Tennessee Data Center Intel

Recent Tennessee data center news

• Jun 16, 2026

  Google Invests $1.5 Billion in Alabama Data Center Expansion

  Google has announced a $1.5 billion expansion of its Jackson County, Alabama data center campus (announced June 16, 2026).

  • Main announcement: Google will invest $1.5 billion to expand its Jackson County, Alabama data center campus on the former Widow’s Creek coal plant site, repurposing existing infrastructure and electrical lines; the company has contracted to bring 300 MW of new power capacity to the Tennessee Valley region and will cover full costs of the power and infrastructure driven by its operations in line with the White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge.
  • Background & complementary actions: Google is launching a $2 million Energy Impact Fund (in partnership with TVA and the Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama) to support weatherization and energy-efficiency services for local schools and income-qualified households primarily in Jackson County; the company also plans to train more than 130,000 Alabamians in digital skills in collaboration with 150+ organizations. The article is an active announcement by Google and references a prior 2025 partnership with Kairos Power and TVA to supply up to 50 MW of advanced nuclear power to data centers in Tennessee and Alabama.
• Jun 15, 2026

  Tennessee Valley Corridor summit participants focus on AI, quantum initiatives

  The state of Tennessee has pledged $43 million for the Tennessee Quantum Initiative (TQI).

  • $43 million pledge by the State of Tennessee to the Tennessee Quantum Initiative (TQI) to build the ecosystem that moves quantum technologies toward real-world adoption; the initiative will increase access to quantum resources, support workforce development, and is linked to hiring through the K-Quantum Accelerator and plans for a 100,000-square-foot quantum foundry in Knoxville.
  • Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit (May 28-29, Chattanooga): attended by ORNL, DOE, UT-Battelle, U.S. Reps. Chuck Fleischmann and John Rose, and state leaders; ORNL highlighted its AI history (Oak Ridge Applied Artificial Intelligence Project, 1979), continued leadership in HPC/exascale via the Genesis Mission, and cited an industry partnership with Nvidia tied to Nvidia’s $5.5 trillion market valuation.
• Jun 12, 2026

  Panasonic to convert Kansas EV battery factory for data centre applications

  Panasonic has announced plans to repurpose its Kansas EV battery cell plant to produce batteries for data centre applications beginning Q3 2029.

  • Main announcement: Panasonic will convert its Kansas (De Soto) EV battery factory to produce batteries for data centre applications, starting Q3 2029; it also intends to repurpose EV battery production lines in Japan and expand module plants in Mexico for data-centre BESS. Panasonic will allocate JP¥350 billion (US$2.18 billion) to its Energy division as part of a broader US$3.12 billion investment in AI infrastructure across fiscal years 2026–2028. The Kansas factory opened on 14 July 2025 and Panasonic noted a planned ~32GWh annual production capacity there (Nevada + Kansas ~73GWh combined).
  • Background and related details: The move follows slower-than-expected EV adoption and FEOC / OBBBA restrictions; other industry actions cited include Ultium Cells repurposing its Tennessee facility to LFP ESS cells, LG ES converting Michigan EV lines to ~17GWh BESS capacity, and expansions by Samsung SDI and SK On in the US. Separately, A123 and Dukosi are collaborating on a PoC high-capacity BESS combining 587Ah prismatic LFP cells with Dukosi’s cell monitoring and a Nuvation-designed BMS.
• Jun 10, 2026

  Demand-response programs can lower utility bills, but beware of on-site power restrictions, experts say

  Virginia lawmakers enacted a law directing Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power to create demand-response programs for large energy customers and to expand utility procurement of energy storage.

  • Main action: The law requires utilities Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power to offer demand-response programs for customers with an electric load of 25 megawatts or more, and directs utilities to procure more than 21,000 megawatts of power from facilities’ energy storage systems by 2045; the Virginia State Corporation Commission will work with an independent auditor to develop procurement criteria and review requests.
  • Background and constraints: The article explains federal EPA limits (100-hour annual use for non-emergency generator operation with a 50-hour cap for non-testing/maintenance) and an EPA interpretive letter that prevents generators in RTO/ISO territories (e.g., PJM Interconnection) from using generators for demand response under the 50-hour cap; retrofitting to Tier 4 emissions can cost $100,000 to $500,000 or more per engine, and EPA enforcement can impose penalties in the hundreds of thousands of dollars; the piece also notes a lawsuit threat from the Southern Environmental Law Center against xAI for on-site generator emissions (three dozen natural gas generators, capacity 421 MW, potential >2,000 tons NOx/year).
• Jun 10, 2026

  ORNL-developed cybersecurity framework graduates from lab to electric grid

  The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has licensed its Cyber Grid Guard cybersecurity framework to GridForge Energy Solutions.

  • Main announcement: ORNL has licensed the patented Cyber Grid Guard framework to GridForge Energy Solutions, which plans to explore commercial deployments to boost real-time visibility of grid behavior for energy projects, grid management companies, and utilities; the technology was tested in ORNL’s GRID-C substation test bed and proven on commercial hardware against simulated denial-of-service and multi-step data-manipulation attacks.
  • Background/details: The platform uses tamper-resistant blockchain to validate device configuration and operating data, can automatically notify operators of unusual behavior, and was developed with support from the DOE Office of Electricity and ORNL researchers (Raymond Borges Hink, Gary Hahn, Aaron Werth, Emilio Piesciorovsky); GridForge (California-based) was incubated through LabStart. The article cites a concrete capacity point: “over 100 gigawatts of flexible grid capacity underutilized” as context for the technology’s potential.
• Jun 5, 2026

  Top 10 countries by uranium production

  DevelopmentAid published a comprehensive summary of global uranium production, reserves, prices and recent market developments, highlighting producers, price movements and large corporate PPAs and government funding for SMRs.

