Central Intelligence
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Last Update: 09/24/2026 at 3:01 PM EST

Data Centers Topics

The issues driving ongoing reporting and analysis

The newest and most significant topics based on CI Score

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River Cities Weigh Data Center Water Demands

The Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative introduced a data center wishlist and a fiscal evaluation framework for local governments.

3 articles and details

Oregon Data Centers Reshape Power Demand

Oregon had 111 operating data centers in 2025, occupying 22.1 million square feet.

4 articles and details

House Vote Shifts Data Center Power Costs

The House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act 417-3 on Sept. 16.

3 articles and details

Generac’s Amazon Deal Expands Generator Capacity

The agreement covers up to $8 billion in backup generators for Amazon data centers worldwide.

4 articles and details

AWS Data Loss Tests Multi-Zone Resilience

AWS said resources hosted exclusively in UAE availability zone mec1-az2 cannot be restored.

3 articles and details

U.S. Data Center Ratepayer Debate

The House passed H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, by 417-3 and set a 100-megawatt threshold for covered large loads.

30 articles and details

Data Center Growth Drives Midwest Regulation Debate

Outdoor lighting controls are emerging as a practical mitigation measure, including downward-facing fixtures, motion detection, and warmer color temperatures.

4 articles and details

Virginia Data Center Regulation Push

Virginia’s accountability framework and executive order begin immediate transparency, local negotiation, noise, and generator-review measures.

11 articles and details

Qualcomm’s AWS Bet on Inference

Qualcomm and AWS will develop custom AI inference silicon, CPUs, accelerators, and optical connectivity for large data-center deployments.

7 articles and details

Diesel Spill Tests New Jersey Data Centers

About 5,500 gallons of No. 2 diesel spilled from a storage tank at Equinix’s NY2 data center in Secaucus.

3 articles and details

River Cities Weigh Data Center Water Demands

The Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative introduced a data center wishlist and a fiscal evaluation framework for local governments.

3 articles and details

CI Score
Data Centers Meet Local ResistancePolling shows strong opposition to locating AI data centers in local communities, with concerns spanning environmental effects, utility bills, noise, traffic, and land use.95 articles and detailsCI Score over 30 days: 60 to 60
Weekly:Declining
Data Center Growth Meets Local LimitsMoratoriums, bans, and zoning limits are spreading across states, cities, and counties, with New York serving as the most consequential state-level example.132 articles and detailsCI Score over 30 days: 63 to 60
Power Delays Put AI Campuses to the TestU.S. data center construction spending exceeded $50 billion in April, more than 28% above the prior year, according to Census Bureau data cited by Marquette Associates.166 articles and detailsCI Score over 30 days: 59 to 59
Weekly:Declining
Virginia Rewrites the Data Center DealThe budget compromise preserves Virginia’s data center sales and use tax exemption while adding a $0.011-per-kilowatt-hour electricity tax.129 articles and detailsCI Score over 30 days: 59 to 58
Weekly:Emerging
Texas Data Center Expansion Under StrainERCOT was reviewing roughly 474 gigawatts of interconnection requests, with about 90% associated with data-center projects.214 articles and detailsCI Score over 30 days: 70 to 58
Pennsylvania Data Center Rules TightenExecutive Order 2026-05 generally requires large data centers to secure municipal approvals before Pennsylvania environmental permits advance.166 articles and detailsCI Score over 30 days: 69 to 58
Data Center Incentives Face a ReckoningOhio halted new data center tax-exemption requests after reported costs rose from a $136 million projection to nearly $1.6 billion in 2025.126 articles and detailsCI Score over 30 days: 55 to 58
Ohio Data Center Regulation ConflictOhio has more than 200 operating data centers, with over 100 around Columbus and proposed campuses requiring hundreds to roughly 1,400 megawatts.86 articles and detailsCI Score over 30 days: 61 to 55
U.S. AI Data Centers Face Local ResistancePublic support for nearby data centers is low across multiple U.S. polls, with opposition crossing party and regional lines.159 articles and detailsCI Score over 30 days: 58 to 54
AI Data Centers Face Power-Cooling ConstraintsAI rack densities are moving from tens of kilowatts toward hundreds of kilowatts, with some future designs approaching 1 MW.52 articles and detailsCI Score over 30 days: 48 to 54
Weekly:Declining