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The Data Center Daily

The Data Center Daily — Lantern Podcasts

The Data Center Daily is a short daily briefing for professionals tracking the AI compute buildout and the energy infrastructure powering it. We cover hyperscaler capex (Microsoft, Google, Meta, AWS, Oracle, OpenAI/Stargate, xAI), data center siting and permitting, ISO/RTO interconnection queues (PJM, ERCOT, MISO, CAISO), power purchase agreements across gas, nuclear, and renewables, FERC and state PUC orders, semiconductor supply (Nvidia, AMD, custom silicon, HBM), data center REITs and infrastructure funds, and the macro and supply-chain stories where AI compute collides with the real economy. Editorial spirit drawn from SemiAnalysis, Wood Mackenzie's Energy Gang, BlackRock's The Bid, and Bloomberg's Odd Lots.

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#142
Today · 11 min
Exelon Asks FERC for a Prompt PJM Capacity Auction as ERCOT Hunts for Data Centers Sized Just Under 75 MW — November 09, 2026
Exelon has asked FERC to replace PJM's three-year-forward capacity auction with a prompt one, and PJM is pushing back on the timeline; ERCOT is checking whether nearly 10 GW of mid-size Texas loads were shrunk to avoid its review. Florida regulators sent Duke's large-load tariff back, and OpenAI published a community compact after last week's ballot losses. In this episode Exelon asks FERC for a prompt PJM capacity auction; PJM pushes back | The Duck Curve — The Duck Curve “Exelon asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on November 3, 2026 to find PJM Interconnection's three-year-forward capacity auction schedule unjust and unreasonable and to replace it with a "prompt" auction held two months before each delivery year, starting with…” ERCOT probes whether Texas data centers are downsizing projects to avoid review — Expressnews “Chad Seely, ERCOT’s senior vice president of regulatory policy, general counsel and chief compliance officer, told the Public Utility Commission on Thursday that there is nearly 10 gigawatts worth of projects classified as medium-size loads working with utilities to connect to…” Florida Rejects Duke’s Large-Load Tariff | E+E Leader — Infrastructure + Energy Systems “The Florida Public Service Commission voted Nov. 3 to deny Duke Energy Florida’s proposed large-load tariff. Regulators found the proposal excluded some customers covered by Florida’s 2026 law and that Duke had supplied insufficient evidence that its existing rates and proposed…” OpenAI publishes voluntary data center pledges after midterm — Grace Okonkwo AI, models “OpenAI says it will pay the full cost of the electricity its facilities use. It will also cover the grid upgrades that power providers need to serve them. It promises to throttle consumption during peak hours and send power back to the grid.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#141
Friday · 11 min
Google Commits $17 Billion to Wyoming as Ballot Measures Go 40-for-41 Against Data Centers, Evergy Lines Up 1.4 GW With Digital Realty — November 06, 2026
Google is pushing ahead with a $17 billion Wyoming campus partly powered by 702 MW of Bloom fuel cells, days after voters backed nearly every anti-data-center ballot measure. Plus Evergy's 1.4 GW Digital Realty letter of intent, ERCOT's push to consolidate Batch Zero complaints, and Goldman's notes from DCD Connect on schedule slippage. In this episode Google plans $17 billion Wyoming data center amid rising threats of curbs — Reuters “Alphabet's Google will invest $17 billion to build its first data center in Wyoming, the ‌company said on Thursday, pushing ahead with a major ‌AI infrastructure investment as political resistance to data center expansion grows following the US midterm elections.” Evergy signs a 1.4 GW letter of intent with Digital Realty · Rackline — Rackline “Evergy has signed a letter of intent with Digital Realty for a 1.4-gigawatt expansion, the Kansas City, Mo., utility said on Nov. 5 with its third-quarter results. It also signed amendments to three existing electric service agreements that it expects to add about 250 megawatts…” ERCOT seeks single docket and Nov. 20 deadline for Batch Zero interconnection complaints | Texas Construction Hub — Sofia Ramirez “ERCOT has asked state regulators to fold large-load interconnection complaints into a single generic docket with a Nov. 20 filing deadline. The move could determine how quickly data center and industrial projects move through the grid operator's Batch Zero study.” Goldman Sachs DCD Conference Notes: "Time to Monetize" Becomes Top Criterion for Data Center Site Selection; 85%–90% of … | Longbridge — Zhitong “Regarding schedules, an insurance company mentioned at the conference that among the approximately 60 data center projects under construction it tracks (with timelines ranging from 18 to 40 months), 85% to 90% are behind schedule.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#140
Thursday · 5 min
