Data Centers

Inside Ulanqab: How Inner Mongolia Became the 12.5GW Epicenter of China's AI Data Center Boom

Located approximately 350 kilometers northwest of Beijing, the grassland municipality of Ulanqab in Inner Mongolia has transformed into China's primary hub for artificial intelligence compute infrastructure. Historically recognized for agriculture and mineral extraction, the city now hosts nearly 100 enterprise data centers operating or under active construction, with technology firms pledging an aggregate capacity of 12.5 gigawatts (GW). According to a research note published by Goldman Sachs,

Anthropic IPO Filing to Cite AI Backlash and Data Center Resistance as Material Risk Factors

Anthropic is preparing to disclose public backlash against artificial intelligence and community opposition to data center construction as material risk factors in its upcoming initial public offering prospectus, according to reports from CNBC. The San Francisco-based AI laboratory, which recently crossed a $65 billion annualized revenue run rate and is valued near $1 trillion in private transactions, is drafting the S-1 registration statement as it conducts preliminary investor meetings. The d

US Public Opposition to Local AI Data Centers Surges to 75%, Heatmap Survey Finds

Public opposition to local data center construction in the United States has accelerated sharply over the past twelve months, according to a survey conducted by Heatmap News and Embold Research. The nationwide survey found that 75 percent of American adults now oppose the development of a data center facility near their community, with 61 percent reporting they are strongly opposed. The shift marks a substantial reversal from August 2025, when public sentiment was evenly divided at 43 percent i

NVIDIA Takes Minority Stake in Cloverleaf Infrastructure to Accelerate AI Factory Site Development

NVIDIA has taken a minority stake in Cloverleaf Infrastructure, a Houston-based developer of powered data-center sites, as part of a strategic partnership to accelerate the build-out of so-called AI factories. The companies did not disclose the size of the investment or its financial terms. Cloverleaf occupies the powered-land layer of the data-center supply chain. It identifies and prepares sites with grid-connected power, then delivers shovel-ready locations to infrastructure builders and ope

Skanska Signs .2B Contract to Build Four AI Data Centers in Southeast USA

Swedish construction and development group Skanska has signed a $1.2 billion (SEK 11.2 billion) contract with an existing client to construct four new data center facilities in the southeastern United States. The full contract value will be included in Skanska's US order bookings for the third quarter of 2026, representing the largest single data center award in the contractor's history. Scope of Work and Campus Specifications The multi-facility project spans four standalone structures total

WhiteFiber Proposes 50M Convertible Debt Offering to Expand AI Data Center Capacity

AI infrastructure provider WhiteFiber announced a proposed private placement of $250 million in convertible senior notes due 2032, with an option for initial purchasers to acquire up to an additional $37.5 million in notes. The proceeds are designated to fund data center campus acquisitions, facility buildouts, utility interconnection agreements, and hardware procurement for the company's AI cloud business. The financing coincides with WhiteFiber's agreement to acquire two industrial sites in Y

Hyve Solutions Selects Nevada for Dual AI Server Manufacturing Campuses

Hyve Solutions, the rack-scale server design and manufacturing subsidiary of TD SYNNEX, announced plans to construct two advanced manufacturing facilities in Nevada to expand domestic production of compute, storage, and networking systems for AI data centers. The development encompasses a 624,000-square-foot flagship campus in Reno alongside a secondary facility in North Las Vegas, with the combined projects projected to create approximately 3,000 jobs. The project follows formal approval of ta

TerraPower Targets AI Data Centers with Natrium SMR and Molten Salt Thermal Storage

Nuclear technology developer TerraPower announced plans to finalize its first dedicated data center power project this year, positioning its Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor architecture to meet the volatile power demands of artificial intelligence infrastructure. The project, slated to break ground in 2027, marks the company's second commercial deployment following its initial facility currently under construction in Kemmerer, Wyoming. In January, Meta signed an agreement with TerraPower to

Relativity Networks Raises 2M and Lands 0M Hyperscaler Deal for Hollow-Core AI Data Center Fiber

Optical fiber startup Relativity Networks has secured $22 million in SAFE note funding and booked a $40 million follow-on order from an unnamed hyperscaler to deploy hollow-core fiber across distributed AI data center facilities. The funding round included participation from Rhapsody Venture Partners, Bell Ventures Inc., and Faster Than Glass LLC. The capital will support scaling production and deployment of hollow-core fiber cables engineered specifically for low-latency interconnects between

OpenAI Signs 20-Year Lease for Multi-Gigawatt Ohio AI Campus with Nvidia Backstop

OpenAI has signed a 20-year lease agreement to anchor a multi-gigawatt AI data center campus in Pike County, Ohio, developed by SoftBank subsidiary SB Energy. Under the tripartite agreement, Nvidia will serve as the exclusive compute infrastructure provider and supply financial guarantees covering the site's land, power, and shell development. The facility, designated the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus, is designed to support an initial 4.25 gigawatts of information technology load (IT-GW) dedica

OpenAI signs an 8-gigawatt Ohio data center lease backed by up to $105B from Nvidia

OpenAI has signed a 20-year lease for the PORTS-Pike data center campus in Ohio, its largest infrastructure commitment to date, with Nvidia agreeing to backstop up to $105 billion of the project's value. The deal, struck with SoftBank's SB Energy, gives OpenAI roughly 8 gigawatts of IT capacity, about 10 gigawatts once cooling and supporting infrastructure are included. The site sits partly on a former U.S. Department of Energy uranium enrichment facility and draws power from a 9.2-gigawatt gas

Nvidia backs a $105 billion guarantee for OpenAI's Ohio AI campus

AI and Data Centers Dominate U.S. Campaign Trail in 2026 Elections

Artificial intelligence has become a major campaign issue across the United States, with data centers and their impact on local electricity costs, water use, and land use dominating the conversation. A Washington Post analysis of more than 1,200 websites from active candidates found AI appears in nearly 40 percent of all races for the House, Senate, and governor seats. Democratic candidates bring up AI twice as often as Republicans, focusing on AI risks, regulation, and child safety. Republican

EPA rules islanded data center power plants exempt from Clean Air Act

The US Environmental Protection Agency issued guidance on July 27 stating that power generation facilities operating separately from the public grid are not subject to the Clean Air Act's Acid Rain Program. The interpretation applies to so-called "islanded" power plants that supply electricity exclusively to data centers. The ruling removes a significant federal permitting barrier for data center developers who build on-site power generation rather than drawing from the grid. EPA Assistant Admi