com recommends locking fixed-rate plans (examples: fixed rates up to 40% less than the $1.071/ccf PTC) for 6 months or longer to avoid further price spikes.
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Climate Change Solutions - February 10, 2026
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) published a newsletter highlighting climate risks to winter sports, related policy updates, and upcoming briefings and events.
Main announcement: EESI released coverage on climate impacts to winter sports at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina D’Ampezzo, citing over $1 billion in losses in the United States and the closure of 265 ski resorts in Italy; the newsletter links to a feature article, a 30-minute podcast with sport ecologist Madeleine Orr, and an archival piece on ice rink refrigerant emissions (mitigation strategies and policy). It also promotes EESI articles on data center water use and a recorded briefing on grid optimization and energy efficiency.
Legislative and events details: The newsletter summarizes congressional activity and announces upcoming briefings and dates:
- Legislation: reintroduction/advancement of H.R.1355 (Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act), H.R.3474 (Federal Mechanical Insulation Act) reported to the House floor, S.688 (FISH Act of 2025) advanced in Senate, companion H.R.3756, and introduction of H.R.7257 (SECURE Grid Act).
- Events (dates/times/locations/subject):
- Feb 20, 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. (online): “Frozen Infrastructure: Winter Storm Impacts on Communities and the Power Grid” — rapid readout on Winter Storm Fern impacts and recovery pathways.
- Feb 26, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building Gold Room (Room 2168) & online: “Understanding Load Growth and Energy Affordability” — factbook findings in partnership with BCSE (data center energy demand discussed).
- Mar 3, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Russell Senate Office Building Room 385 & online (reception to follow): “Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy” — solutions and federal policy strategies (costs cited: up to $424 billion annually to the U.S.).
- Mar 12, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Rayburn House Office Building Gold Room (Room 2168) & online: “Strategies to Lower Utility Bills Now for Households and Small Businesses.”
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Cipher Welcomes Thomas Duda to the Company’s Board of Directors
Cipher Mining Inc. has announced the appointment of Thomas Duda to its Board of Directors on Feb 11, 2026.
- Main announcement: Cipher Mining Inc. appointed Thomas Duda to its Board of Directors on Feb 11, 2026 to support the company’s pivot to become a leader in data center development and operations; Mr. Duda currently serves as Vice President of Real Estate at Henry Crown and Company and previously held senior roles at Hunt Companies, Inc. and One William Street Capital Management.
- Background and details: The release states Cipher is focused on the development and operation of industrial-scale data centers for bitcoin mining and HPC hosting; the announcement is a company press release distributed via GlobeNewswire and includes investor and media contact emails and references to SEC filings for risk disclosures.
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Building for an Accelerated Future: AI, Infrastructure and Governance
Vivek Mohindra (Dell Technologies) delivered keynotes at the State of AI in Austin and the US-India Chamber of Commerce AI Impact Summit 2026.
- Main announcement/action: Vivek Mohindra recommended organizations scale AI with secure, flexible infrastructure, strong governance and mission-aligned use cases, urging governments and enterprises to design for scale from the start and adopt Zero Trust, model monitoring, and governed data pipelines; he cited that data centers are scaling toward gigawatt levels and urged focus on two or three mission-aligned use cases.
- Background and details: He referenced economic estimates that AI could add up to $15 trillion to global GDP by the end of the decade and that generative AI could add $2.6–$4.4 trillion annually (McKinsey); he described Dell’s approach (Dell AI Factory, services, and Zero Trust principles) and noted events were the State of AI in Austin and the US-India Chamber of Commerce AI Impact Summit 2026.
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IBM Introduces Autonomous Storage with New FlashSystem Portfolio Powered by Agentic AI
IBM unveiled the next generation of the IBM FlashSystem portfolio, co-run by agentic AI, introducing three new models (5600, 7600, 9600), FlashSystem.ai services, and a fifth-generation FlashCore Module.
- Main announcement: IBM announced the next-generation FlashSystem portfolio co-run by agentic AI, launching three models—FlashSystem 5600 (up to 2.5 PBe, 1U, up to 2.6M IOPs), FlashSystem 7600 (up to 7.2 PBe, 2U, up to 4.3M IOPs) and FlashSystem 9600 (up to 11.8 PBe, 2U, up to 6.3M IOPs)—plus the 5th-generation FlashCore Module (up to 105TB per drive) and FlashSystem.ai. The portfolio will be generally available on March 6, 2026.
- Background and details: IBM claims FlashSystem.ai can reduce manual storage management effort by up to 90%, deliver up to 40% greater data efficiency, reduce storage footprint 30%–75% depending on model, and modelled up to 57% operational cost reduction for the 9600 versus the prior generation; features include hardware-accelerated per-I/O analytics, sub-60-second ransomware detection, autonomous recovery actions, and AI-enabled lifecycle services (TLS).
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Cipher Mining Announces Date of Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Business Update Conference Call
Cipher Mining Inc. announced it will release its fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial results before U.S. markets open on February 24, 2026, and will host a conference call and webcast at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time that day.
- Main announcement: Cipher Mining Inc. will release Q4 and full year 2025 financial results before U.S. markets open on February 24, 2026, and will host a conference call and webcast at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on that same day. The live webcast and replay will be available from Cipher’s investor relations website.
- Additional details / contacts: The company describes its business as developing and operating industrial-scale data centers for bitcoin mining and HPC hosting. Investor contact: Courtney Knight, Head of Investor Relations (Courtney.knight@ciphermining.com). Media contact: Dukas Linden Public Relations (CipherMining@DLPR.com / ciphermining@dlpr.com). Business and investor inquiry emails provided: business@ciphermining.com, investors@ciphermining.com.