Susana SchwartziMasons talks GWs of global capacity, sustainability
- 71 GW of active capacity
- 280 GW in the development pipeline
- 228 GW in the U.S.
- 30 GW in China with 400 GW of spare grid capacity planned by 2030
With that, sustainability has to become a design principle – something iMasons’ Climate Accord (iCA) members focus on. During a morning session at DCD>Connect, iCA’s LEED Fellow Miranda G. Gardiner talked with Bloomberg sustainability experts, Simone Kramer and Dave Wildman about the evolution toward “audit-ready” metrics as regulatory requirements for carbon and ESG reporting become more stringent. Check out the story here, and look at our “Top Stories” and “What You Need to Know,” below.
Susana Schwartz
Technology Editor
RCRTech
AI Infrastructure Top Stories
iMasons Climate Accord: During DCD>Connect in New York, iMasons’ day-one morning session focused on a shift in mandate as an ‘independent professional association’ and a fireside chat with Bloomberg on sustainability in DC design.
Up, out, and across: At OFC 2026, focus shifted to three AI scaling models – scale-up, scale-out and emerging scale-across – highlighting the need for new optical interconnects linking GPUs within and across data centers.
Australia sets AI rules: Australia has introduced expectations for data center and AI infrastructure projects, linking approvals to national interest, energy use, water efficiency, and local economic contributions as demand for AI capacity grows.
AI Today: What You Need to Know
432MW DC in VA: In Virginia, Ashburn’s Regency residents are being offered more than $4 million per acre to sell their properties to data center developers. According to a DCD report, developers are hoping to build six data centers in the community.
SK Hynix – ASML deal: SK Hynix Inc. plans to spend 11.9 trillion won ($7.9 billion) on cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet lithography chipmaking tools from ASML Holding NV, deepening a push into next-generation memory.
Ultra-Cold Alloys: Researchers in China have developed a new alloy capable of reaching near absolute zero (-273°C) without using helium. This could revolutionize cooling for superconducting quantum chips and military hardware.
Thailand expansion push: Bridge Data Centres is seeking up to $6 billion in financing for Thailand expansion, highlighting intensifying competition to scale AI-ready data center capacity across Southeast Asia.
AI meets the grid: Nvidia and Emerald AI are working with energy firms to develop flexible AI factories that integrate compute with power systems, aiming to speed deployment and support grid stability.
10GW power expansion: NextEra Energy received approval to develop up to 10 GW of gas-fired power in the U.S., supporting rising electricity demand from data centers and industrial infrastructure.
