Virginia Data Center Intel

Recent Virginia data center news

• Jan 12, 2026

  Join Us at the State Capitol on Feb. 9 for Data Center Reform!

  The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) and the Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition are hosting a statewide Data Center Reform Lobby Day on Feb 9, 2026 in Richmond to press the Virginia General Assembly for legislation addressing data center impacts.

  • Event details & primary action:Data Center Reform Lobby Day on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, 7:30 a.m.–2 p.m., kick-off at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 815 East Grace Street, Richmond, VA; agenda items include meetings with legislators, morning press conference, keynote speeches, breakfast and lunch, bus transportation from Gainesville (depart 5:30 a.m., return ~4:30 p.m.), and online training sessions on Feb. 3 at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.; registration via Eventbrite.
  • Background, evidence & policy asks: PEC notes Dominion Energy projects peak capacity needs will more than double by 2038, warns residential energy bills could more than double by 2035, and cites a $1.6 billion state sales tax exemption for data centers in 2025; PEC asks lawmakers to pause hyperscale approvals, require statewide reporting on energy/water/emissions, mandate air quality studies for cumulative generator impacts, and advance state oversight and coordinated planning (including SCC review of interconnection).
• Jan 12, 2026

  New Data Center Developments: January 2026

  Vantage Data Centers broke ground on the Lighthouse data center project in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

  • Project details: Lighthouse is a four-data-center campus delivering 902 MW of IT capacity, driven by a $15 billion investment as part of Oracle and OpenAI’s Stargate initiative; the development positions the site for hyperscale AI deployments and is presented as a regional economic infrastructure project.
  • Additional facts and background: Major energy and footprint moves this month include Alphabet’s acquisition of Intersect Power for $4.75 billion in cash (plus assumption of existing debt) to secure clean energy for Google data centers; Nscale’s $865 million commitment for a 10-year, 40 MW colocation agreement in North Carolina; TikTok’s >$37.7 billion investment plan for a Brazil data center with Omnia and Casa dos Ventos; Brookfield and Qai’s $20 billion AI infrastructure JV in Qatar; and regulatory/energy items such as Ireland lifting a de facto moratorium requiring on-site generation or batteries to meet full demand for grid connections.
• 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 12, 2026 · Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

  Fact of the Week: Construction Industry Facing a 439,000-Worker Shortage Driven by the Growth of Data Centers

  Meghan Ostertag (ITIF) reports that the U.S. construction industry faces a shortage of roughly 439,000 workers, driven largely by a boom in data center construction tied to artificial intelligence growth.

  • Main announcement: The article cites WSJ reporting that the U.S. construction industry is short ~439,000 workers, with over 400 data centers currently under development by tech firms Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, causing construction firms to face backlogs of close to a year. Data center construction jobs pay up to 30% more than typical construction jobs.
  • Background/details: The shortage is concentrated in skilled trades (electricians, pipe layers); a local electricians’ union serving D.C., Maryland, and Virginia reports membership doubled since 2018 to 14,700 members. The piece is commentary summarizing WSJ reporting (Te-Ping Chen, Nov 29, 2025).
• 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

  Significant Impacts of Tenaska’s Proposed Gas Power Plant

  The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) urges Fluvanna County Planning Commissioners and the Board of Supervisors to vote NO on Tenaska’s proposed second 1.5 gigawatt gas plant adjacent to the existing facility.

  • Main action & meeting: PEC and partners ask supporters to submit comments and attend the Planning Commission review on Tenaska’s proposal.
    • Date: Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026
    • Time: 7 p.m.
    • Location: Carysbrook Performing Arts Center, 8880 James Madison Hwy, Fork Union
    • Agenda/subject: Fluvanna County Planning Commission review of Tenaska’s proposed 1.5 GW gas plant (deferred from Nov. review)
  • Background & project details: The email cites a study and infrastructure context, and provides concrete project details and impacts.
    • Harvard Dominici Lab study: indicates impacts including “4+ million people would experience increased air pollution” and increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks, pneumonia, and premature death due to fine particles.
    • Project specifics: proposed new plant is 1.5 gigawatts, to be built on 50 acres of a 425-acre parcel adjacent to an existing Tenaska plant; Tenaska claims it “could power up to 1.5 million homes”.
    • Transmission: a proposed ~155-mile 765-kV transmission line between Campbell County and Fauquier County intended to carry power to central and northern Virginia data centers.
    • Regulatory context: multiple new gas plant proposals in Virginia and one Chesterfield plant was recently approved by the State Corporation Commission.
    • Geographic impact: pollution expected to affect eastern Albemarle County and communities as far as Goochland, Powhatan, Cumberland, Louisa and Chesterfield.
• Jan 9, 2026

  Episode for January 9, 2026

  The Allegheny Front published a Jan 9, 2026 episode summarizing Inside Climate News’ three-part investigation into solid fracking waste in Pennsylvania and reporting regional environmental stories.

