Washington Data Center Intel

Recent Washington data center news

• Sep 8, 2026

  Microsoft inks long-term PPA for Washington solar project

  Microsoft has become the long-term offtaker for electricity and environmental attributes from Cypress Creek Energy’s Ostrea Solar project in Washington, which has reached commercial operation.

  • The Ostrea Solar project in Yakima County, Washington adds 104 MWdc / 80 MWac and is owned and operated by Cypress Creek for up to 40 years; the terms of Microsoft’s agreement were not disclosed.
  • Cypress Creek said the project reflects approximately $180 million in private investment, will generate an estimated $13.3 million in state and local tax revenues, and helped conserve about 275 acres of shrubsteppe habitat; Microsoft’s involvement comes as it expands its AI/data center footprint and reported higher emissions in 2025.
• Sep 4, 2026

  AI Is Outgrowing the Grid

  MCJ has published a newsletter article highlighting DG Matrix’s multi-port solid-state transformers and the role of behind-the-meter power in AI data centers.

  • DG Matrix says it has commercialized the world’s first multi-port solid-state transformer and can replicate a 5,000 square foot work cell that produces up to 400 megawatts a year in double shift with 20 people.
  • Haroon Inam says the company could reach 4 gigawatts of annual capacity in about three months once a facility and power are secured; the article also discusses the shift toward grid power, batteries, natural gas, and fuel cells for AI data centers.
  • The piece is an opinion/commentary-style newsletter feature dated Sep 04, 2026, and includes related portfolio updates and podcast mentions rather than a standalone corporate press release.
• Sep 2, 2026

  AWS Wires a New US AI Route Across the Pacific

  Amazon Web Services has announced plans to build the Sta’O’Nuk subsea cable, a 420 Tbps trans-Pacific route between Japan and Washington State, with service targeted for 2029.

  • The cable will use 20 fiber pairs and is intended to support distributed large language model training, financial transactions, edge computing, and video streaming; AWS says it will add a new US landing point for trans-Pacific traffic.
  • Toptana Technologies is developing a landing station in Ocean Shores, Washington, initially designed for up to four subsea cable systems and expandable to 16; the project will connect to Seattle and Hillsboro, Oregon via terrestrial backhaul along the Interstate 5 corridor.
• Sep 2, 2026

  One Nuclear Signs Deal for 2.88-GW Gas-Fired Plant, Large BESS for Louisiana Data Center Campus

  ONE Nuclear Energy has announced a binding letter of intent that would provide site control for development of Project Cayman, a 2.88-GW gas-fired power plant and 700-MW/2.88 GWh battery energy storage system alongside a data center complex in Louisiana.

  • The LOI was signed with a prominent Louisiana landowner group; the company said the strategy aligns with Entergy’s regional transmission buildout and that it will hold public information meetings with local parishes and agencies through year-end.
  • Project Cayman is near RiverPlex MegaPark in Ascension Parish, northeast of SpaceX’s announced $100-billion Starbase Louisiana project; ONE Nuclear said details of the data center development were not disclosed and that it has projects in Washington state, Texas, and New Mexico. The article also notes ONE Nuclear’s recently approved business combination with Hennessy Capital Investment Corp. VII, expected to close by year-end.
• Sep 1, 2026

  Coal Got an Order. Nuclear Got a Meeting

  Henri Francois argues that U.S. energy planning is being distorted by exaggerated data center load forecasts, while coal plants are being kept online through emergency orders and nuclear projects face long approval delays.

  • The commentary says the Department of Energy has issued more than 40 Section 202(c) emergency orders since May 2025, helping keep at least 4.4 GW of coal-fired generation from retirement; it also cites ERCOT’s 438 GW large-load queue, nearly 90% from data centers.
  • It highlights Centralia in Washington state as a 730 MW coal plant on its third consecutive 90-day order, and says TransAlta has asked FERC for $19.9 million to cover the first order; the piece also notes TVA’s 300 MW Clinch River SMR application and the NRC review timeline.
• Aug 4, 2026

  Data Center Jobs: Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, Sales, Field Service and Facility Tech Jobs Available in Major Data Center Hotspots

  Data Center Frontier, in partnership with Pkaza, has posted a roundup of current data center job opportunities on the Data Center Frontier jobs board.

