Ohio Data Center Intel

Recent Ohio data center news

• Jan 15, 2026

  Sustainable Data Centers in the Age of AI: Page Haun, Chief Marketing and ESG Strategy Officer, Cologix

  Cologix explained its sustainability approach for AI-era data centers through design, engineering, community engagement, and transparency (as presented by Page Haun on The Data Center Frontier Show).

  • Main announcement/action: Cologix described its AI-era sustainability baseline and concrete practices including Montreal 8 (MTL8) achieving LEED Gold, an average WUE of 0.203, PUE of 1.486, 65% carbon-free energy reported in its 2024 ESG report, and deployment plans such as onsite fuel cells in central Ohio under a 15-year contract (Cologix covers full cost while AEP completes transmission upgrades). The company also cites hydropower in Montreal, deep lake water cooling in Toronto, natural air cooling in California, and closed-loop water systems as part of its siting and engineering strategy.
  • Background and implementation details: Cologix emphasized collaboration with utilities and governments (sharing long-term load forecasts and infrastructure plans), community engagement (town meetings, local leaders, STEM and relief programs), and transparency (reporting to CDP and EcoVadis, ISO 14001 process, Energy Star expansion). The episode serves as a descriptive briefing rather than a new standalone financial deal announcement; implementation timelines referenced include the 15-year fuel cell contract and multi-year transmission upgrades by utilities.
• Jan 15, 2026 · Outsourcing Today

  Vertiv Expects Powering Up for AI, Digital Twins and Adaptive Liquid Cooling to Shape Data Center Design and Operations

  Vertiv released the Vertiv™ Frontiers report detailing five data center trends shaping AI-era infrastructure.

  • Main announcement: Vertiv published the Vertiv™ Frontiers report identifying five key trends — Powering up for AI, Distributed AI, Energy autonomy, Digital twin-driven design and operations, and Adaptive, resilient liquid cooling — highlighting needs for higher voltage DC power architectures, gigawatt scaling, and that digital twins can reduce time-to-token by up to 50%; Vertiv notes it does business in 130+ countries and is headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, USA.
  • Background and details: The report describes current reliance on hybrid AC/DC distribution and the move toward higher-voltage DC and on-site generation (including microgrids and natural gas turbines), anticipates Bring Your Own Power (and Cooling) strategies, emphasizes prefabricated modular deployments as units of compute, and includes standard forward-looking statement disclaimers referencing filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
• Jan 15, 2026

  KY environmentalists, GOP lawmakers have shared focus this year: AI data centers

  The GOP supermajority in Frankfort and Kentucky environmental groups are jointly focusing the 2026 legislative session on artificial intelligence and the impacts of proposed data centers in the commonwealth.

  • Main announcement/action: Kentucky lawmakers (GOP supermajority) and environmental advocates are prioritizing AI data-center policy this session to address power allocation, residential rate impacts, and water use; legislators plan policy changes and possible statewide tariffs such as Rep. Adam Moore’s proposed “Kentucky Ratepayer Protection Act” to force data centers to pay projected energy use, and the PSC is considering 15-year contracts at 80%+ projected usage for large data-center customers.
  • Background and details: Environmental groups (Sierra Club, Kentucky Waterways Alliance, KRC, KCC) are pushing local and state actions including a model data center siting ordinance (KRC, Jan. 7), opposing specific projects (e.g., land offers up to $8 million turned down), and urging protections after the PSC allowed LG&E/KU to spend “billions of dollars” on new natural gas plants tied to data-center forecasts; legislators are also considering a Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program and funding for nuclear site permits, while the Heritage Land Conservation Fund has had >$16 million swept since 2014 and received a $2 million stimulus last year.
• Jan 14, 2026

  A-Gas Achieves Major Data Center Environmental Milestone

  A-Gas has announced the completion of a major on-site refrigerant recovery project for a global technology provider.

  • Project details: A-Gas recovered over 73,000 lbs of R410A across five buildings and 222 cooling units being decommissioned, preventing an estimated 70,226 tons CO2e from entering the atmosphere; the technology provider received direct economic benefit via the A-Gas buyback program.
  • Implementation and background: The operation used A-Gas Rapid Recovery, available 24/7, claimed to deliver results up to 10 times faster than traditional methods, provided complete EPA documentation and refrigerant analysis, and emphasized regulatory compliance and safety during extreme summer conditions.
• Jan 14, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - January 13, 2026

  The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) announced its first Congressional briefing of the year, a wildfire solutions briefing on Tuesday, January 27, hosted with the Federation of American Scientists.

  • Main announcement: EESI will host a Congressional briefing titled “Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy” on Tuesday, January 27, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (reception to follow) at Russell Senate Office Building, Room SR-385 and online; RSVP available on the EESI briefing page and a reception follows the briefing.
  • Background & related actions: The newsletter summarizes recent federal actions signed by the President including MAPWaters (P.L. 119-62) improving recreational waterway data collection, Save Our Seas 2.0 (P.L. 119-65) reauthorizing EPA marine debris programs, Great Lakes Fishery Research Reauthorization (P.L. 119-67) for USGS research funding, and La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act (P.L. 119-68) (expected to create more than 700 jobs and provide enough solar and battery capacity to power about 75,000 homes); it also notes wildfire costs of $424 billion annually and highlights EESI coverage on data center water use (cited by multiple media outlets).
• Jan 14, 2026

  Emerging Data Center Markets: Key Locations to Watch in 2026

  Cushman & Wakefield reports that power and land constraints in major U.S. data center hubs are driving operators to consider secondary and tertiary markets.

