300MW data center to be built in Uzbekistan with China’s Linkwise
Uzbekistan is set to host a massive 300MW data center in the historic city of Bukhara, following a new partnership with China’s Linkwise Data Intelligence. The deal, signed with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy on July 24, could mark a major step in the country’s small but growing data infrastructure sector. Plans for a second 300MW facility in Surxondaryo, near the Tajikistan border, were also discussed—though details like timelines and specifications remain under wraps.
Newly launched data centre developer plans 1GW Montana campus
Big Sky Digital Infrastructure (BSDI) has unveiled plans for the Big Sky Campus in Montana, starting with 500MW of new renewable power and battery energy storage—expandable to 1GW. Construction is slated to begin in 2026, with the site connected to hundreds of miles of new, fiber-ready underground conduit, offering diverse, resilient routes to major metropolitan areas.
“Montana has always been a state that builds its future on the strength of its people and natural resources,” said Damon Obie, Montana native, BSDI co-founder, and General Counsel of Quantica. “The Big Sky Campus represents a unique opportunity to build on the industries that powered our history with the digital economy that will define our future.”
Co-founder and Quantica CEO John Chesser added, “A well-planned digital economy can support communities through employment opportunities and infrastructure investments.”
Amazon acquires 1,000 acres of land outside Atlanta, Georgia
Amazon has purchased nearly 1,000 acres in Lamar County, Georgia, hinting at a major data center development. According to official records filed with the county’s Clerk of Superior Court, Amazon Data Services, Inc. acquired approximately 984.89 acres on the west side of Interstate 75.
The property—formerly part of the Legacy 75 Trade Center and owned by High Falls 75 LLC—is located off High Falls Park Road near Exit 198. It is currently zoned for manufacturing and industrial use.
While Amazon has not yet disclosed its development plans, the company is expected to outline its intentions during upcoming pre-construction meetings with the county. “We look forward to engaging in productive discussions with Amazon as they further establish their presence in our community,” said Traylor.
$33 billion, 3GW data centre megaproject planned in Arizona to meet soaring infraAI demand
A private developer is preparing a massive 3,300-acre site in Pinal County for what could become Arizona’s largest data center complex, driven by surging demand for AI and cloud infrastructure. Kuldip (Ken) Verma, CEO of Vermaland, confirmed that a rezoning application has been submitted, with approval expected next year.
“As power costs are significantly below California and tech company demand continues to grow, we are creating the next generation of digital infrastructure,” said Verma.
The announcement comes amid record data center construction across North America. CBRE reports that, as of late 2024, more than 6.35GW of capacity was under construction continent-wide, with Phoenix seeing 67% inventory growth—second only to Atlanta.
If completed, the $33 billion development would surpass Arizona’s previous record-holder: a $25 billion, 2,100-acre data center project in Tonopah led by Arizona Land Consulting’s Anita Verma-Lallian and venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya, CEO of Social Capital.
Germany’s Maincubes to develop first data center at Nauen campus outside Berlin
Maincubes has announced plans for its first data center at the Nauen campus, just outside Berlin, with capacity expected to exceed 400MW. The project follows the signing of two key agreements: a land use and zoning plan, and a 200MW grid connection deal with regional utility E.dis, set to begin in 2027.
“The launch of the development in Nauen marks another major milestone for maincubes and reflects our strategic mission to build sustainable, future-proof digital infrastructure,” said CEO Oliver Menzel.
Chief Development Officer Thomas Wacker added, “The development of BER02 demonstrates how efficiently large-scale projects can be realised when planning, permitting, and partnerships are closely aligned. The fact that we were able to finalise the zoning and secure the energy connection in such a short timeframe sends a strong signal—to both our customers and to the region.”
High voltage electricity tower landscape at sunset
Entergy to build $1.2bn 500kV transmission line to serve Meta mega data center in Louisiana
Louisiana utility Entergy will invest $1.2 billion in a 100-mile, 500kV transmission line to power Meta’s planned 2GW “Hyperion” data center campus in Richland Parish. Expected online by December 2026, the project is part of a larger infrastructure plan that includes three combined-cycle turbines (2,260MW total), substations, and new transmission lines to support the nine-building campus set for phased completion through 2030.
Entergy has reached a settlement with the Louisiana Public Service Commission recommending approval, despite opposition from environmental groups concerned over proposed gas-fired plants and potential costs to ratepayers. Meta has pledged to offset most costs by covering full annual plant revenue for 15 years.
CEO Drew March said the utility sees 5GW–10GW of future data center opportunities, prompting a $3 billion increase in its four-year capital expenditure outlook.
As AI capex leads US economy, global data center capex projected to grow at 21 percent CAGR to $1.2tn by 2029
Global capital expenditure on data centers is projected to grow at a 21% CAGR, reaching $1.2 trillion by 2029—driven largely by massive investment in AI infrastructure.