  • The article highlights multiple roles including CFD Engineer, Electrical Commissioning Agent, Critical Power Sales Associate, Architect, Electrical Project Manager, Commissioning Project Manager, Owner’s Rep - Construction Cost Controls Director, Project Executive, Data Center Construction Project Manager, Mechanical Commissioning Engineer, Mechanical Controls Engineer, Critical Facilities Systems Manager, Principal Electrical Engineer, and Director of Project Deliverables.
  • Listings span remote and on-site roles across the United States, with repeated references to enterprise, colocation, hyperscale, and mission-critical data center facilities; no compensation or investment figures are provided.
• Aug 3, 2026

  Is the Power Project Crunch Upending the Owner—EPC Model?

  The POWER article reports that developers, utilities, EPC contractors, hyperscale data-center buyers, and grid operators discussed how the current generation buildout is forcing earlier EPC involvement, more repeatable designs, deeper supply-chain tracking, and tighter coordination across plant construction, fuel supply, and grid access.

  • At the Energy Projects Conference & Expo (EPC Show) in Houston, Texas, speakers said owners are engaging EPCs earlier, locking in turbine and equipment slots sooner, and dealing with long lead times for transformers, switchgear, breakers, and other electrical gear.
  • Entergy Louisiana said it is using a repeatable combined-cycle design for about 26 turbines; Google described 20- to 30-year infrastructure commitments and a bifurcated energy strategy; QTS Data Centers said it keeps about $18 billion in materials and builds the same 3-MW chunk repeatedly; NRG Wholesale said it is building three plants in Houston backed by the Texas Energy Fund; NRG also noted 20% to 30% of critical craft roles may retire within five years.
• Aug 2, 2026

  China’s AI strategy is built for the world beyond America

  Policy Circle has published an analysis arguing that China is pursuing a low-cost, open-weight AI strategy to expand industrial adoption and diplomatic influence.

  • China is backing capable, inexpensive, modifiable AI systems such as Qwen, DeepSeek, Kimi, and Z.ai, while the State Council’s “AI Plus” programme aims to direct AI into scientific research, manufacturing, consumer products, public services, and government.
  • The article says the 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026–30 adds AI agents, multimodal systems, embodied AI, and swarm intelligence, and cites an official ambition for AI-related industries to exceed 10 trillion yuan by 2030.
  • It also says Xi Jinping offered 5,000 AI training and seminar places to developing countries over five years at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, alongside proposed cooperation centres with BRICS, ASEAN, the African Union, and Latin American countries.
• Jul 31, 2026

  Microsoft doubles down on multi-model AI as it builds a Copilot super app

  Microsoft has announced it is building a Copilot “super app” that will be rolled out this quarter, alongside continued expansion of its multi-model AI and cloud capacity strategy.

  • The new platform will combine chat, Cowork, long-running Autopilot agents, and Microsoft Scout and will be wired into Agent 365, IT Ops, SecOps, FinOps, CRM, ERP and other business processes.
  • Microsoft also said it added 88 data centers in FY 2026, including 31 across five continents in the past quarter, added another gigawatt of capacity this quarter, and is on track to roughly double overall capacity in two years.
  • The article is a report on Microsoft’s earnings call and quotes Satya Nadella and Amy Hood; it also describes usage-based pricing changes and model-swapping strategy across Microsoft AI products.
• Jul 14, 2026

  Microsoft’s data center expansion drove 25% emissions spike in 2025: report

  Microsoft has announced its 2026 environmental sustainability report, saying FY2025 emissions rose as AI-driven data center expansion accelerated.

  • Total emissions reached 20.29 million metric tons of CO2e in FY2025, up 25% year over year from 16.21 million metric tons in FY2024, with the increase primarily driven by data center infrastructure expansion and the end of using non-additional unbundled renewable energy certificates.
  • Microsoft said it matched all annual global electricity use with renewables through on-site generation, PPAs, green power products, and long-term contracts, and expanded its renewables portfolio to agreements for up to 40 gigawatts of new renewable energy across 26 countries; it also said it contributed to more than 45 million metric tons of carbon removal across 29 projects in 10 removal pathways.