Texas Election Raises the Stakes for AI Data Center Permits — November 05, 2026
Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa is expected to continue the data center grid-connection moratorium, extending uncertainty for the nation’s largest buildout market. Election results in Georgia and Michigan also signal tougher scrutiny of utility spending and who pays for grid expansion. In this episode Get Off of My Cloud – Texas Moratorium on Data Center Grid Connections Disrupts U.S. Project Pipeline | RBN Energy — RBN Energy “The unprecedented surge in state legislation and regulation to stall or ban future development included Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s moratorium on new data center grid connections, which his successor, Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, is expected to continue.” Elon Musk's AI Company Installs Converted Jet Engines To Help Power Its Memphis Data Center — AOL “The New York Times reported Tuesday that eight converted jet-engine units are installed at xAI's Mississippi site, citing permits and satellite imagery. The state air permit places the units, which burn natural gas, at the company's Southaven power plant, and the NAACP and two…” Amid a blue wave, voters rebuke monopoly utilities — Latitude Media “After years of rate hikes in Georgia and Michigan, midterm voters on Tuesday delivered a rebuke of investor-owned utilities by supporting regulators and ballot initiatives demanding more scrutiny of the industry. For the first time in two decades, Georgia’s five-member Public…” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#139
Wednesday · 10 min
PJM's Data Center Backstop Could Shrink to 630 MW, as Aurora Prices the Forecasting Gap and Hyperscalers Line Up $131 Billion in New Financing — November 04, 2026
Jefferies says utility load cuts could shrink PJM's 6.8 GW reliability backstop to roughly 630 MW, even as an independent CRA forecast sees an 11.5 GW shortfall by 2030 and Aurora prices forecasting error at $79 billion to $624 billion. Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle and Google disclose more than $131 billion in new financing, and Microsoft's Indiana campus clears a groundwater vote while its power needs stay undisclosed. In this episode PJM’s revised data center backstop procurement plan reduces utility risks: ICF | Utility Dive — Ethan Howland “PJM utilities, such as PPL Electric, FirstEnergy and AES Ohio, recently lowered their overall, near-term large load forecasts by 6.5 GW, the analysts said in an Oct. 28 note, citing recent filings to PJM’s Load Analysis Subcommittee. That reduction could reduce PJM’s 2027 load…” The US power market’s forecasting problem comes at a cost to ratepayers — Latitude Media “According to Aurora’s North America managing director, Oliver Kerr, that forecasting gap could cost ratepayers anywhere between $79 billion to $624 billion in extra capital expenditure costs — and that’s before transmission and distribution costs, which are rising nationwide,…” Big four hyperscalers raising more than $131 billion in debt and equity for AI buildout - DCD — Georgia Butler “As per an SEC filing, Amazon's facility is part of its supplier financing arrangements for technology infrastructure purchases and can be tapped into between Q1 2027 and Q3 2028.” Microsoft’s Indiana Data Center Advances as Groundwater Approval and Air Permit Review Move Forward — Peter Mwaniki “The St. Joseph County Drainage Board approved the dewatering plan on November 2, allowing groundwater to be pumped from the development site and discharged into nearby Willow Creek and Juday Creek.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#138
Tuesday · 10 min
Brookfield and Drax Plan a £20 Billion AI Campus at Britain's Biggest Power Station, as The Post Tallies Big Tech's Gas Plants and a $55 Billion Grid Bill Comes Due — November 03, 2026
Drax, Brookfield and Radiant propose a GW-scale data centre at Drax Power Station starting with 100 MW in 2028, while a Washington Post analysis maps the emissions locked in by tech-backed gas megaplants. Grid Strategies puts a $55 billion, ten-year price on the Senate's data center transmission bill, and OpenAI pitches demand flexibility as its answer to the ratepayer fight. In this episode Brookfield targets $27 billion AI data center at power station — CNBC “Brookfield estimates that total investment, including semiconductors, could exceed £20 billion ($26.8 billion), with an initial £2.5 billion investment as part of phase 1.” The tech industry is investing in mega gas plants to power their data centers - Anchorage Daily News — Evan Halper, Kevin Schaul, The Washington Post “Just two gas projects Amazon recently signed on to, which would power planned data centers in Texas and Pennsylvania, would produce more carbon pollution than the dirtiest facility in the country, the giant James H. Miller Jr. coal plant in Alabama that powers 1 million homes.” Data center operators might pay $55 billion under Senate bill | TechTarget — Shane Snider “Grid Strategies, a consulting firm that specializes in the power sector, estimated in a recently published white paper that the pricing changes would generate approximately $5.5 billion annually in transmission charges, compared with roughly $2 billion that data centers…” Introducing the Grid Protectors Program — Openai “That means designing facilities to reduce electricity use when needed and working with utilities to agree on how much demand can be reduced, how quickly and for how long. The arrangements will differ by location, and we will share additional commitments as they are finalized.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#137
