Pennsylvania Data Center Intel

Recent Pennsylvania data center news

• 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

  NRF 2026: HPE expands network, server products for retailers

  HPE announced new HPE Aruba Networking CX 6000 switches, integration of the Marvis virtual network assistant with HPE Juniper Networking analytics and Retail Insights, a Wi‑Fi 7-capable network sensor, and upgrades to HPE Nonstop Compute (expanded clustering, MFA, encryption); these products were unveiled at the National Retail Federation annual show and are available now.

  • Product details & availability: The HPE Aruba Networking CX 6000 family includes an 8-port Layer 2 CX 6000 series supporting up to 104 Gbps nonblocking bandwidth and 77.3 Mpps forwarding; five fixed 1U models with 24- and 48-port IEEE 802.3 1GbE options plus four built-in 1GbE SFP uplinks; 24-port PoE models support up to 370W, 48-port PoE models up to 740W (IEEE 802.3at Class 4, up to 30W per port). The CX 6000 supports PoE and non-PoE connections for POS terminals, IoT devices and cameras and is available now.
  • AI, analytics & Nonstop upgrades: HPE is integrating Marvis with HPE Retail Insights and HPE Juniper Networking Premium Analytics (real-time visibility across wired/wireless/WAN/cloud); User Experience Insight sensors now support Wi‑Fi 7. Nonstop Compute clustering expanded from 255 nodes to 4,000 nodes; Nonstop OS now supports multifactor authentication (MFA) and data encryption; flagship NS9 X5 supports dual-fabric HDR200 InfiniBand, up to 270 networking ports per system, clustering with up to 16 other NS9 X5s, and 25 GbE connectivity. A software-based Nonstop is available to run on standard or cloud infrastructure.
• Jan 12, 2026

  Meta reaches agreement to buy electricity from Beaver Valley nuclear plant to fuel AI data centers

  Meta has reached agreements to purchase nuclear-generated electricity from multiple developers to power its AI operations.

  • Main announcement: Meta agreed with Vistra to buy 2,600 megawatts of electricity from three nuclear plants (including Beaver Valley, Perry, and Davis-Besse) over a 20-year period, which also includes 433 megawatts of increased generation; the Vistra agreement would extend each plant’s license by 20 years and Vistra says the project will take nine years to build and provide ~3,000 project-related jobs.
  • Additional deals and timelines: Meta also signed separate agreements to buy 1,200 megawatts by 2034 from an Oklo project in Pike County, Ohio, and 690 megawatts from TerraPower (site to be identified “in the coming months”); background: the three Vistra plants had been previously slated to close, and Microsoft has entered a similar nuclear restart agreement for Three Mile Island.
• Jan 12, 2026

  Meta Unveils Series of Major Nuclear Energy Deals to Power U.S. Data Centers, Support Clean Energy Goals

  Meta announced that it has signed a series of large-scale nuclear power agreements to support its expanding U.S. data center energy needs and clean energy goals.

  • Main announcement: Meta has committed to agreements supporting up to 6.6 GW of nuclear energy by 2035, including: TerraPower funding for two Natrium plants (345 MW baseload each, boostable to 500 MW for >5 hours, with rights to energy from up to six additional units; additional units anticipated as early as 2032); Oklo funding to advance a 1.2 GW power campus in Pike County, Ohio (Phase 1 targeted online as early as 2030, full incremental capacity by 2034); Vistra 20-year PPAs for more than 2.6 GW of zero-carbon energy (including 2,176 MW of operating generation and 433 MW of uprates) with Meta purchases beginning late 2026 and additional capacity added through 2034; and a prior June 2025 Constellation Energy agreement extending a plant life to supply 1.1 GW for 20 years.
  • Background and implementation details: The deals resulted from a U.S.-focused nuclear RFP launched by Meta in late 2024; TerraPower’s Natrium design integrates a sodium fast reactor with molten salt energy storage; Oklo is working with the U.S. Department of Energy and National Laboratories on advanced fuel recycling and has purchased over 200 acres in Pike County; Vistra’s agreements mark the largest nuclear uprates supported by a corporate customer in the U.S. to date. Implementation timelines are explicit: Constellation deal announced June 2025; Vistra purchases begin late 2026 with capacity additions through 2034; TerraPower additional units as early as 2032; Oklo Phase 1 as early as 2030 and full campus by 2034.
• Jan 12, 2026

  New year, new environmental battles brew in Chesapeake Bay states

  Bay Journal reports that state legislatures in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia will face diverging prospects for environmental and energy legislation in 2026.

  • Maryland: Facing a $1.4 billion budget gap, lawmakers and environmental groups are prioritizing the budget over new policy; previous actions included closing a $3.3 billion gap in 2025 by cutting $2 billion and raising remaining funds via taxes/fees, diverting $300 million from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund and $25 million per year from Program Open Space. Bills expected include the CHERISH Act, a bottle bill, solar incentives/reforms, rooftop-solar cost reductions, and new measures/regulation tied to data centers’ energy demands and a recently approved data center study.
  • Pennsylvania & Virginia:Pennsylvania passed a $50 billion budget (2025) that removed the state from RGGI, set aside $50 million for the Clean Streams Law ($35 million targeted to farmer projects) and reauthorized the Solar for Schools program after receiving $88 million in funding requests vs $25 million available; however, a divided General Assembly makes major new measures unlikely. Virginia, under Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Democratic control, is advancing bills to amend the Virginia Clean Economy Act (raise utility-scale solar requirement from 1% to 5%, expand previously disturbed land cap from 200 MW to 1,000 MW), expand energy-efficiency programs for low-income households, return to RGGI (pending court decisions), require data center water-use reporting, and pursue PFAS limits/testing in biosolids.
• Jan 10, 2026

  Environmental Groups Demand Georgia PSC Reconsider Data Center Energy Plan Overreach

  The Sierra Club, SELC, and SACE filed a motion asking the Georgia Public Service Commission to reconsider its December approval of Georgia Power’s RFP.

