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Key developments
Seattle approves one-year large data center moratorium
Gizmodo's Mike Pearl reported that Seattle City Council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on new large data centers, freezing projects above about 20 MW with a possible six-month extension. City officials pointed to concerns that five proposed projects could draw 369 MW from the Seattle grid, plus 10,000 resident emails urging the city to slow down. A related bill passed the same day requires analysis of power, water, land-use, health, and employment impacts before further action.
Why it matters
It is one of the clearest large-city pauses on AI-era data-center growth and could slow megaproject approvals in a constrained grid.
Sources & driving stories
GIZMODO · Mike Pearl
Gizmodo coverageOpenAI negotiates 10-gigawatt Ohio campus lease
A Reuters report published by Yahoo said OpenAI is negotiating a 20-year lease for a proposed 10-gigawatt data center campus on federal land in southern Ohio. The project would be developed by SB Energy, a SoftBank unit, with Nvidia expected to supply hardware and back both OpenAI's lease and SB Energy's financing. The first phase is expected in 2028, and the build could cost at least $500 billion at current input prices.
Why it matters
The reported scale and Nvidia financing point to another leap in AI infrastructure demand, not a plateau.
Sources & driving stories
YAHOO
Yahoo coverageOhio lawmakers advance data center tax rewrite
Ideastream State News reported that Ohio Senate Energy Committee members revised House Bill 646 on Tuesday, cutting the state's 100% sales-tax exemption for future data-center projects to a range of 50% to 75%. Projects could qualify for the higher end of the break by using brownfields or generating electricity from outside the facility, while existing long-term deals for companies such as Amazon, Meta, and Google would remain in place. The bill also would create a Data Center Study Commission and force the PUCO to establish a data-center rate class.
Why it matters
Ohio is signaling that future data-center subsidies will be narrower and more conditional than the legacy deals already in force.
Sources & driving stories
IDEASTREAM STATE NEWS
Ideastream State News coverageWLWT
WLWT coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Oregon delays PGE data-center rate hike
The postponement keeps Oregon's tariff redesign in play and gives regulators more time to sort cost allocation for 963,000 customers.
WORTH NOTING
South Strabane adopts data-center setback rules
The township's new ordinances create concrete siting limits, including 1,500-foot residential setbacks, a 30-acre minimum lot size, and separate noise and dust standards.
WORTH NOTING
Meta and Reliance unveil India campus
The 168 MW Jamnagar build shows hyperscale-style leasing and renewable-powered siting are still expanding outside the U.S.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Will Seattle extend the moratorium?
The city can add six months, and the companion analysis could become the basis for longer-term siting rules.
OPEN QUESTION
Can OpenAI's Ohio campus be financed?
The reported 10-gigawatt build still depends on land, power, and capital commitments before a 2028 first phase.