New York Data Center Intel

Recent New York data center news

• Jan 6, 2026

  13 predictions for how facilities management will evolve in 2026

  Facilities Dive invited industry experts and readers to share predictions for 2026; respondents said facilities management will prioritize AI, integrated building controls, and turning building data into actionable insights.

  • Main announcement and specifics: Respondents forecast widespread adoption of AI-driven building controls and integrated tech stacks (CMMS + building automation + IoT + asset data). Example: Kent State University uses AI to monitor 1,000 input variables and make 150 control decisions every 15 minutes, saving $470,000 annually; others expect multi-agent AI and purpose-built AI agents to automate workflows and administrative tasks in 2026.
  • Background and additional details: Experts highlighted occupant experience and safety (real-time engagement; AI-powered security), growth in medical-office retailization (1+ billion sq ft added in top 50 markets claimed), the need for secure, high-density server rooms for AI workloads, emphasis on embodied carbon and adaptive reuse, and operational KPIs such as revenue per technician per labor hour.
• Jan 6, 2026

  Milbank Announces 2026 New Partners

  Milbank LLP announced eight attorneys were elected to the firm’s partnership, effective January 1, 2026.

  • Promotion details: Eight attorneys—Leah Chacón, Zachary Cronin, Timothy Fitzpatrick, Séverine Losembe, Jeff Meyers, Sarah-Maria Resch, Robert Wyse Jackson and Jeffrey Zwerner—were elected to partnership, effective January 1, 2026; announcement quoted Scott A. Edelman (Chairman).
  • Practice focus and locations: Several promoted partners are in energy, infrastructure and project finance (including renewables and North American renewable tax-focused transactions), digital infrastructure (data centers, telecom towers, fiber) and structured/alternative finance; bases include New York, Washington, DC, London and Frankfurt (profiles and credentials from named universities listed).
• Jan 5, 2026

  Robert Heikaus Joins Salute as Managing Director, Americas

  Salute has announced that Robert Heikaus has joined the leadership team as Managing Director, Americas.

  • Role and scope: Robert Heikaus will lead regional growth and operational strategy across North and South America, overseeing operations to ensure high-level reliability and scale for clients; he brings 20+ years of mission-critical sector experience, most recently as Global Alliance Director, Technical Division at CBRE GWS.
  • Background and expertise: He is described as having a “zero-outage” mindset, served eight years at IBM as Data Center Facilities Operations Manager (US East and West regions) and led initiatives within IBM’s Global Center of Excellence to reduce outages; he holds an MSc in Electrical, Computer & Systems Engineering from RPI and earlier roles include Senior Commissioning Engineer at EYP Mission Critical Facilities and Sales Engineer at APC-MGE (now Schneider Electric).
• 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.
• 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 30, 2025

  Australia $16.1 Billion Data Centre Operator AirTrunk Plans REIT IPO in 2026 to Raise $1 Billion, Blackstone & Canada Pension Fund CPPIB Acquired AirTrunk for $16.1 Billion (AUD 24 Billion) in 2024 from Macquarie Asset Management & Public Sector Pension Investment Board, AirTrunk Founded by Robin Khuda in Australia in 2015 and is in Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong & Singapore

  AirTrunk is reported to be planning a REIT IPO in 2026 to raise $1 billion after being acquired in 2024.

  • Main announcement: AirTrunk is planning a REIT IPO in 2026 to raise $1 billion; the company was acquired in September 2024 by funds managed by Blackstone together with CPP Investments for an implied enterprise value of A$24 billion (US$16.1 billion). The transaction is subject to approval from the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board.
  • Background and details:AirTrunk was founded by Robin Khuda in 2015 and operates across Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore; it has more than 800MW committed to customers and land to support over 1GW of future growth. Blackstone (stated ~US$1 trillion AUM) and CPP Investments (stated AUM figures in the release) led the acquisition from Macquarie Asset Management and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board; Blackstone cited AI-driven demand and an existing data-center pipeline (US$55bn in data centers and ~US$70bn prospective pipeline) in its statement.
• Dec 30, 2025

  Industry Opposed to New Licensing for Subsea Cable Terminals

  The FCC proposed requiring a blanket license for companies operating submarine line terminal equipment (SLTE); multiple industry groups filed reply comments opposing or seeking exemptions to the proposal.

