BusinessInnovationTechnology

QTS Reaches Construction Milestone for $10 Billion Iowa Data Center Campus

Blackstone-owned QTS has topped out three buildings at its new Cedar Rapids data center campus. The $10 billion project marks a significant expansion into Iowa’s emerging data center market and features innovative waterless cooling systems.

Major Construction Milestone Reached

QTS Realty Trust and its development partners have completed structural work on three buildings at their new data center campus in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, according to recent reports. The topping-out ceremony marks significant progress on the $10 billion development that could eventually comprise seven data center buildings across the 612-acre site.

AIBusinessStartups

Wall Street Warns of Looming AI Investment Bubble as Capital Outpaces Returns

Leading investors and analysts are raising alarms about an unsustainable AI investment bubble as capital expenditures dramatically outpace returns. Industry experts suggest the current hype cycle mirrors previous technology bubbles that ended in significant financial losses.

Investment Leaders Sound Alarm on AI Bubble

Prominent investors and technology executives are increasingly warning that artificial intelligence investments have reached bubble territory, with capital expenditures dramatically outpacing potential returns, according to multiple financial analyses. Lauren Taylor Wolfe, co-founder of activist investment firm Impactive Capital, recently told CNBC she is avoiding AI-related investments despite the current bullish market environment, citing concerns about Wall Street’s “near-total fixation” on artificial intelligence among major technology corporations.

EnergyManufacturingTechnology

GE Vernova Expands Electrical Infrastructure Focus Amid Surging Power Demand

GE Vernova is capitalizing on unprecedented electricity demand growth through strategic acquisitions and expanded manufacturing capacity. The company’s electrification segment revenue jumped 32% year-over-year as data center orders approach $1 billion in 2024 alone.

Strategic Shift Toward Electrification Infrastructure

GE Vernova is reportedly strengthening its position in electrical infrastructure markets through strategic acquisitions and capacity expansions, according to recent reports. The company’s acquisition of Prolec GE is said to override previous contractual limitations that prevented transformer sales into North America, significantly boosting market access during what analysts describe as a “utility investment supercycle.”

BusinessInnovationTechnology

Major Data Center Project Approved in Minnesota’s Hermantown Following Council Vote

A Fortune 50 company has secured approval for a four-building data center campus in Hermantown, Minnesota. The $650 million project, developed through Harmony Group LLC, could break ground in 2027 and transform the region’s technology infrastructure.

Unanimous Council Approval for Major Development

The Hermantown City Council has unanimously approved rezoning for a significant data center campus, according to reports from local media. Sources indicate the 4-0 vote this week clears the way for what could become one of Minnesota’s largest technology infrastructure projects outside the Twin Cities metro area.

AIEnergyTechnology

Aircraft Engines Repurposed as Datacenter Power Solutions Amid Energy Crunch

Soaring AI compute demands are driving datacenters to seek alternative power sources as traditional gas turbine suppliers face overwhelming demand. Companies are now adapting decommissioned aircraft engines into electricity generators to bridge the supply gap, with some operators facing three to five year waits for conventional equipment.

AI Energy Demands Strain Power Infrastructure

The explosive growth in artificial intelligence computing has created unprecedented energy demands for datacenter operators, according to industry reports. Sources indicate that US data facilities are projected to consume 22 percent more grid power by the end of 2025 compared to the previous year, creating significant pressure on existing energy infrastructure.