  • Main announcement: Cushman & Wakefield finds power and land constraints in primary hubs (Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Atlanta, Portland/Eastern Oregon) are shifting site selection toward secondary/tertiary markets; highlights include OpenAI’s Stargate (~$100 billion) and Vantage Frontier (~$25+ billion) as large upcoming projects.
  • Details/background: Regions such as Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, Central Washington, New Jersey, and Massachusetts are offering economic incentives, faster approvals, and flexible regulatory frameworks; Central Washington offers low-cost hydro power enabling 100% renewable operation but is also facing power constraints.
• Jan 14, 2026

  Vistra to Bolster Gas-Fired Fleet by 5.5 GW With $4B Cogentrix Acquisition

  Vistra Corp. has executed definitive agreements to acquire Cogentrix Energy from funds managed by Quantum Capital Group in a $4 billion transaction announced Jan. 5, 2026, adding 10 natural gas plants (5,496 MW) across PJM, ISO New England, and ERCOT.

  • Main announcement & deal specifics: Vistra will acquire 100% ownership of the Cogentrix portfolio for $4 billion, adding 5,496 MW of modern natural gas capacity (10 plants) and increasing Vistra’s total generation footprint toward ~50 GW; the transaction is subject to FERC, DOJ (HSR), and state regulatory approvals and is expected to close mid-to-late 2026. The deal includes acquiring the remaining 25% interest in the Patriot and Hamilton-Liberty plants and excludes Cogentrix’s Cedar Bayou 4 (550 MW), which Cogentrix will retain.
  • Background, financing, and timing context: The acquisition follows Vistra’s October 2025 purchase of Lotus Infrastructure gas assets for $1.9 billion (2,600 MW) and is supported by capital markets actions including $2.25 billion in senior secured notes (Jan 2026) and a prior $2 billion secured notes issuance (Oct 2025); Vistra expects mid-single-digit accretion in 2027 and high-single-digit average accretion (2027–2029) to Ongoing Operations Adjusted Free Cash Flow before Growth per share. Regulatory reviews (notably FERC Section 203) will examine competitive impacts in PJM and ISO-NE.
• Jan 13, 2026

  Microsoft's Brad Smith Pushes Big Tech to 'Pay Our Way' for AI Data Centers

  Microsoft is urging that the tech industry — not taxpayers — should pay the full costs for electricity, transmission and grid upgrades needed to support large AI data centers, as promoted by Microsoft president Brad Smith in meetings with federal lawmakers.

  • Main action: Microsoft (Brad Smith) is pushing a plan for industry-funded grid and transmission upgrades, proposing a rate tariff and saying the company will help pay additional costs in states like Wisconsin; Microsoft also referenced a 150-megawatt solar farm and reiterated its carbon-negative by 2030 commitment.
  • Background and details: Local opposition cites higher electricity prices, heavy water use, and land/quality-of-life concerns; examples include a multibillion-dollar Amazon data center in Hobart, Indiana with two $5 million permit payments and $175 million in milestone payments over three years, and regional rate impacts in Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic grid. The article is an edited AP interview (Matt O’Brien and Marc Levy).
• Jan 13, 2026

  Meta establishes Meta Compute to lead AI infrastructure buildout

  Meta has launched Meta Compute to centralize responsibility for building and operating data centers and networks under a single leadership structure.

  • Main announcement: Meta announced Meta Compute, co-led by Santosh Janardhan and Daniel Gross, to unify data center and network oversight; the company says it is planning to build tens of gigawatts this decade, and hundreds of gigawatts or more over time, and will coordinate with Dina Powell McCormick on partnering with governments and sovereigns to build, deploy, invest in, and finance Meta’s infrastructure.
  • Background and details: The announcement follows landmark agreements with Vistra, TerraPower, and Oklo to support access to up to 6.6 gigawatts of nuclear energy for Meta’s Ohio and Pennsylvania data center clusters; analysts highlight pressure on networking and optical supply chains (mentions of 51 Tbps switches, Disaggregated Scheduled Fabric, and demand for faster fiber) and the need to integrate power and networking in facility design.
• Jan 12, 2026

  Data center news: Northville, Springfield Township pass data center moratoriums

  Multiple Michigan municipalities, Oakland University, Microsoft, the U.S. Department of Defense, and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton announced actions related to data center development, local moratoria, and changes to utility and permitting rules.

  • Main announcement / actions:

    • Oakland University is partnering with Ohio-based Fairmount Properties to develop a 26-megawatt “edge” data center on Parking Lot 35 adjacent to a DTE substation; a feasibility study (environmental, utilities, market) will precede a business plan to OU’s board in spring or summer 2026.
    • Microsoft disclosed it is pursuing a potential $1 billion data center on 240 acres in Lowell Township (Covenant Business Park) and requested a pause in rezoning to engage the community; Microsoft now has nearly 900 acres in the Grand Rapids area across multiple proposed sites.

  • Regulatory, local-government, and federal actions / background:

    • Several Michigan localities enacted or proposed moratoria to study data center zoning and impacts: Northville (12-month moratorium), Springfield Township (180 days), Saline (proposed 12-month vote), Saginaw (proposed six-month), Bay City (prepare local regulations); Allen Park postponed a decision on a proposed 26-MW center.
    • U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton introduced the DATA Act of 2026 to exempt fully off-grid power suppliers by creating “consumer-regulated electric utilities”; the Department of Defense solicited bids for private AI data centers on unused military land (Jan. 22 proposal deadline; Fort Hood, Fort Bragg, Fort Bliss, Dugway Proving Ground listed with acreages and varying water risk).