“We’ve raised our forecast for data center infrastructure spending, driven by the rapid adoption of AI,” said Baron Fung, senior research director at Dell’Oro Group. GPUs and custom AI accelerators now make up roughly one-third of total capex, making them the single largest growth driver. Spending is also expected to remain strong across racks, compute, storage, networking, and physical facilities.
Fung noted that the top four hyperscalers—Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft—will account for half of total spend, leading with vertically integrated solutions and custom architectures to optimize performance and reduce compute costs. Combined with strong public and private sector investment, this is fueling a global wave of data center expansion.
The forecast follows reports this week that AI-related capex has been a major driver of the US economy this year.
Apollo to acquire Stream Data Centers
Apollo Global Management will acquire a majority stake in US-based Stream Data Centers (SDC) from Stream Realty Partners, with the deal expected to close later this year. Financial terms were not disclosed. SDC’s management team will retain a minority stake and continue to lead the company.
Stream builds, leases, manages, and operates hyperscale data center campuses, having delivered more than 20 to date, and holds a land bank with 4GW of potential capacity.
“We are excited to partner with Apollo on the next phase of SDC’s growth amid robust demand for data center solutions,” said Michael Lahoud and Paul Moser, co-managing partners of SDC. They noted that Apollo’s backing will provide the capital needed to scale developments at the pace hyperscale customers require, while thanking Stream Realty Partners for laying the foundation for the company’s success.
Goldman Sachs & Co. acted as sole financial advisor to SDC, with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as legal counsel. Moelis & Company advised Apollo, with Latham & Watkins LLP providing legal counsel.
Bitfarms partners with T5 to develop data center in Pennsylvania
Bitfarms, a cryptomining company shifting toward AI and high-performance computing (HPC) data centers, has partnered with T5 Data Centers to advance development at its Panther Creek campus in Pennsylvania.
“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with T5 Data Centers,” said Bitfarms CEO Ben Gagnon, noting that T5’s track record with major US hyperscalers brings “unparalleled industry expertise” to the project. He added that the partnership positions Bitfarms to capitalize on growing HPC and AI demand, backed by political momentum following the White House’s recent $90 billion AI investment commitment.
Tom Mertz, president and COO of T5 Services, said the Panther Creek property is “well-positioned for building an advanced AI data center campus,” and expressed enthusiasm for supporting Bitfarms’ next growth phase.
New York-based Mag Partners may build data centers on 235-acre site in Baltimore
New York developer Mag Partners is considering building colocation data centers as part of its 235-acre Baltimore Peninsula project, a mixed-use waterfront development in South Baltimore. CEO MaryAnne Gilmartin said strong interest from data center operators is driven by the site’s abundant land and access to power via Baltimore Gas and Electric, which plans to invest over $130 million in a new substation for the area.
No deal has yet been finalized, and Gilmartin emphasized that a potential data center would not prevent the construction of other property types. “Over the short term, we’re focused on the abundance of flexibility we have so we can meet the market where it is,” she said. “We’re getting a lot of data center interest because we have a lot of land and access to power.”
Riot Platforms acquires additional 238 acres at Corsicana, Texas, campus
Riot Platforms has acquired an additional 238 acres at its Corsicana campus in Texas, bringing the total site size to 858 acres. Currently operating with 400MW for Bitcoin mining, the company plans to scale the facility to 1GW—allocating 600MW to high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads.
CEO Jason Les said the expanded site offers “flexibility to accommodate various data center designs and development plans” to fully leverage the available power. The pivot toward AI/HPC began in February with new board appointments, including former senior data center leaders from Meta and Microsoft. Recent hires, such as former Prime Data Centers EVP Jonathan Gibbs as chief data center officer, are tasked with driving the site’s AI/HPC transformation.
Nscale, Aker and OpenAI to establish Stargate Norway: a 100,000 NVIDIA GPU AI Gigafactory powered by renewable energy in Northern Norway
Nscale, Aker, and OpenAI have announced Stargate Norway, a $1 billion AI infrastructure project in Narvik, northern Norway, set to run entirely on renewable energy. The facility aims to deploy 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by the end of 2026, becoming one of Europe’s largest AI “gigafactories” and marking OpenAI’s first data center initiative in Europe under its OpenAI for Countries program. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the project will “provide Europe with sovereign, scalable AI infrastructure powered by clean energy,” while Nscale’s CEO Alexander Stöckl called it “a generational opportunity to build the digital backbone of Europe’s AI future.”
Located in a region with abundant hydropower, cold climate, and low electricity costs, the site will integrate liquid cooling systems and reuse waste heat for local industries. Aker’s Kjell Inge Røkke emphasized that the initiative will “create jobs, drive innovation, and strengthen Europe’s position in the global AI race.” The project is expected to boost local economic growth, foster academic partnerships, and deliver energy-efficient infrastructure designed for high-performance AI workloads.
