Washington Data Center Intel

Recent Washington data center news

• Feb 26, 2026

  Who Will Provide Telecom Service When Copper Networks are Gone?

  USTelecom and the Communications Workers of America presented diverging positions on managing the retirement of legacy copper networks.

  • Main announcement/action: USTelecom (represented by Lynn Follansbee) urged regulatory reform to allow retirement of antiquated copper in favor of fiber, noting more than 95 percent of households have migrated to high-speed broadband and arguing that maintaining copper imposes significant costs; CWA (represented by Hooman Hedayati) countered that the proposed ~2029 transition timeline is unrealistic and demanded stronger consumer protections and state oversight, especially while billions in BEAD funds are being spent.
  • Background and details: The debate centers on what counts as an ‘adequate replacement’ (fiber preferred, but wireless/satellite proposals contested), calls that providers not retire copper until BEAD-funded replacements are fully deployed and operational, and differing views on whether market competition or regulatory safeguards should govern the transition.
• Feb 13, 2026

  The 50 States of Power Decarbonization: States and Utilities Navigate Large Load Customer Demand in 2025

  The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) released its 2025 Annual Review and Q4 2025 edition of the 50 States of Power Decarbonization report.

  • Report release & headline findings: The NCCETC released the 2025 annual review and Q4 2025 quarterly report, finding 49 states plus Puerto Rico took a total of 667 actions on electric power decarbonization and resource planning in 2025; 37 states took 104 actions related to large load customers. The report highlights top trends including new large-load tariffs, increased natural gas capacity additions, state-led procurement of energy storage, and consideration of advanced nuclear.
  • Background & concrete details: The release documents integrated resource plan filings showing planned capacity additions of 144,405 MW solar, 125,016 MW natural gas, 58,581 MW storage, 58,381 MW wind, and 56,475 MW planned coal retirements in 2025; it notes 400 actions tracked in Q4 2025 plus more than 270 introduced bills, and calls out surging data center development driving large-load policy responses.
• Jan 30, 2026

  Climate Change Solutions - January 27, 2025

  The U.S. Congress has enacted the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R.6938), signed into law by the President.

  • Main action: The appropriations minibus (H.R.6938) was signed into law, providing FY2026 funding for agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy, EPA (including ENERGY STAR®), NASA, and the Forest Service; bill summaries for Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment appropriations are linked in the newsletter.
  • Other legislative and policy items referenced:NFIP Extension Act of 2026 (H.R.5577) advanced in the House to extend NFIP authorization through September 2026; Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act (H.R.2860) was reported out with $10 million annually through 2031 for the Northwest Straits Commission; the Advancing Cutting Edge (ACE) Agriculture Act (H.R.7142 / S.3637) was reintroduced to reauthorize the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority. The newsletter also announces an EESI briefing postponed (wildfire briefing) and lists upcoming briefings (dates, rooms, and RSVP links).
• Jan 29, 2026

  67211-2026: Czechia – Network components – Nákup kapacity technologie loadbalancingu 2025

  Státní pokladna Centrum sdílených služeb, s. p. has awarded a contract (SML2026007) to ANECT a.s. to expand load‑balancing capacity based on F5 Networks technology.

  • Main announcement: The buyer awarded LOT-0001 (contract identifier SML2026007) to ANECT a.s.; the tendered contract value is CZK 29,597,355 (excluding VAT), winner was chosen on 26/01/2026 and the contract was concluded on 27/01/2026. The procurement title is “Nákup kapacity technologie loadbalancingu 2025” and the estimated value for the lot was CZK 35,514,026 (excluding VAT). The contract start date is 01/02/2026 with a duration of 2 Years.

  • Background and procurement details: The procedure was a restricted procedure under Directive 2014/24/EU and Czech law 134/2016 Sb., covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) and not financed with EU funds. Award criterion is Price (weight 100.00%, lowest bid wins). The subject is the expansion of load‑balancing capacity using equipment from F5 Networks, Inc.; review organisation is Úřad pro ochranu hospodářské soutěže and formal review/complaint deadlines and deposit rules are specified in the notice.

• Jan 28, 2026

  Idaho Gets NIST Approval to Advance Broadband Deployment

  Idaho received NIST approval to advance deployment of its $583 million BEAD allocation.

  • NIST approval received: Idaho awarded 92 projects to 23 subgrantees, targeting 92,500 homes and businesses; approved deployment mix 50% fiber, 25% fixed wireless, 25% low-Earth-orbit satellite; after deployment and administrative costs the state identified about $110 million potentially eligible for non-deployment uses, subject to NTIA approval. Idaho plans to seek approval to direct non-deployment funds toward additional internet exchange points, regional traffic-routing hubs, and public safety communications (including advanced 911).
  • Background / other states: Washington has a $1.24 billion BEAD allocation across 235 project areas with a roughly even mix of fiber, fixed wireless, and satellite; states are pressing to use non-deployment funds to accelerate permitting and harden networks by reusing municipal infrastructure (e.g., Spokane County’s 20 public safety towers with “enormous capacity”). Nebraska approved a BEAD mix of ~50% fixed wireless, 40% satellite, 10% fiber, with approvals from NIST and the U.S. Department of Commerce, and intends to advocate non-deployment funding for agricultural technology, secure computing, and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
• Jan 28, 2026

  Lawmakers Urge Faster Tech Investment as U.S. Competes With China

  U.S. Senators Todd Young and Maria Cantwell urged faster federal action to secure America’s technological edge over China at a CSIS event on Jan. 28, 2026.