  • Main announcement/action: The article reports current production and reserve data (e.g., world recoverable resources 7.9 million tU, world production 60,213 tU in 2024, Kazakhstan 23,270 tU in 2024), recent price spikes to US$101.41/lb (Jan 2026) then back to ~US$85.50/lb (Feb 5, 2026), and major industry developments including Meta securing up to 6.6 GW of nuclear by 2035, Amazon signing a 1.9 GW PPA with Talen Energy, and DOE awarding US$400M each to TVA and Holtec for SMR projects.
  • Background and details: The article aggregates sources (World Nuclear Association, IEA, Investing News, World Nuclear News) and provides production method breakdown (conventional mining 44%, in-situ leach 52%, by-product 4%), national export/import patterns (e.g., Canada exports ~64% to the Americas), projected Kazakhstan output (27,000–29,000 tU by 2026), and cited timelines for corporate deals and government funding (PPAs through 2035, DOE SMR funding as reported in 2026).
• Jun 1, 2026 · Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

  Targeted Pressure: How Chinese Manufacturing Competition Impacts US States

  The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has published a report finding Chinese industrial policy is reshaping global manufacturing and harming industries across every U.S. state.

  • Main finding & method: The ITIF report (June 1, 2026) analyzes one “national power industry” per state using County Business Patterns employment data, HS/SITC export proxies, and global market-share series to conclude that state-backed Chinese subsidies, export pushes, and overcapacity are driving down prices and pressuring U.S. producers in sectors such as semiconductors, batteries, aircraft, and fabricated metals.
  • Key facts, numbers, and timelines:China plans ~$150 billion in semiconductor investment through 2030 vs. $52 billion under the U.S. CHIPS funding; the report cites $63.3 billion Chinese semiconductor spending in H1 2025, TSMC’s $165 billion U.S. investment announcement, GE Appliances’ $490 million Appliance Park investment (2025), and state/national export shares and HS-code trade series used throughout the analyses.
• May 27, 2026

  Cogent Communications to Sell 10 Data Centers to I Squared Capital

  Cogent Communications has agreed to sell 10 data centers to I Squared Capital for $225 million in cash.

  • Transaction details: Cogent is selling 10 data center facilities to I Squared Capital for $225 million (cash); the deal is expected to close in Q3 2026. The portfolio provides approximately 53 megawatts of power capacity and about 259,000 square feet of colocation space across nine U.S. markets (Phoenix; Anaheim, CA; Burbank, CA; Stockton, CA; Atlanta; Chicago; Elkridge, MD; Kansas City, MO; Nashville, TN; Houston).
  • Platform and investment plan:I Squared Capital will create a new U.S. data center operating platform focused on high-density deployments, colocation and AI inference infrastructure, and plans to invest $1 billion via customer-led expansion, capital investment and additional acquisitions; the facilities are fee simple, liquid-cooling enabled with room for expansion and positioned near local internet exchanges. I Squared is described as a Miami-based infrastructure investor with about $60 billion in assets under management.
• May 27, 2026

  Stratos and the New AI Campus Math: Building Around the Grid

  Stratos, a proposed 9 GW AI and data center campus in Utah developed under Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) and backed by investors including Kevin O’Leary, has been filed as a MIDA project area.

  • Main announcement / action: The filing proposes a 9 GW integrated campus organized through MIDA, emphasizing integrated generation, hyperscale data center(s), and advanced manufacturing, and framing the site around energy resilience and “secure, domestically controlled power and data capacity” (project filing). The project is explicitly structured to combine large-scale compute with long-term power control rather than relying solely on conventional utility expansion; investor interest includes Kevin O’Leary.
  • Background and other details: The article situates Stratos amid grid and market pressures: ERCOT reported roughly 410 GW of large-load interconnection requests with approximately 87% tied to data centers (April update), and operators warn of repeated “restudy loops” delaying interconnections. Industry voices (Jigar Shah, Trey Travis, Steven Dickens) characterize the shift as industrial energy economics, need for long-term offtake commitments, heavy industrial mechanical and supply-chain challenges, and a broader debate between centralized multi-gigawatt campuses and distributed smaller facilities.
• May 27, 2026

  Cogent to Sell Phoenix Data Center as Part of $225 Million National Portfolio Deal

  Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc. has announced the sale of 10 U.S. data center facilities to an I Squared Capital-sponsored entity for $225 million in cash.

  • Sale details: Cogent will sell 10 facilities located in Phoenix, Anaheim, Burbank, Stockton, Atlanta, Chicago, Elkridge, Kansas City, Nashville, and Houston for $225 million in cash; the transaction is expected to close on the later of June 12, 2026 or the expiration/termination of the applicable Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period. (Cogent’s Tucson data center is not included in the announced sale.)
  • Portfolio & financing: The acquired portfolio comprises approximately 53 megawatts of installed power capacity and approximately 259,000 square feet of colocation space across nine U.S. markets; I Squared Capital has committed up to $1 billion to build the new U.S. data center operating platform via capital investment, customer-led expansion, and additional acquisitions. Proceeds from the sale are expected to support Cogent deleveraging tied to its 2023 Sprint wireline acquisition and will be contributed to Cogent Communications Group (its borrowing entity).