November 2 · 10 min
SemiAnalysis Puts 30 GW of 2028 Capacity on Tomorrow's Ballot, as Google Offers Xcel Exit Fees in Minnesota and Musk Adds Two Colossus 2 Clusters — November 02, 2026
SemiAnalysis maps how Tuesday's governor races, led by Texas and its TCEQ permit freeze, could move the 2028 US data center buildout. Google proposes minimum bills and exit fees for a 780 MW Minnesota campus, Musk says two new Colossus 2 clusters run before year-end, and OpenAI's Stargate team talks HBM and power gear in Korea. In this episode The Datacenter Backlash Goes Bipartisan: Next Week's Midterms and the 2028 Buildout — Maya Barkin, Wayne Ma, Reyk Knuhtsen, Jeremie Eliahou Ontiveros, Dylan Patel “The fight is over 2028. Our model has 62.2 GW of US net additions that year, most of which hasn’t started construction. Much of it sits in states electing a governor on Nov. 3.” Massive AI Data Center Sparks Backlash Despite Clean Energy Promises | OilPrice.com — Felicity Bradstock “The proposed agreement includes minimum demand charges and exit fees, meaning that Google will be required to finance the development of the infrastructure even if the demand for AI decreases.” Musk: 2 More SpaceXAI Data Centers Near Southaven by December | DeSoto County News — Jon Myers “In posts on X on Saturday, Oct. 31, Musk gave the new clusters nicknames, “Gun Range” and “Spam,” and said each would hold about 200,000 or more of Nvidia’s newest AI chips.” 'Stargate Team' Arrived Before Altman... Follow-Up Talks on HBM, Infrastructure - The Asia Business Daily — Kwon Hyeonji by Park Joonyi “They reportedly discussed contract sizes and supply terms required for actual infrastructure construction, moving beyond an initial review of the project's business viability.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#136
October 31 · 10 min
Digital Realty and Equinix Book Record Leases, as Oracle Shrugs Off Project Jupiter's Power Risk and a Court Keeps xAI's Turbine Case Alive — October 31, 2026
Data center landlords Digital Realty and Equinix posted record bookings and pricing power, while Oracle insisted it isn't worried about the power and financing questions around its 2.45 GW Project Jupiter campus. Exelon's PJM filings show 37 GW of large-load requests shrinking to about 6 GW of 2031 demand, and a federal court denied xAI's motion to dismiss the NAACP's Clean Air Act suit over its Southaven turbines. In this episode Digital Realty (DLR) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript | The Motley Fool — The Motley Fool “While AI is driving unprecedented levels of demand, delivering that capacity has become increasingly challenging. Customers today increasingly recognize the value of experienced partners with the technological and engineering capabilities, development expertise and financial…” Oracle Dismisses Investor Concerns Over $165 Billion Project Jupiter AI Data Centre; Says 'We're Actually Not Too Worried' | Tech News - News18 — Ayush Mukherjee “The notice reportedly preserves Oracle’s contractual right to delay rental payments by up to three years if power-related problems prevent the facility from becoming operational on schedule in 2028.” Exelon’s 37 GW load list and PJM’s 2031 demand forecast — Mara Voss “Exelon’s September 29 presentation to PJM gives the data-centre boom a useful set of labels. Its total request list is about 37 GW of capacity. Roughly 12 GW, including load already in service, meets Exelon’s high-probability screen; about 25 GW of requests sits outside the…” Court tosses request to block Clean Air Act lawsuit against Musk’s xAI - Southern Environmental Law Center — Southern Environmental Law Center “The Court held that “because the Plant is not a ‘mobile source’ according to the federal regulations…the Plant was not (and is not) exempted from permitting requirements under the Clean Air Act.”” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#135
October 30 · 9 min
Amazon's Free Cash Flow Goes $42 Billion Negative and Microsoft Borrows, as PJM Refiles Its Backstop and Hyperscaler Groups Back Paying Twice for the Grid — October 30, 2026