  • Main action: The environmental groups filed a petition for reconsideration asking the PSC to reverse approval of Georgia Power’s RFP that would procure up to 10 gigawatts by 2031 and authorize projects including the proposed 757-megawatt Plant McIntosh; the PSC staff estimated customer bills could rise about $20 per month and ratepayers could pay $50–60 billion over the next 50 years.
  • Background and details: The motion argues Georgia Power does not need 10 GW of new resources by 2031, cites the PSC’s Dec. 19 approval, names Commissioners Johnson and Hubbard as recently seated, and highlights that the approval would support expanded methane gas plants with operations extending until 2075 (as stated by the groups).
• Jan 10, 2026

  Meta strikes nuclear power deals to meet rising AI energy demand

  Meta has signed agreements with TerraPower, Oklo and Vistra to secure more than 6.5 gigawatts of carbon-free electricity for its US operations.

  • Main announcement & project details: Meta will support development and long-term purchases across advanced reactors and operating plants: TerraPower — agreement to support up to eight Natrium reactor + storage plants providing up to 2.8 GW baseload (integrated storage enabling up to 4 GW); first units expected as early as 2032, each Natrium reactor produces 345 MW baseload and can ramp to 500 MW for more than five hours. Oklo — agreement to advance a 1.2 GW nuclear campus in Pike County, Ohio on a 206-acre former DOE site; pre-construction begins 2026, first phase targeted ~2030, full 1.2 GW by 2034; Meta may prepay for power and provide funding to secure fuel and improve project certainty. Vistra — signed 20-year PPAs with Meta for more than 2,600 MW from Perry, Davis-Besse (Ohio) and Beaver Valley (Pennsylvania), comprising 2,176 MW existing generation plus 433 MW from planned uprates; Meta purchases expected to begin late 2026 with additional capacity through 2034.

  • Background and implementation details: The package combines advanced reactor development (TerraPower Natrium and Oklo Aurora/plant campus) with long-term PPAs from operating nuclear plants; agreements include funding, prepayment, and early procurement to improve project certainty, and give Vistra the certainty to plan licence extensions and uprates for the three plants.

• Jan 10, 2026

  Cisco routers knocked out due to Cloudflare DNS change

  Cloudflare reverted a software update that changed DNS record ordering after many Cisco routers and switches entered reboot loops.

  • Main action:Cloudflare rolled out a small software change that altered DNS record ordering (CNAME vs non-CNAME sequence), then reverted the release to restore standard ordering after connectivity problems surfaced; the change exposed devices (notably Cisco embedded DNS resolvers) that entered fatal reboot loops and caused enterprises to implement temporary workarounds.
  • Background/details: Analysts from Moor Insights & Strategy, Fusion Collective, and Greyhound Research said the change was standards-compliant but collided with fragile client assumptions; recommended mitigations include routing device DNS through internal resolvers, implementing multi-provider DNS redundancy, and treating DNS behavior as an infrastructure reliability concern (Cisco had provided no public advisory or patch as of January 9).
• Jan 9, 2026

  Meta Strikes Deal With Irving’s Vistra to Purchase Nuclear Power for Meta’s AI ‘Supercluster’

  Meta has signed 20-year power purchasing agreements (PPAs) with Vistra to procure 2,609 MW of zero-carbon nuclear energy to support Meta’s operations and its Prometheus AI supercluster in New Albany, Ohio.

  • Main announcement & deal details: Meta is purchasing 2,176 MW from operating units at Perry and Davis-Besse plus 433 MW of incremental output from equipment uprates at Perry (OH), Davis-Besse (OH), and Beaver Valley (PA) for a total of 2,609 MW; the PPAs are 20-year agreements, purchases begin in late 2026 and the full 2,609 MW will be online by 2034; Vistra will use the commitment to invest in uprates and pursue subsequent 20-year license extensions for the three plants.
  • Background and implementation details: Vistra acquired the plants in 2023, recently agreed to acquire Cogentrix Energy in a $4 billion deal; uprate projects span approximately nine years and are expected to support ~3,000 project-related jobs, increase state and local tax revenues (described as tens of millions of dollars annually), and benefit the PJM regional grid (PJM service area list provided in article).
• Jan 9, 2026

  Constellation Completes Acquisition of Calpine; Groups Have 55 GW of Generation Capacity

  Constellation has completed its acquisition of Calpine Corp from Energy Capital Partners (ECP).

  • Main announcement: Constellation completed the acquisition of Calpine (transaction first announced a year earlier), creating a combined company with 55 GW of generation capacity, serving 2.5 million retail and business customers nationwide, and with a total transaction value of $26.6 billion including debt (originally announced as a $16.4 billion cash-and-stock deal). The merged company will power data centers, advanced manufacturing, and critical infrastructure and will maintain headquarters in Baltimore with a significant presence in Houston.
  • Background and details: The deal was closed and announced on January 7; the combination joins Constellation’s nuclear fleet with Calpine’s natural gas-fired and geothermal assets. The transaction strengthens footprints in Texas and California while maintaining operations in Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania; Energy Capital Partners emphasized its role as seller and long-term investor.