New York Data Center Intel

Recent New York data center news

• Dec 23, 2025

  Data centers revive polluting ‘peaker’ plants across U.S.

  NRG Energy withdrew a planned retirement notice for the Fisk oil-fired peaker units as surging electricity demand from AI data centers in PJM territory made peaker plants economically viable.

  • Main action: NRG Energy withdrew the retirement notice for Fisk’s eight oil-fired peaking units (December 2025) after AI data center demand drove prices in PJM higher; PJM said the market shows electricity demand outstripping supply and that existing generation is needed while new generation comes online. Key facts: Fisk = eight peaking units on former coal station site; EPA estimated sulfur dioxide 2 to 25 tons/year from the site; PJM prices to suppliers soared by more than 800% this summer.
  • Background & other details: Reuters analysis found about 60% of oil, gas and coal plants slated for retirement in PJM postponed or cancelled retirements this year; 23 plants were scheduled to retire starting in 2025 in PJM territory, and since January 13 retirements were delayed or cancelled (of those, 11 were peakers). The U.S. Government Accountability Office notes peakers supply about 3% of the country’s power but have capacity to produce 19%, and federal actors (DOE/Administration) have signaled interest in tapping spare capacity.
• Dec 23, 2025

  Cipher Mining Announces Acquisition of 200 MW Site in Ohio

  Cipher Mining Inc. has announced the acquisition of a 200 MW data center site in Ohio, named “Ulysses,” including land, power capacity, and interconnection approvals for high-performance computing (HPC) and bitcoin mining.

  • Site acquisition covers 195 acres in Ohio, 200 MW of secured capacity from AEP Ohio, all required utility and interconnection agreements for participation in the PJM wholesale electricity market, with energization targeted for Q4 2027 and suitability for HPC hosting due to diverse fiber paths and proximity to a major metropolitan area.
  • Ulysses is Cipher’s first site outside Texas, increasing its development pipeline to 3.4 GW across 8 sites, and supports the company’s strategy to expand and diversify its industrial-scale data center footprint for bitcoin mining and HPC hosting nationwide; the release also provides standard forward-looking statements disclaimers and directs investors to SEC filings and Cipher’s investor website for further information.
• Dec 23, 2025

  Google Parent $3.7 Trillion Alphabet with Minority Stake to Buyout United States $15 Billion Data Center Intersect at $4.75 Billion Valuation (Cash + Assume All Debt) Excluding Operating Assets in Texas and Operating & in-Development Assets in California (Supported by Existing Investors TPG Rise Climate, Climate Adaptive Infrastructure & Greenbelt Capital Partners), Intersect Founded in 2016 by Sheldon Kimber

  Alphabet has announced a minority-stake buyout of U.S. data center owner Intersect.

  • Main announcement:Alphabet (parent of Google) will acquire a minority stake in Intersect at a $4.75 billion valuation (Cash + assume all debt); the deal excludes Intersect’s operating assets in Texas and operating & in-development assets in California.
  • Background and details:Intersect was founded in 2016 by Sheldon Kimber and states it has $15 billion of assets in operation or under construction across the U.S.; the transaction is supported by existing investors TPG Rise Climate, Climate Adaptive Infrastructure, and Greenbelt Capital Partners.
• Dec 22, 2025 · RMI

  Reality Check: How to Grow the Grid, but Not Electricity Costs

  RMI’s Mark Dyson outlines three New Year’s resolutions for US utilities and policymakers to expand the power grid while keeping electricity affordable.

  • Resolution 1 urges embracing new technologies such as gas turbines, wind, solar, batteries, advanced geothermal, and potentially fusion, alongside energy efficiency as a major, low-cost resource, drawing on US leadership in geothermal and international examples from Germany, Australia, and China for further cost reductions in clean energy.
  • Resolution 2 and 3 call for faster project build-out by cutting interconnection and permitting delays (with examples from Texas and Virginia) and for better use of existing grid assets via virtual power plants, coordinated flexible demand (e.g., 100,000+ home batteries in California), and grid-enhancing technologies like sensors and controls demonstrated in New York, combined with modern regulatory incentives and policy toolkits to align utilities with affordability outcomes.
• Dec 21, 2025

  ESG Today: Week in Review

  New York releases regulation requiring mandatory GHG reporting for large emitters from 2027.

  • Main announcement:New York will require mandatory GHG reporting for large emitters from 2027, and the roundup highlights major policy shifts including the EU scrapping 2035 requirements for 100% emissions reduction from new cars and the EU expanding CBAM to downstream products (machinery, appliances) to prevent production shifts. The week also features corporate clean-energy deals such as Google’s 21-year clean energy deal with TotalEnergies to power Malaysia data centers and Microsoft’s multiple large-scale carbon removal and clean energy agreements.

  • Other details and timing:Canada will launch a sustainable investment taxonomy in 2026; Microsoft signed a 3.6 million ton CO2 removal agreement (with a U.S. project) and separate clean energy/AI deployment deals (including Spain with Iberdrola); BlackRock lost a $5.9 billion mandate from a Dutch pension fund; private capital moves include Radiant’s $300 million raise, HASI and KKR’s $1 billion commitment, and SuperCircle’s $24 million raise. The article is a weekly ESG roundup linking to detailed stories at ESG Today.

• Dec 19, 2025

  Rewinding 2025: A year of The McKinsey Podcast insights—in under 10 minutes

  McKinsey & Company, via The McKinsey Podcast, reviews key 2025 insights on leadership, strategy, AI, and data centers from its senior partners.