Amazon closes out the hyperscaler earnings round with capex above $75 billion in the quarter, and Microsoft plans its first bond sale in almost a decade. PJM refiles its reliability backstop with March 2027 bidding, buyer groups backed by the hyperscalers endorse a Senate bill that would charge big loads for both new and existing grid, and ERCOT asks the PUC to toss the first Batch Zero appeal. In this episode Big Tech’s Data Center Blitz Is Burning Through Cash and Scaring Wall St. – DNYUZ — New York Times “Four of the tech industry’s biggest companies set a spending record in the last quarter as they raced to build artificial intelligence, leading to a worrisome new milestone: Most of them are spending more cash on data centers than they get from running their businesses.” PJM backstop procurement: March 2027 bidding proposed — Jonas Muthoni “Under PJM’s revised approach, the allocation of backstop charges would be tied to firm large-load growth between actual summer 2026 peak demand and the forecast for the 2028–2029 delivery year.” Are data centers ready to pay double to unclog the grid? | Latitude Media — Latitude Media “BAAJA would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to rewrite a 1994 policy that allowed electricity customers to pay either the “embedded” costs of the existing grid, or the “incremental” cost of its expansion — not both. Instead, computational loads larger than 20…” ERCOT Asks the PUC to Throw Out the First Batch Zero Appeal With Prejudice | Morning Briefing, Oct 29, 2026 — Morning Briefing, Oct 29, 2026 “It says Medina County Power NR I "has not satisfied the requirement to have a qualifying study to be classified as Base Load" and asks the commission to "deny the requested relief and dismiss the Complaint with prejudice."” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#134
October 29 · 9 min
Alphabet Spends $51 Billion and Burns Cash While Microsoft Prints It, as CAISO Approves Its Large-Load Rules — October 29, 2026
Microsoft and Alphabet's quarter splits on free cash flow as AI capex climbs, CAISO's board sends its large-load proposal to FERC, and Batch Zero turns into litigation in Texas. Plus Latitude Media on cracking turbines in the onsite gas rush. In this episode Particle: Hyperscalers Report Soaring Cloud Sales as AI Capacity Strains Cash and Supply — Particle “Microsoft and Alphabet reported on Wednesday that cloud revenue surged, with Azure at about $33.2 billion and Google Cloud at roughly $30.7 billion, reflecting rapidly rising enterprise spending on AI compute.” CAISO Board advances new procedures for connecting large loads quickly and reliably | California ISO — California ISO “A key element of the Board-approved proposal, referred to as a “flexible interim load interconnection,” would enable large loads to interconnect quickly to the transmission system with enforceable flexibility determined by grid conditions and constraints until associated network…” Five Developers Have Now Appealed ERCOT's Batch Zero Rulings, and PUC Staff Expects Up to 20 More | Morning Briefing, Oct 28, 2026 — Morning Briefing, Oct 28, 2026 “Staff told the commission it "should expect between 12 and 20 additional such complaints in the coming weeks," and warned that, unless they're managed efficiently, "the available resources of ERCOT, Staff and the Commission will be overwhelmed."” The cracks in the AI race for onsite gas power — Latitude Media “We’ve been hearing stories about large power providers and EPCs fielding a growing volume of calls from data center developers that are blowing gas-fired turbines, and need help fixing mechanical failures because they lack their own operations and maintenance expertise.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#133
October 28 · 10 min
Meta Turns to a $95 Billion Stock Sale, With Nvidia Buying In, as North Carolina Pushes Data Centers to Pay for Power Plants — October 28, 2026
Meta plans to raise up to $95 billion in stock for its data center buildout, and Nvidia says it will put $3 billion into the offering. North Carolina's governor and attorney general want Duke's large-load deal to cover new generation, CenterPoint says about 12 GW of Houston large load remains in ERCOT's Batch Zero, and CAISO's board votes today on its large-load rules. In this episode Meta to sell up to $95B in stock to finance AI infrastructure buildout - SiliconANGLE — SiliconANGLE “The fundraising initiative, which the company announced today, will kick off with a series of transactions cumulatively worth $35 billion. About two-thirds of that sum will come from the sale of common stock. Meta said Nvidia Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Broadcom Corp.…” NC Gov, AG call for data center owners to help pay for new ... — NC Newsline “Stein called the proposal “a step in the right direction,” but said it’s inadequate because it doesn’t require data center owners to help pay for any new power plants the state will have to build to supply their needs.” CenterPoint Lifts 10-Year Capital Plan to $70.7 Billion as About 12 GW of Houston Large Load Sits in ERCOT's Batch Zero — Marcus Reyes “The short version, from the company's own documents: CenterPoint Houston Electric estimates that about 10 GW of base load and about 2 GW of studied load remain in Batch Zero. Its investor presentation lists the system's current peak demand at 21 GW.” CAISO's board votes tomorrow on new grid rules for very large electricity users — Junde Liu “Under the staff proposal, a large load is an end user at one site that connects directly to the CAISO grid and has peak demand of 50 megawatts or more.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#132
