Data center development: Power is the new battleground

Data Centers Need to Be Located Next to Energy Sources, Which Demands New Regulatory Approaches https://lnkd.in/e7a--WRv #AI #DataCenters #EnergyNeeds #CFACT #Bonilla #Coordination #Grid

Data Centers are power-hungry, and the demand for them is growing. Can they be sustainable? EXP’s Senior Electrical Engineer Somsubhra Ghosh, PE, discusses the integration of sustainable energy sources in AI data centers. https://lnkd.in/gdXJPTtN #ArtificialIntelligence #DataCenters #RenewableEnergy

Data Centers need all the power they can get. It’s time to smartly integrate all available power sources in a way that can keep up with our need for the foreseeable future. Read below to find out some strategies we can use as designers today to tackle this and share your thoughts in the comments below!! Thanks to Nadia Abou and the EXP Team for helping me with this.

We’re proud to announce an innovative agreement with Prometheus Hyperscale focused on co-locating advanced #AI-ready #datacenters at select ENGIE renewable energy and #batterystorage facilities along the Texas I-35 corridor. The first sites equipped with high-performance, #sustainable data center compute capacity are set to become operational in 2026, with additional sites planned for 2027 and beyond. This collaboration represents a significant advancement in meeting the surging demand for high-performance, sustainable computing. By uniting ENGIE’s robust portfolio of #wind, #solar and #battery assets with Prometheus’ liquid-cooled data center design — combined with our commercial and industrial supply capabilities and deep trading expertise — we’re providing integrated #energysolutions that support scalable, resilient and sustainable #infrastructure. As the digital economy accelerates, the need for clean, reliable compute power has never been greater. Our #collaboration with Prometheus demonstrates our shared approach to finding innovative approaches to developing, building and operating projects that solve real world challenges. Together with our #customers, we're ensuring that tomorrow’s data centers not only meet market needs but also address the urgent imperative of #decarbonization. We’re shaping a future where digital progress and #cleanenergy go hand in hand. Read more >> #WithENGIE #SustainableInfrastructure #CleanEnergyInnovation #AIDataCenters #EnergyTransition #DigitalTransformation #GreenTech #RenewableEnergy #Decarbonization #SmartInfrastructure #TechForGood

This is a great move from Prometheus Hyperscale and ENGIE North America Inc. to collaborate on Data center development... This partnership with help to stream line the deployment of fully renewable, AI ready Data center across the US... Combining Engie's renewable portfolio and Prometheus's Liquid cooled hyper scale DC development experience makes this one a super smart move!

Data center boom: The western U.S. is witnessing a surge in data centers, driven by the demand for AI and cloud services. This growth is reshaping the landscape with significant impacts: - Gigawatt-scale load growth comparable to entire cities - Congestion and interconnection delays in renewable energy hubs - Challenges in water and land use - Increasing pressure on reliability as coal phases out and gas becomes more flexible Beyond consuming power, data centers are transforming long-term planning strategies. Advanced modeling tools like PLEXOS® are crucial. They allow planners to simulate scenarios such as the sudden emergence of 2–3 GW of capacity and determine the optimal mix of renewables, storage, and flexible gas to ensure a stable power supply. The western grid is on the brink of a new chapter. The question remains: are we prepared for what lies ahead? #DataCenters #EnergyModeling #PLEXOS #GridReliability #WesternMarkets

How do we #EnableTheFuture of digital infrastructure in a world where energy is a growing constraint? That was the central question at the recent "Renewable Horizon: The Era of Data Centers in Brazil" Workshop, hosted by ANEEL - Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica in Brasília. The event brought together regulators, planners, operators, data center leaders, academics, and government authorities to discuss how Brazil can align digital growth with energy sustainability. Representing Scala Data Centers, Luciano Fialho, our Corporate Development SVP, participated in the panel "The challenges of integrating data centers into the Brazilian power system", alongside experts from ONS - Operador Nacional do Sistema Elétrico, Voltalia and Casa dos Ventos Energias Renováveis Luciano presented a strategic view of Brazil's role in the global data center landscape, highlighting three essential challenges to fully unlocking this opportunity: 1️⃣ Time to connect: While Scala can deliver a hyperscale data center in just 11 months, current grid connection processes may take longer. This disconnect must be addressed to match the pace of demand. 2️⃣ Grid reliability: Power availability is not enough — the energy supply must be stable and resilient. Downtime from outages remains the top concern for mission-critical infrastructure. 3️⃣ Cost competitiveness: In an AI-driven world where processing can happen anywhere, energy costs are a deciding factor. Brazil must offer not only competitive renewable PPAs, but also all-in competitively priced energy.  "A data center should be recognized not as a conventional energy consumer, but as a vital infrastructure that underpins mission-critical operations." — Luciano Fialho, Scala Data Centers At Scala, we are proud to be part of high-impact discussions like this — because shaping energy policy and digital infrastructure today means enabling Brazil and Latin America to lead tomorrow in the global data economy. We believe in the power of collaboration between industry, regulators, and government to accelerate our region’s rise as a strategic hub for data processing, AI, and cloud innovation. #ProudToBeScala 

Worldwide, nearly 60% of the electricity used by data centers comes from fossil fuels including natural gas.   https://lnkd.in/g7mh8Kwc   #datacenter #DataSecurity #digitalinfrastructure #datacenterinfrastructure #realestateinvesting #digitalage #dataprotection #Hyperscale #AI #datacenterinvesting #AIdatacenters #AIdevelopment #microgrids #renewablepower #RenewableEnergy #AIpower #energydemands #BatteryEnergyStorage #BESS #AIdemand

Everyone’s talking about new data center demand. But the real bottleneck isn’t land or capital. It’s the interconnect queue. Projects are waiting years just to get approval to tie into the grid. In some regions, the queue’s longer than the actual construction timeline. Meanwhile demand isn’t slowing down. AI campuses are scaling faster than utilities can react. Renewables are stuck in the same line. And battery projects can’t move without approvals either. That’s why more developers are looking at on site generation and microgrids. It’s not just about cost or control... it’s about speed. If you can’t energize quickly, you can’t capture this wave of demand. The conversation used to be about where to build. Now it’s about how fast you can connect. #DataCenters #EnergyInfrastructure #Grid #PowerStrategy

Regulators need to say that data centers need to use 100% wind, solar, geothermal and batteries. No fossils. No nuclear. No grid.