  • Announcement: Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) called for accelerated investment in research & development, infrastructure, and workforce training; they prioritized semiconductor export controls, hardened critical infrastructure, and clearer AI regulatory frameworks to reduce investment risk and sustain technological leadership.
  • Event & context: Remarks were delivered at a forum hosted by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); they highlighted permitting delays for data centers and energy infrastructure as barriers and urged international technology partnerships to set global standards.
    • Date: Jan. 28, 2026
    • Location: Washington
    • Agenda/subject: Securing America’s technological edge, investment and defense priorities, and AI regulatory frameworks
• Jan 28, 2026

  Can Advanced Nuclear Reactors Solve the Data Center Power Puzzle?

  EPRI and NEI issued an updated Advanced Reactor Roadmap targeting deployment of over 300 GW of advanced nuclear capacity by 2050.

  • Main announcement: The Advanced Reactor Roadmap (late 2025) from EPRI and NEI sets a target of 300+ GW by 2050, focuses on North America, and highlights small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced reactors as options to provide firm, low-carbon baseload power for data centers and other loads.
  • Details & timeline: The interview with Chad Boyer (EPRI) specifies expected early 2030s deployments tied to data centers if momentum continues, and lists concrete milestones: NRC/CNSC streamlined licensing, first-of-a-kind project success on schedule and budget, scaling HALEU fuel production, modular fabrication capacity, and establishing offtake agreements and risk-sharing business models (example cited: X-Energy Xe-100 to power AWS in Washington State).
• Jan 27, 2026

  Prime Data Centers uses closed-loop air and liquid cooling to earn Energy Star certifications

  Prime Data Centers announced that two of its computing facilities in Dallas and Sacramento earned U.S. EPA Energy Star certification.

  • Main announcement:Prime Data Centers earned Energy Star certification for its Dallas (20-MW) and Sacramento (26-MW) facilities, citing efficiency-driven design, advanced monitoring and benchmarking, and the use of closed-loop air and liquid cooling; the company says both facilities are committed to 100% renewable energy and reported 83% waste diversion at active U.S. construction sites in 2024.
  • Background and commitments: The company’s 2025 sustainability report states it will pursue Energy Star certification for all eligible U.S. data centers, pilot “zero waste to landfill” construction, and aims to use hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) by 2030 as the main backup-generator fuel; the article also notes 25 major U.S. data center projects were abandoned in 2025, and peers such as Microsoft and OpenAI have pledged to “pay their way” for grid upgrades to support new data centers.
• Jan 27, 2026

  Pumped hydro, high-temperature thermal storage, and geothermal LDES projects make key advancements across the US

  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a 40-year license to Rye Development and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners for the 1,200MW Goldendale pumped hydroelectric Energy Storage Project in Washington, US.

  • Main announcement and project details: The FERC license grants a 40-year approval for the 1,200MW Goldendale pumped hydro project developed by Rye Development for fund manager Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CI V) on private land at a former aluminium smelter near Goldendale, Washington. The project is expected to have a 4–5 year construction period, an MOU requires union labour via agreements with the Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council and the Columbia Pacific Building & Construction Trades Council, and Rye Development projects over 3,000 family-wage jobs during construction and more than US$10 million each year to Klickitat County upon operation.

  • Other milestones and background: Electrified Thermal Solutions has commissioned a 20MWh Joule-Hive thermal battery at Southwest Research Institute (San Antonio, Texas) that stores heat up to 1,800°C, serves 1–5MW thermal loads and targets 2GW of thermal power capacity by 2030; Sage Geosystems closed US$97 million in Series B funding led by Ormat Technologies and Carbon Direct Capital to advance its first commercial Pressure Geothermal plant at an Ormat facility and its EarthStore solution (claims of unlocking over 130× more geothermal potential in the US).

    • Event: Energy Storage Summit USA — 24-25 March 2026, Dallas, TX
      • Agenda/subject: keynote speeches and panel discussions on FEOC challenges, power demand forecasting, and managing the BESS supply chain.
• Jan 27, 2026

  Scientists empower an AI foundation model to accelerate plant research

  Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed D-CHAG, a new method that more than doubles processing speed and reduces memory usage by up to 75% for hyperspectral plant imaging, enabling training of larger AI foundation models on the Frontier exascale supercomputer.

  • Main announcement: ORNL researchers introduced Distributed Cross-Channel Hierarchical Aggregation (D-CHAG), which uses distributed tokenization across GPUs and hierarchical aggregation to split and merge spectral channels; demonstrated >2x processing speed and up to 75% memory reduction on APPL hyperspectral data and a weather dataset, enabling training of larger foundation models without loss of spatial or spectral resolution. Presented at SC25 (Nov 2025) and run on Frontier at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility.
  • Background and details: The work supports DOE’s Genesis Mission and DOE-supported projects including OPAL and a Generative Pretrained Transformer for Genomic Photosynthesis; collaborators and supporters include the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, ORNL laboratory-directed research & development funding, and partner institutions such as Argonne, Lawrence Berkeley, PNNL, and RIKEN; next steps include refining models to predict photosynthetic efficiency directly from hyperspectral images.