October 27 · 9 min
Anthropic's S-1 Shows a Lab Leasing Its Own Data Centers as MISO's Large-Load Fast Track Draws State Opposition — October 27, 2026
Anthropic's newly public prospectus describes a hybrid compute model and lists data center moratoriums as a key risk, while 11 MISO states, Google and clean energy groups ask FERC to reject MISO's LARS fast track. Plus an ESIG and Brattle model of when a 500 MW load raises rates, and a Secaucus vote on an 80 MW cap. In this episode Anthropic is leasing data centers to reduce reliance on ... — Daniel Howley “As our compute requirements have scaled, we have transitioned to a hybrid model in which, in addition to purchasing compute as a cloud service, we also procure specialized AI accelerators directly and operate this hardware in dedicated data center facilities leased and operated…” Clean energy groups, states oppose MISO’s large load-generation study plan | Utility Dive — Utility Dive “Clean energy trade groups, ratepayer advocates and 11 out of 15 states in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s territory urged federal regulators on Friday to reject the grid operator’s proposal to fast-track combined large load and generation interconnection studies.” New ESIG/Brattle Report Quantifies How Large Loads Affect Electricity Rates for Existing Customers in Four Regions | ESIG — Ryan Willis “The same 500 MW data center or other large load can raise electricity rates for existing customers in one region and have far less effect in another, according to a new report from the Energy Systems Integration Group’s (ESIG) Large Loads Rate Impacts Task Force.” Secaucus, N.J. never read plans for 125 MW data-center boom, got $0 deal — Hudson TV — Hudson TV “Based on what I was told the Equinix project at 275 Hartz way will have a maximum usage of 50 Megawatts and the Coresite project at 215 County Avenue will have a maximum usage of 75 Megawatts. Please note that I did not review specific plans submitted by the entities.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#131
October 26 · 9 min
PG&E Defers Large Load Beyond 1.8 GW as South Korea Moves to Cut Its AI Data Center Demand Forecast — October 26, 2026
PG&E's third-quarter filings show 12,870 MW of data center requests but only 174 MW energized, and South Korea's energy minister says vague AI data center demand won't go into the next power plan. Plus NERC asks FERC to fast-track registering data center owners and operators, and SpaceXAI discloses up to $6.1 million in stormwater penalty exposure in Mississippi. In this episode PG&E reports 12,870 MW of data center load in its pipeline and lists large load beyond an initial 1.8 GW as work to be delayed or deferred | Colocation Scout — Bridgepointe Technologies “PG&E's third quarter 2026 earnings presentation, furnished October 22, 2026, shows 12,870 MW of new data center load in its pipeline as of September 2026, up from 12,710 MW in June. Most of it, 8,350 MW, is at the application and preliminary engineering stage.” Korea to Trim AI Data Center Power Demand Forecast - Seoul Economic Daily — Joo Jae-hyun “When we announced the three mega-projects, we tried to reflect corporate demand as fully as possible, but once we got into it, not much demand has actually been firmed up in concrete terms. It is difficult to put all of this vague demand into the 12th electricity plan, so we…” NERC Seeks FERC Approval to Add Two New Entities to Registry Criteria Tied to Large Computation Loads | American Public Power Association — Paul Ciampoli “Based on the newly emerging reliability risks and recommended mitigation, NERC is proposing for the first time to regulate certain large customers based on their impact on the reliable operation of the BPS.” SpaceXAI Discloses $6.1M Stormwater Permit Exposure at Mississippi AI Campus — Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji “SpaceXAI, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, disclosed Thursday that Mississippi environmental regulators say construction started at three of its Southaven sites before required stormwater permits were in place, with potential penalties of up to $6.1 million.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#130
October 24 · 9 min
Meta Discloses $825 Billion in Compute Commitments as ATC Asks FERC to Bill Data Centers for Their Own Wires — October 24, 2026
