Issue #13
15 July 2026
Editor's Note
This week's newsletter is headlined by Meta's Hyperion announcement, and it is hard to overstate the scale of what is being built in Richland Parish, Louisiana. What started as a $10 billion project has now grown to $50 billion and 5GW of capacity, making it one of the largest data center investments in history. What makes it worth reading beyond the headline is how Meta has approached the community and workforce dimension. Teacher bonuses up 400%, full scholarships for every local high school graduate pursuing data center trades, $5 million to the local community college, and $1 billion in local infrastructure improvements. It is a case study in how to bring a community with you on a project of this scale, and increasingly that is not optional.
Elsewhere this week, EQT's acquisition of Copia Power from Carlyle is a deal worth paying attention to. Copia was founded in 2021 and already has 2.6GW of energy assets in operation or under construction, with 9GW of data center development in the pipeline. Carlyle reportedly achieved more than five times its original investment in five years. That tells you something about where value is accumulating in this market right now, and it is not just in the compute. It is in whoever controls the power that makes the compute possible.
North America
- SK Hynix raises $26.5bn in blockbuster US listing
The memory chip market and AI infrastructure are deeply connected. SK Hynix's IPO reflects investor appetite for the full supply chain behind AI compute, not just the data center layer.
- EQT acquires energy and data center developer Copia Power from Carlyle
Carlyle returned more than 5x in five years on a company founded from scratch in 2021. The message is clear: controlling the intersection of power generation and data center load is one of the most valuable positions in the AI infrastructure stack right now.
- Meta expands data center campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana, to 5GW & $50bn
Started at $10 billion. Now $50 billion. The project has more than doubled in scope twice since announcement. The community investment model Meta has built around it is becoming a blueprint for how large scale rural development gets done without significant opposition.
EMEA
- Inside Pure Data Centres and SEGRO's $1bn Paris Development
A significant commitment to one of EMEA's more challenging regulatory environments. Paris has historically been difficult to develop at scale, which makes this project an interesting one to watch.
- Excess heat from Equinix data centers to power homes in Milan, Italy
Milan is becoming one of Europe's more interesting emerging markets. Projects like this demonstrate how sustainability commitments are starting to translate into real community benefit rather than just reporting metrics.
- University to use waste heat from its data center to supplement district heating network in Wrocław, Poland
A practical example of how data centers can integrate into urban infrastructure rather than sitting apart from it. Poland is quietly building a case as a credible emerging European market.
Asia Pacific
- Japan's At Tokyo plans data center in Nagoya
Japan's data center market is expanding beyond Tokyo as operators chase land and power availability. Nagoya's industrial base and grid infrastructure make it a logical next step.
- Webyne plots 100MW footprint across India
India continues to attract operators at multiple scales. A distributed 100MW strategy across several cities reflects the reality that demand in India is broad and growing, not concentrated in one market.
- NTT breaks ground on campus in Chonburi, Thailand
Thailand is emerging as a serious APAC market as operators look beyond Singapore and Malaysia for scale. NTT's move signals growing confidence in the market's fundamentals.
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