The Data Center Daily

PJM says it has enough capacity for summer, but the sharper question is whether AI campus load forecasts are real enough to shape capacity markets, transmission plans and state permitting. Pennsylvania’s pipeline and Blackstone’s REIT IPO show both the grid stress and capital appetite. In this episode: Top stories: 1. PA power grid operator PJM ready for summer but faces data center risk — USA TODAY NETWORK https://www.publicopiniononline.com/story/news/state/2026/05/14/pa-power-grid-pjm-summer-2026-capacity/90031978007/ 2. Step Back: When a hyperscale or AI campus shows up as a multi-gigawatt load request, what proof should PJM, utilities, and state regulators require before treating it as real in resource adequacy, transmission, and capacity-market planning—and who pays if that forecast turns out wrong? 3. NERC Standards Committee Considering Supply Chain, Large Load Actions — RTO Insider https://www.rtoinsider.com/132228-nerc-standards-committee-considering-supply-chain-large-load-actions/ 4. DEP Considering Permits For 17 A.I. Data Centers Projects, Aware Of 34 Other Proposals; Data Centers In Fast Track Permitting Program Need Same Permits, Meet Same Standards As Everyone Else — PA Environment Digest Blog http://paenvironmentdaily.blogspot.com/2026/05/dep-considering-permits-for-17-ai-data.html 5. Blackstone raises $1.75 bn in data centre REIT IPO — The Economic Times https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/blackstone-raises-1-75-bn-in-data-centre-reit-ipo/articleshow/131101736.cms Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI infrastructure is colliding with utility planning in concrete ways: Kentucky utilities are testing SMRs, Georgia and South Carolina communities are pressing QTS on water and local impacts, and regulators are trying to make large-load tariffs absorb the downside risk. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Kentucky utilities turn to small nuclear reactors as data center boom tests the grid — The Cool Down https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/kentucky-utilities-x-energy-partnership-smrs/ 2. Data center drained 30 million gallons of water without reporting or paying for it, investigation reveals — The Cooldown https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/data-center-backlash-georgia-water-use/ 3. Step Back: As PUCs move from case-by-case data center hookups to formal “large load” rules, what specific tariff design—upfront payments, minimum bills, exit fees, curtailment rights, or collateral—actually protects other ratepayers if an AI campus is delayed, downsized, or disappears? 4. Community questions answered about QTS $8 billion campus | Charlotte Observer — Charlotte Observer https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article315714851.html 5. NVIDIA IREN 5GW AI Mega-Deal: Why Both Stocks Could Explode on Infrastructure Boom — International Business Times Australia https://www.ibtimes.com.au/nvidia-iren-strategic-partnership-ai-infrastructure-1868735 Feedback? Email [email protected]

Washington is trying to speed construction, states are adding water and ratepayer guardrails, and capital is still chasing the sector. The AI data center buildout is now a permitting, grid-capacity and financing story all at once. In this episode: Top stories: 1. EPA plan would let work start on data centers, power plants before air permits - E&E News by POLITICO — E&E News https://www.eenews.net/articles/epa-plan-would-let-work-start-on-data-centers-power-plants-before-air-permits-2/ 2. The $2 Trillion Interconnection Queue Bottleneck: What It's Costing Solar+Storage Projects — Illuminei https://www.illuminei.com/blog/the-2-trillion-interconnection-queue-bottleneck-what-it-s-costing-solar-storage-projects 3. DeSantis approves guardrails for data centers | GB Daily | gulfshorebusiness.com — Gulfshore Business https://www.gulfshorebusiness.com/gb-daily/desantis-approves-guardrails-for-data-centers/article_7f4c3abe-7e73-43a2-a536-6782c8e70a91.html 4. Meta’s $27 billion AI data center is transforming rural Louisiana — WVUE Fox 8 https://www.fox8live.com/2026/05/12/metas-27-billion-ai-data-center-is-transforming-rural-louisiana/ 5. Blackstone Launches $1.75B Data Center REIT IPO Amid AI Boom - Equity Capital Market — Equity Capital Market https://ecmsource.com/blackstone-digital-infrastructure-trust-bxdc-ipo-data-center-2026/ Feedback? Email [email protected]

NVIDIA’s $3.4 billion IREN cloud deal and Digital Realty’s private-capital pivot show compute demand still accelerating, while Google, QTS, and Germany’s grid package underline the permitting, water, and interconnection constraints shaping where capacity can actually land. In this episode: Top stories: 1. IREN Secures $3.4bn AI Cloud Contract with NVIDIA - Downstream Calendar — GlobeNewswire https://downstreamcalendar.com/iren-secures-3-4bn-ai-cloud-contract-with-nvidia/ 2. Digital Realty's $3B Fundraise | Real Estate Investor — Real Estate Investor https://headlinesbriefing.com/private-markets/real-estate-investor/digital-realtys-3b-fundraise-3ff8b3fc 3. Augusta data center could use wastewater for cooling — WRDW/WAGT https://www.wrdw.com/2026/05/11/qts-data-center-project-raises-questions-about-savannah-river-water-use/ 4. The German Government’s Grid Package: New Rules for Grid Connection — TaylorWessing https://www.taylorwessing.com/en/insights-and-events/insights/2026/05/netzpaket-der-bundesregierung-neue-regeln-fuer-netzanschluss 5. Palo commission recommends new regulations for Google data center — KCRG https://www.kcrg.com/2026/05/12/palo-commission-recommends-new-regulations-google-data-center/ Feedback? Email [email protected]