  • Podcast hosts Lucia Rahilly and Roberta Fusaro highlight expert views on strategy in uncertain geopolitics, CMO involvement in planning, M&A as a growth path, bank exposure to macro and geopolitical risks, the rise of AI agents/digital coworkers, data centers’ power and electricity needs to support AI, and leadership traits such as field promotions, curiosity, and continuous improvement led by CEOs and COOs.
  • The transcript is an edited year-in-review episode rather than a new policy or investment announcement, summarizing perspectives from senior partners Shubham Singhal, Shelley Stewart III, Jake Henry, Pradip Patiath, Lareina Yee, Jesse Noffsinger, Daniel Pacthod, Carolyn Dewar, and Daniel Swan on how companies can stay competitive amid technology shifts, AI adoption, and geopolitical flux.
• Dec 19, 2025

  Driving the connected mobility shift: Verizon’s view on V2X

  Verizon Business, via SVP Daniel Lawson, outlines how its Edge Transportation Exchange (ETX) platform will scale vehicle‑to‑everything (V2X) by combining 5G connectivity, edge compute, and network slicing for transportation use cases.

  • Main details: ETX targets emergency-vehicle preemption, vulnerable road user protection, tolling efficiency, autonomous freight corridors, and OEM test facilities, leveraging ultra‑reliable low‑latency 5G, edge inferencing for cameras and sensors, and programmable network slices (for first responders, trucking, transportation) to orchestrate traffic infrastructure and vehicle data in near real time; Verizon is running pilots in Texas (Houston–Dallas autonomous trucking) and Germany (OEM facilities) and testing vulnerable‑road‑user protections with TCU manufacturers.
  • Background and context: Lawson emphasizes secure‑by‑design cybersecurity, multi‑stakeholder commercialization challenges (cities, OEMs, insurers, toll operators), and the need for top–down governance plus local customization; McKinsey’s ACES framing and MCFM provide analytical context, while projections cited include 90%+ of cars connected and ~50% level‑2+ autonomy by 2030, pointing to a 2030s landscape where V2X platforms, edge analytics, and programmability form critical infrastructure for mobility.
• Dec 18, 2025

  AI Is Draining the Grid—and the Power Solution Is Sitting Idle Right Next Door

  Daniel Domingues (founder and CEO of Planno) calls for deploying commercial and industrial rooftop solar and battery storage near data centers to meet AI-driven electricity demand while avoiding long transmission build timelines.

  • Main announcement/action: Advocate to prioritize C&I rooftop solar + storage adjacent to data center clusters to supply local load quickly; cites IEA projection of data center electricity reaching ~1,000 TWh by 2030, U.S. interconnection queues holding >2,000 GW, and transmission projects taking ~10 years (with permitting >50% of that timeline). Notes New Jersey Planno data: 13.5 GW total C&I rooftop potential, 7% adoption, leaving ~10.7 GW untapped; systems <2 MW can use streamlined permitting/interconnection and be built in months.
  • Background and details: Draws on NREL national assessment and a Deloitte study (82% and 92% statistics on innovation/investment focus), highlights benefits of proximity, speed, and private financing (PPAs/leases) for C&I solar; recommends pairing with batteries/microgrids to meet peaks and provide localized resilience.
• Dec 18, 2025

  Environmentalists and Affordability Duke It Out in New York

  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has shifted to an affordability-focused energy agenda, approving the NESE natural gas pipeline, reversing opposition to new nuclear, streamlining permitting, and establishing a $500 million Empire AI Consortium to support power-hungry AI capacity in the state.

  • Main actions and timeline: Hochul approved the NESE natural gas pipeline (reported Nov 2025) and directed the New York Power Authority to pursue a new zero-emission advanced nuclear plant; her administration has streamlined permitting for electric power and transmission infrastructure and announced the Empire AI Consortium — a $500 million public-private partnership to advance AI/data-center capacity in New York. The NESE approval was explicitly framed by Hochul as a return to an “all-of-the-above” policy and is cited by supporters (Breakthrough Institute letter) as likely to lower regional costs and carbon by displacing heating oil.
  • Background and related developments: The House passed the SPEED Act (sponsored by Rep. Bruce Westerman) to limit NEPA reviews and expedite permitting; Diablo Canyon received a state permit to continue operating for another 20 years but still needs a final NRC license extension and state legislative approval to operate after 2030. Environmental groups (e.g., League of Conservation Voters, Food & Water Watch) criticized Hochul’s moves in reports and public statements (December 2025 LCV report; quotes from Bill McKibben and Alex Beauchamp).
• Dec 18, 2025 · Tech Xplore

  AI's 2025 carbon footprint may match New York City, report estimates

  Alex de Vries-Gao (VU Amsterdam) published estimates that AI’s 2025 carbon and water footprints could equal those of New York City by the end of 2025.

  • Main finding: de Vries-Gao estimates 32.6–79.7 million tons CO2 for AI systems in 2025 and a water footprint of 312.5–764.6 billion L, based on public corporate reports and IEA data; results published in Patterns (DOI: 10.1016/j.patter.2025.101430).
  • Background and methodology: calculations combine sales records and power requirements of high-performance chips (e.g., NVIDIA Corporation) and estimates of data-center cooling and power-plant water use; the paper calls for further disclosures from data center operators to improve estimate accuracy.