Meta's first negative free cash flow quarter came with about $825 billion in future compute and infrastructure commitments, while a Wisconsin transmission owner put a price on making data centers pay for their own grid upgrades. Plus PJM tells FERC about a 3,900 MW load drop, and Amazon drops a four-building Loudoun County plan. In this episode Big Tech's capex spending looks different this year as Meta and Tesla save for later — Hamza Shaban “A gauge of Meta's credit risk surged to a new record and its bonds sank, Bloomberg reported, after the company said it would spend about $825 billion in the future on computing power, AI infrastructure, and other commitments.” The Transmission Side of But-For: ATC Asks FERC to Make Data Centers Pay for Their Own Wires | Fracmoo — Priya Raman “If FERC approves the proposal, ATC says it will bill $138 million in 2027 for transmission costs associated with large-load data center projects, and its network rate will fall approximately 6 percent from the 2026 rate. Without the mechanisms, ATC says, the 2027 network rate…” PJM urges FERC to set data center ride-through rules — OGGN Staff “PJM told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's annual Reliability Technical Conference on Oct. 21 that about 3,900 MW of large loads unexpectedly moved to backup generation on July 22, and that the grid needs enforceable rules for how data centers behave during disturbances.” Amazon bows to local backlash over AI data centers ... — Oliver Haslam “Weissman added that “While we see the property’s legal development potential differently than the County does, we concluded that the best outcome for all is to come together on a shared vision for this campus rather than engage in costly litigation.”” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#129
October 23 · 9 min
Google Contracts 1,070 MW of Virtual Capacity in PJM Through 2040 as Nvidia Prepays Its Back-End Supply Chain — October 23, 2026
Google expands its Voltus bring-your-own-capacity deal in PJM tenfold to 1,070 MW under a contract running through 2040, while Nvidia locks in substrate, packaging, test and optics capacity with six suppliers. Plus Bernstein's estimate that only about 35% of announced US data center capacity gets built, and a Pennsylvania county ordering a developer to stop work on a substation. In this episode Google is purchasing 1 GW of distributed capacity in PJM | Latitude Media — Maeve Allsup “While the specifics of the deal aren’t public, Guernsey confirmed that Google signed a contract that extends through 2040, and that it will offset load from multiple data centers in PJM.” Nvidia Locks Up AI Chip Testing and Optics Capacity With ... — Jeremy Fielding “Taken together, the agreements form an escalating set of capacity targets: substrates expanding 2.5 times over the next three years, advanced packaging in South Korea growing more than 300 percent by the end of 2028, total semiconductor testing capacity doubling from…” AI Data Center Boom: 65% of Announced Capacity May Never Get Built - Business Insider — Alistair Barr “Bernstein Research analyzed thousands of planned US data centers and concluded that only about 35% of the announced capacity is likely to get built. That's roughly 170 gigawatts of data center capacity out of a total of almost 500 gigawatts.” Pa. county tells developer to stop work on data center, as utility reveals power line plan — Pennlive “In an Oct. 16 letter made public Wednesday, the commissioners told PNK Group it had not received the required approvals before starting work.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#128
October 22 · 8 min
Google and Entergy Rework Arkansas Deal Over Who Pays, as Musk Promises 10 GW More Compute in 2027 — October 22, 2026
Entergy Arkansas and Google amend their West Memphis power deal to resolve an accounting fight over ratepayer charges while adding a 440 MW solar PPA, 1.4 GWh of batteries and new transmission. Also: Musk's 10 GW compute claim for SpaceXAI, TCEQ pulling its permit portal offline, and $35 billion of Chinese orders for an Nvidia workstation GPU. In this episode Untangling the accounting fight reshaping Google’s Arkansas power deal — Latitude Media “The criticisms ultimately came down to accounting: whether Google’s payments should directly and immediately reduce the plant investment on which Entergy earns a return, or instead count as utility revenue credited against customers’ costs over time.” Elon Musk says he’s staying in Memphis ‘night and day’ guiding data center buildout — WREG ““At this point I would say I’m fairly confident of being able to bring an incremental 10 gigawatts of compute online in 2027. That would be in addition to the roughly three gigawatts, maybe two and a half to three gigawatts, that we’ll have online by the end of this year,” Musk…” TCEQ shuts down permit filing system amid data center dispute — Emily Foxhall ““To ensure all applications are thoroughly reviewed by agency staff to determine if they are related to data centers, applications must be physically provided to TCEQ,” agency spokesman Ryan Vise said in a statement.” Exclusive-ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent place over $35 billion worth of Nvidia chip orders — StreetInsider “One source said Nvidia told partners they might receive only 5% to 10% of the quantities requested. Another said the company had indicated it could produce no more than 3 million RTX PRO 5500 cards globally in 2027.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#127