  • Main coverage: The episode highlights Inside Climate News’ three-part investigation into solid fracking waste in Pennsylvania and reports that environmental groups are appealing an air quality permit for a proposed 4.4 gigawatt gas-fired plant at Homer City (Indiana County) intended to fuel a data center; the plant is described as able to power more than 3 million homes and to emit more greenhouse gases annually than all cars in Pennsylvania.
  • Additional reporting: The show also covers University of Pennsylvania researchers proposing alternative ingredients and 3D printing to reduce concrete’s carbon footprint, and presents data showing road salt persists in waterways months after winter storms. Episode date: January 9, 2026; episode available via the provided mp3 and platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, TuneIn).
• Jan 9, 2026

  Environmental AI Governance: U.S. and China Have Different Roads to developing Green AI Systems

  Jianyin Roachell argues that the United States and China are pursuing divergent approaches to govern AI’s environmental footprint: the U.S. relies on bottom-up, market and state-level measures, while China uses top-down national planning such as EWCRT and mandates for renewable energy in data centers.

  • Main announcement/action: The article contrasts U.S. decentralized, market-driven responses with China’s top-down EWCRT (East-West Computing Resources Transmission) strategy that directs new data centers to western provinces (Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia) to leverage cooler climates and abundant wind/solar; China projects data centers could consume 400 TWh annually (~3.2% of electricity) and the NDRC issued guidelines in March 2025 requiring increased renewable electricity shares for big data hubs. The piece cites concrete projects and deals: Meta’s 20-year PPA for a 1.1 GW nuclear plant in Illinois, local proposals for gas-fired plants by Entergy to power Meta, and the $226 million Lin-gang underwater data center project in Shanghai combining renewables and deep-sea cooling.
  • Background and other details: The U.S. relies on state tax exemptions (as many as 42 states) and state-level rules (e.g., Virginia 2024 PUE bill; Oregon 2025 water reporting), plus third-party verification like LEED; grassroots protests and state regulatory drafts (Texas, California, Michigan, Minnesota) are shaping policy. Research cited estimates the East-West Data Project could reduce 11,500 Mt CO2 between 2020 and 2050, but China’s grid remains ~60% coal, posing a continued emissions risk unless renewables scale faster.
• Jan 9, 2026

  CES2026: Quantum Computing Leaders Map Next Phase in AI Age

  A CES panel of industry and government representatives outlined a roadmap emphasizing hybrid quantum-classical systems, international research ties, workforce development, supply-chain coordination, and near-term engineering and policy constraints.

  • Main announcement and roadmap details: Panelists from Dell Technologies, Amazon Web Services, the Quantum Economic Development Consortium, and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade said progress requires coordination across infrastructure, workforce, supply chains, and public policy; referenced near-term target years 2028, 2030, and DARPA’s goal of useful quantum computing by 2033.

    • Event: CES panel in Las Vegas, Jan. 8, 2026; subject: quantum computing roadmap, hybrid systems, policy and engineering constraints; participants discussed hardware R&D, post-quantum security, and international collaboration.

  • Background, funding, and concrete commitments: The Department of Energy has committed $625 million over five years to support quantum information science research centers; Colorado committed $44 million in tax credits and a loan-loss reserve program for early-stage quantum companies; Colorado signed government-to-government agreements with the United Kingdom and Finland; AWS noted hardware R&D in Pasadena, California and an internal post-quantum security team; panelists highlighted narrow, internationally distributed supply chains (cryogenics, refrigeration components).

• Jan 8, 2026

  Datavault AI Expands IBM Collaboration to Deploy Enterprise-Grade AI at the Edge with Available Infrastructure’s SanQtum AI Platform

  Datavault AI Inc. announced it will deliver enterprise-grade AI performance at the edge in New York and Philadelphia through an expanded collaboration with IBM using the SanQtum AI platform operated by Available Infrastructure.

  • Deployment scope and timeline: Datavault AI will run its Information Data Exchange and DataScore agents built with watsonx inside SanQtum AI’s zero-trust micro edge data centers to enable cybersecure data storage, real-time scoring, tokenization, and ultra-low-latency operations across New York and Philadelphia, with operational scale planned in Q1 2026 and plans to expand to multiple metro regions.
  • Partnership and technical details: The collaboration uses SanQtum AI (a fleet of synchronized GPU-rich micro edge data centers operated by Available Infrastructure) running IBM’s watsonx portfolio; stated benefits include removing dependence on centralized cloud pipelines, preventing tampering via a zero-trust local network, and enabling data to be treated as authenticated, tradable digital property. IBM is referenced via its Americas AI Partnerships lead and Available Infrastructure is noted as an IBM Platinum Partner.