  • Main action: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed a licensing regime in an August notice for companies operating SLTE where submarine cables connect with terrestrial networks; reply comments were posted Dec. 29, 2025. Key groups filing opposition or conditions include INCOMPAS, NCTA, the International Connectivity Coalition (ICC), and Crosslake Fiber. INCOMPAS argued the regime exceeds the Commission’s statutory authority and that third-party SLTE owners fall outside the Cable Landing Licensing Act; NCTA requested either a trusted domestic-entity exemption or narrowed cybersecurity/physical security reporting requirements.

  • Background and details: The FCC said federal law enforcement agencies had “identified substantial national security risks associated with” SLTE and is collecting information on SLTE operators because it has “incomplete information” about who operates these connection points. ICC noted the FCC’s August order had already largely restricted participation by foreign adversary countries, and Crosslake Fiber highlighted operational connectivity between Canada and New York. No specific monetary figures or implementation timelines beyond the August notice and December reply comments were provided.

• Dec 28, 2025

  We Don’t Need Any More Renewables

  The Last Farm (author) argues that New York (and by extension other jurisdictions) can meet renewable targets by reducing electricity demand rather than building more renewable generation.

  • Main announcement/action: The article proposes concrete demand-reduction policies — including steeply progressive electricity pricing with a guaranteed cheap baseline of 10–15 kWh per day per primary residence, outright bans on socially harmful uses (e.g., crypto mining), and subsidized efficiency funded by higher tiers — to allow New York to hit its 70% renewable goal by 2030 without adding additional production. The author lists target reductions (examples: AI data centers, high-speed trading, billboards, idle office/retail spaces) and argues these can be curtailed via policy.
  • Background and details: The piece documents waste and ecological costs of mass renewables (manufacturing coal used for panels, forest/desert clearing, F-gases, battery storage fires), cites building waste (buildings = 40% of global energy with 26–65% used when no one is present), and recommends universal weatherization (free automatic home upgrades), load controls, vampire-load reduction, and tiered commercial baselines. It highlights timeline/target 2030 (New York 70% renewables) and technical constraints (battery storage cost/fire risk; overbuilding production by ~400%) as reasons demand reduction is necessary.
• Dec 27, 2025

  How AI can help cut global emissions even as its power demands continue to impact the environment

  The Associated Press reports that AI applications can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions even as AI computing and data centre energy use rises.

  • Main announcement/action: The article documents multiple real-world AI applications that reduce emissions or improve energy efficiency, including building automation, EV charging scheduling, oil-and-gas methane flaring reduction, geothermal site discovery, and traffic-light optimization; key stats include data centres ≈1.5% of global electricity use (last year) and an IEA projection that that consumption could more than double by 2030. Names and concrete results cited: building automation can cut energy use 10–30%; Google’s Project Green Light can reduce stop‑and‑go traffic up to 30% and cut emissions ~10%; Geminus AI’s simulations run in seconds versus traditional ~36 hours; Zanskar purchased an underperforming geothermal plant in New Mexico last year and announced a second geothermal discovery in Nevada in September.
  • Background and implementation details: The story cites experts and companies — Alexis Abramson (Columbia University Climate School), Bob French (75F), Zoltan Nagy (Eindhoven University of Technology), Greg Fallon (Geminus AI), Carl Hoiland and Joel Edwards (Zanskar), and Juliet Rothenberg (Google) — and describes a California pilot program that shifted EV charging to times with greater renewable supply and customer savings; IEA projections and UNEP findings on methane’s climate impact are used as factual context.
• Dec 25, 2025

  UK $90 Billion Energy Giant BP Sells 65% Stake in Castrol to United States $80 Billion Infrastructure & Real Assets Investment Firm Stonepeak for $6 Billion at $10.1 Billion Valuation in Joint Venture (65% Stonepeak & 35% BP Ownership of Castrol), Castrol is a Leading Global Lubricants Brand

  The UK energy giant BP announced the sale of a 65% stake in Castrol to US infrastructure and real assets firm Stonepeak on 25th December (Hong Kong).

  • Main action: BP will sell 65% of Castrol to Stonepeak for $6 billion, creating a joint venture valuing Castrol at $10.1 billion; post-transaction ownership will be 65% Stonepeak / 35% BP. The announcement date is 25th December and was reported by Caproasia.
  • Background and details: Castrol markets lubricants in 150+ countries and plans to grow mobility and industrial lubricants, expand mobility services, and diversify into data centre fluids. Stonepeak is described as having ~$80 billion AUM and offices in New York, Houston, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh; BP is described with a $90 billion market value.