October 21 · 8 min
PJM Opens a Separate Lane for SB Energy's 9.6 GW Ohio Campus as Amazon Backs Indiana SMRs — October 21, 2026
PJM filed a FERC study agreement to evaluate roughly 9.6 GW of new data center load and 10.2 GW of generation at SB Energy's Flagship site in Pike County, Ohio, outside its interconnection queue. Also: AEP, X-energy and Amazon eye 960 MW of Xe-100 reactors in Indiana, Texas's data center permit freeze draws scrutiny, and Memphis deadlocks on a moratorium. In this episode PJM Files FERC Study Agreement for SB Energy's Proposed AI Campus at DOE's Portsmouth Site in Ohio — Data Center Feed “The expansion under study is larger: according to the filing, it comprises approximately 9,570 MW of additional data center load and 10,170 MW of gross new generating capacity, with phased completion through 2032, supported by three proposed 765-kV transmission lines and related…” AEP, X-energy Eye 960-MW Nuclear Plant at Retired ... — POWER “AEP and X-energy announced the joint development agreement (JDA) on Oct. 19, identifying the retired Breed Generating Station in Sullivan County, Indiana, as a potential location for 12 of X-energy’s 80-MW Xe-100 reactors.” Watchdog group criticizes TCEQ for advancing data center permits — The Texas Tribune “The letter followed instructions from the governor last month for TCEQ to stop issuing “all permits related to data center projects” while other state agencies and the state electric grid operator gathered and checked information about data centers’ proposed water and power use.” Memphis Rejects Data Center Freeze After Fight Over ... — Steven Frank “Memphis leaders rejected an 18-month moratorium on new data center development Tuesday, deadlocking 6-6 on a proposal born from growing concerns over the rapid expansion of the power-hungry artificial intelligence industry.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#126
October 19 · 8 min
Microsoft Pays for Its Own 1,100 MW in Indiana as NERC Writes Rules for Data Center Load — October 19, 2026
NiSource signs a 20-year, 1,100 MW supply deal with Microsoft, funded by Microsoft, and NERC's computational-load standards clear their final ballot. Plus AEP's $4 billion fuel cell plant for Google in Wyoming and a 7.5 GW gas campus in a Utah water filing. In this episode NiSource Signs 20-Year Microsoft Power Agreement for 1,100 MW Indiana Data Centre Campus — Fiona Craig “Electricity service is expected to begin in 2028, with Microsoft agreeing to fund the generation and transmission infrastructure required to meet the facility's power requirements.” NERC passes grid reliability standards for data centers, AI facilities, ETDatacenters — ETDatacenters “These standards require facilities to provide grid data, coordinate protection settings, and respond to grid operators' instructions. The standards and associated implementation plans will now go before NERC’s Board of Trustees for adoption.” 🧭 AEP’s ~$4B Google Plant, Solaria’s ~$5.7B Uruguay Pact, AMD Backs Fermi — Globaldatacenterhub “The seller is Cheyenne Fuel Cell, LLC. AEP owns about 92%, and funds advised by Basalt Infrastructure Partners hold nearly 8%. Bloom Energy supplies fuel cells that make power from natural gas without burning it, and the plan adds carbon capture. Construction is planned to start…” Stratos Project water application reveals new details on massive data center | KSL.com — KSL.com “According to the documents, the project would include 11 clusters of data center buildings and a 7.5-gigawatt generation facility comprised of fifteen 500-megawatt combined-cycle natural gas power plants. It also lists 4,850 employees.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#125
October 14 · 8 min
Oregon Freezes Data Center Permits as DOE Waives Limits for a Strained PJM — October 14, 2026
Oregon's governor has paused air and water permits for data centers until July 2027, and DOE issued a heat-driven emergency order for PJM. Plus FERC's split vote on Duke's large-load transmission rules and Microsoft's multi-gigawatt plan for its Maia inference chips. In this episode Oregon governor orders pause on environmental permits to build or expand data centers — Banks Post “Oregon’s governor has effectively issued a moratorium on new data centers and data center expansions in the state by ordering environmental regulators to pause approving new state and federal air and water pollution permits for data center projects until next July.” Data centers strain capacity across major power grid where emergency threatens blackouts in 13 US states | Daily Mail Online — Melissa Koenig, Reuters “But in the meantime, the US Department of Energy (DOE) issued a short-term emergency order allowing PJM Interconnection to push past normal pollution limits in an effort to keep the lights on for its 67 million customers.” Commissioner Chang’s Dissent in Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC Docket Nos. ER26-2691-000 ER26-2691-001 | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — Federal Energy Regulatory Commission “DEC’s stated goal is laudable, but I am not persuaded on this record that the proposal meets it. DEC proposes to impose substantial 15-year payment obligations on specific LSEs that serve large loads, but proposes no specific security requirements to backstop those obligations.” Microsoft to expand Azure Maia system to multi-gigawatt deployments - The Official Microsoft Blog — Scott Guthrie “As we move into the era of Super Intelligence, Microsoft is entering a new phase of infrastructure. We will scale our Azure Maia family to multi-gigawatt deployments starting in 2027, making Maia the primary inference system for Microsoft products and services.” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#124
October 13 · 8 min
Google's Power Math: Indiana Cost Test, 890 MW of Nuclear Uprates — October 13, 2026
Google lands two power paths. Indiana regulators approved AES Indiana's $1.3 billion solar, storage and wires plan for its 390 MW Monrovia campus, the first test of the state's 80% large-load cost law. Separately, Constellation will spend $4.3 billion uprating 11 PJM reactors by 890 MW. In this episode Indiana approves AES plan to power Google data center in Monrovia — WFYI Public Media “Indiana utility regulators unanimously approved a plan for utility AES Indiana to build the solar, battery storage and electric line project needed to power a 390-megawatt Google data center project in Monrovia. At the Oct. 7 meeting, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission…” Google and Constellation Find 890 MW of New Power Inside Running Reactors — Global Data Center Hub “First, a 20-year power purchase agreement backs 890 MW of added output at 11 reactors in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Constellation says it will invest more than $4.3 billion in the work. The first uprate is expected by 2028. All 890 MW is due before the end of 2032.” California Links Data Center Permitting And Licensing To New Water Use Disclosure And Drought Planning Obligations — The Legal 500 “AB 2469 adds a new section to the Government Code (Section 65964.7) that prohibits a city, county, or city and county from approving any discretionary or ministerial permit for the construction of a new data center, or an expansion that increases maximum peak water use, unless…” Keppel DC REIT acquires Cardiff data centre for S$59 mil — The Edge Malaysia “Keppel DC REIT has acquired a 100% stake in a data centre located in Cardiff, United Kingdom, for £34 million (S$59.3 million). The data centre is currently leased to one of the largest global cloud services providers, on a triple-net lease for 15 years which started in June,…” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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#123
October 12 · 8 min
PJM Fast-Tracks 2.1 GW as Senators Tally Data Center Grid Costs — October 12, 2026
PJM cleared its first 2.1 GW of fast-track capacity, Engie batteries and an LS Power gas uprate, as a Senate Democratic report says hyperscalers resist paying for shared grid upgrades and Meta's infrastructure chief puts 2026 spend above $100 billion. In this episode PJM fast-tracks first 2.1 GW of capacity as data centers strain supply - Newzino — Newzino “On October 8, PJM Interconnection accepted its first three fast-track grid connections: 1.66 gigawatts of battery storage from Engie and a 455-megawatt gas-plant uprate from LS Power. All three are expected online by mid-2029. The fast track is a two-year experiment meant to…” Meta's infrastructure chief says Meta's 2026… · Slicast — Slicast “Speaking to creator Tom Shaw, Janardhan said Meta has contracted 6.5 gigawatts of nuclear power through 2035. He said Meta designs separate custom chips for ranking and recommendations, for large language models, and for AI training and inference, and he expects its future data…” US senators release report on data centre costs and transparency | Digital Watch Observatory — Digital Watch Observatory “The report found that companies’ commitments primarily covered electricity infrastructure built exclusively for their facilities. According to the senators, those commitments did not fully cover wider grid upgrades needed because of increased demand. Companies generally opposed…” $366M Data Center Project Longhorn Filed in Texas - Energy.Media — Energy.Media “A $366 million data center project, dubbed “Project Longhorn – Building One,” has been filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for Cedar Creek, Bastrop County, Texas. The 498,165 sq ft facility is the first building in what is reportedly a larger campus that…” Daily TopFive for The Data Center Daily. Links above go to the original articles. Follow and rate The Data Center Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email data-center-daily@lanternpodcasts.com.
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