Data Center Signal is tracking 34 clips about Blackstone data center developments across 10 states, including MI, VA, NM, CA, GA.
Digital Realty Trust has raised its full-year forecast for funds from operations, citing robust leasing momentum driven by cloud and AI customers. The company also announced plans to acquire a larger stake in three data centers in Northern Virginia from Blackstone for $3.5 billion, strengthening its presence in a key market.
American Transmission Company (ATC) has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to intervene in a dispute over a major transmission project in eastern Wisconsin. The project, initially awarded to Viridon, is crucial for connecting a large data center campus in Port Washington to the grid by late 2027. ATC's appeal challenges the competitive bidding process, seeking to either redo the bidding or be awarded the full project to ensure timely grid connection for the data center.
A $16 billion data center project in Saline Township, Michigan, known as "Stargate," is proceeding with construction despite significant local opposition over concerns about water, the power grid, and rural character. The township board initially denied rezoning, leading to a lawsuit from developers that resulted in a consent judgment allowing construction. Opponents are now challenging this agreement in court, while data center development becomes a key political issue in Michigan and nationally.
Residents of Saline Township, Michigan are actively opposing the construction of the "Stargate" data center, a $16 billion project by a consortium including Oracle and OpenAI. Despite initial rezoning denial and ongoing legal challenges from opponents, construction has begun following a consent judgment that included community benefits. This local struggle highlights a growing national tension over data center development and AI's impact, prompting politicians to address voter concerns.
A $16 billion AI data center project backed by OpenAI, Oracle, and others is proceeding with construction in Saline Township, Michigan, despite significant local opposition. Residents are concerned about the project's impact on water supply and the power grid, leading to a legal battle and a settlement that allowed development to move forward. Opponents are now challenging this settlement in court.
A Pennsylvania farming family sold their 89-acre property in Salem Township for $22 million to a data center developer, as part of a larger $586 million acquisition by QTS and Blackstone for a massive data center project. This development is fueled by the AI boom and the need for land with access to major electrical infrastructure. However, growing opposition in the area and across the U.S. raises concerns about environmental impacts and changes to rural communities.
Digital Realty has acquired a $3.5 billion equity stake from Blackstone-affiliated funds in three data centers in northern Virginia. The deal covers two facilities in Manassas and one in Sterling, with a total power draw of up to 96 megawatts. This transaction follows Digital Realty's recent acquisition of Alexandria-based Columbia Capital, an investment firm focused on data centers.
QTS has terminated its planned Digital Gateway data center development in Prince William County, Virginia, and withdrawn its filings following years of planning, approvals, and significant opposition. This cancellation reflects a broader trend of large-scale data center projects facing delays or termination due to community pushback and infrastructural constraints, despite companies like Microsoft continuing their investments in the region.
Rowan Digital Infrastructure has broken ground on a new 300-megawatt data center in Temple, Texas. Concurrently, the company is distributing over $30,000 in grants through its Community Catalyst Program to six local organizations in the Temple area. The project, described as a flagship deployment, is financially backed by Blackstone and Quinbrook.
Blackstone's QTS has terminated the Digital Gateway data center project in Virginia. This decision marks the end of a significant development plan for the region. No further details regarding the reasons for termination were provided in the available information.
A report alleges that Chinese Communist Party-linked backers are fueling anti-AI sentiment and data center opposition across the US through activist Neville Singham and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. This activism has reportedly stalled over $20 billion in data center investments, led to local moratoria, and blocked projects in multiple states, prompting a congressional inquiry. The report claims the groups exploit local concerns with misinformation, particularly regarding water usage and electricity bills.
A new study alleges foreign influence, specifically from a China-linked socialist group, is impacting US and Wisconsin data center developments, leading to project delays, blocks, and moratoria. This includes a halted Blackstone-backed project in DeForest and an approved anti-data center referendum in Port Washington. The report highlights alleged misinformation campaigns concerning data center energy and water use, while the Wisconsin Public Service Commission has adopted a new pricing plan for large data centers.
Digital Realty announced it is acquiring a $3.5 billion stake in three data centers in Northern Virginia from asset manager Blackstone. This transaction, involving a mix of cash and shares, increases Digital Realty's ownership in key hyperscale assets. The move further expands the company's presence in Virginia, recognized as the world's largest data center market.
The article questions whether Michigan should be allocating its state resources to Blackstone. This likely relates to the impact of the company's activities, such as data center development, on the state's energy and other resources.
CNBC's David Faber reports from the construction site of the Stargate AI data center in Saline Township, Michigan. This "enormous" facility covers 250 acres of a 1000-acre site, is valued at $16 billion, and is expected to consume up to 1.4 gigawatts of power. Key investors include Related Digital, Blackstone, and PIMCO, with Oracle as a major client and SoftBank also involved.
The article examines the rapid data center expansion in Northern Virginia, detailing resident complaints about noise and environmental impacts, and discusses how these issues could foreshadow challenges for proposed projects in Western Pennsylvania. It also highlights the significant economic benefits data centers bring to Virginia counties and recent regulatory efforts by the Virginia State Corporation Commission to manage electricity costs for large users like data centers.
Anderson County, Tennessee, is considering new zoning regulations for data centers due to concerns about their significant electricity and water consumption. The Planning Commission voted to send a proposal to the County Commission, highlighting environmental and financial impacts on residents and local resources.
Residents of Fayetteville, Georgia, are outraged after discovering a QTS data center used 30 million gallons of water without proper billing, contributing to weak water pressure during a state-wide drought. The county attributed the billing issue to a procedural error and QTS has since paid the owed amount. Public anger is fueled by perceived preferential treatment for the data center amidst calls for citizen water conservation.
A Blackstone-owned QTS data center campus in Fayetteville, Georgia, reportedly consumed over 29 million gallons of water without the local utility's initial knowledge, causing low water pressure for residents. The issue involved unbilled connections, and QTS later paid a retroactive charge. Despite significant community anger, the county water utility opted not to fine QTS, further intensifying local opposition.
Two New Mexico Democratic gubernatorial candidates debated various issues, including their differing approaches to massive data center projects. While one candidate emphasized economic benefits and clean energy acceleration, the other expressed concerns about transparency and compliance with state clean energy goals, particularly regarding power generation. They also discussed water resources and the proposed acquisition of the state's largest electric utility.