Data center load is becoming a rate-design fight: Maryland is challenging PJM transmission charges, Oregon approved a dedicated large-load class, Louisiana is weighing tariffs, and Florida added water and bill protections while institutional capital keeps chasing the buildout. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Maryland homeowners to pay extra $1.6 billion on their electric bills to subsidize AI data centers — The Cooldown https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/maryland-electric-bills-ai-technology-impact/ 2. PGE Secures Regulatory Approval to Ensure Data Centers Pay for the Growth they Drive - 1430 KYKN — KYKN https://kykn.com/2026/05/09/pge-secures-regulatory-approval-to-ensure-data-centers-pay-for-the-growth-they-drive/ 3. Regulators weighing new rules for data centers, major power users — The Hayride https://thehayride.com/2026/05/regulators-weighing-new-rules-for-data-centers-major-power-users/ 4. Florida Bill Creates Data Center Guardrails for State — Tampa Bay Times https://www.govtech.com/policy/florida-bill-creates-data-center-guardrails-for-state 5. Principal Financial $3B Data Center Funds: CRE Impact 2026 — AI Consulting Network https://www.theaiconsultingnetwork.com/blog/principal-financial-3b-data-center-fund-cre-investors-2026 Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI infrastructure demand is colliding with grid process and power supply: FERC slipped its large-load rule, Oracle and OpenAI pushed Stargate past 5 GW, Hut 8 landed a major Texas lease, and gas is rising again in ERCOT’s queue. In this episode: Top stories: 1. FERC delays large-load rule by 2 months, threatening data center power timeline — HyperSinc — HyperSinc https://hypersinc.com/article/ferc-delays-largeload-rule-by-2-months-threatening-data-center-power-timeline-1778173299694 2. OpenAI, Oracle Add 4.5 GW to ‘Stargate’ AI Data‑Center Buildout | Brand Vision — Brand Vision https://www.brandvm.com/post/openai-oracle-stargate-expansion-2025 3. Hut 8 signs about $10 billion AI data center lease in Texas, shares jump | The Star — The Star https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/05/07/hut-8-signs-about-10-billion-ai-data-center-lease-in-texas-shares-jump 4. Kevin O'Leary's Utah AI campus gets approved - Chain Tech Daily — Chain Tech Daily https://chaintechdaily.com/2026/05/07/kevin-olearys-utah-ai-campus-gets-approved/ 5. Gas power leapfrogs wind for first time in 10 years in Texas’ grid connection queue - AOL — AOL https://www.aol.com/news/gas-power-leapfrogs-wind-first-234310279.html Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI infrastructure spending keeps ratcheting higher, with top cloud providers now forecast at $830 billion in 2026 capex, while local governments from Utah to Arizona to Kansas tighten scrutiny around water, zoning, and moratoria. In this episode: Top stories: 1. North American AI Data Center Expansion Drives 2026 CapEx of Top Nine CSPs to US$830 Billion, Says TrendForce — PR Newswire https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/north-american-ai-data-center-expansion-drives-2026-capex-of-top-nine-csps-to-us830-billion-says-trendforce-302764269.html 2. State agencies start scrutinizing Box Elder County data center project — FOX 13 News https://www.fox13now.com/news/great-salt-lake-collaborative/state-agencies-start-scrutinizing-box-elder-county-data-center-project 3. Data crunch: Planning Commission hears proposals for new data center zoning code — KGUN 9 Tucson News https://www.kgun9.com/news/community-inspired-journalism/midtown-news/data-crunch-planning-commission-hears-proposals-for-new-data-center-zoning-code 4. Sedgwick County Commission extends moratorium on data centers for 90 more days — KWCH https://www.kwch.com/2026/05/06/sedgwick-county-commission-extends-moratorium-data-centers-90-more-days/ Feedback? Email [email protected]

AI infrastructure stress is moving from forecasts to operations: NERC is ordering action on volatile computational loads, AEP now sees 63 GW of new demand by 2030, and site constraints from water to China chip supply are tightening. In this episode: Top stories: 1. NERC issues Level 3 alert, mandates action to address data center load losses — Utility Dive https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nerc-issues-rare-level-3-alert-over-data-center-load-losses/819295/ 2. AEP Reports First-Quarter 2026 Earnings, Reaffirms Guidance and Increases Five-Year Capital Plan — PR Newswire https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aep-reports-first-quarter-2026-earnings-reaffirms-guidance-and-increases-five-year-capital-plan-302762002.html 3. 2,300+ protest filings challenge water application for data center — FOX 13 News https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/box-elder-county/more-than-2-300-protest-filings-challenge-water-application-for-box-elder-county-data-center 4. As Nvidia goes to zero in China, Beijing races to fill the void — DIGITIMES Asia https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20260505VL208/nvidia-ceo-market-jensen-huang-chips.html Feedback? Email [email protected]