Data Center News Roundup: Louisiana Tax Breaks, Innovative Heat Reuse Project Unveiled

With data center news moving faster than ever, we want to make it easy for industry professionals to cut through the noise and find the most important stories of the week. 

The Data Center Knowledge News Roundup brings you the latest news and developments across the data center industry – from investments and mergers to security threats and industry trends. 

To keep up to date with all things data centers, subscribe to the Data Center Knowledge newsletter to get content straight to your inbox. 

Data Center Tax Breaks 

The US state of Louisiana has introduced new legislation offering tax breaks for data center operators and developers.

Governor Jeff Landry signed off on House Bill 827 (PDF) last week. The bill offers a tax rebate on the sale of “certain communications service equipment and data center equipment” in the southern state. 

The law, which come into effect on July 1, applies to all data center facilities located in Louisiana and certified by the Department of Economic Development. Equipment falling under the tax break includes servers, routers, cabling, and other data center hardware, along with software, power and cooling kit, and water conservation systems.

The news comes as states across the US clamor to capture a slice of the growing data center market.

Related:Behind Maryland’s Push to Encourage New Data Center Developments

Maryland recently passed new legislation designed to make it easier for developers of data centers to install backup generators, which in turn will encourage the development of new data centers in the state. 

In May, it was announced that data center developers in Georgia would continue to receive tax breaks after the state’s governor vetoed a measure that would have suspended the incentive for two years following power grid concerns. 

ARPA-E Investments 

In a bid to support the next generation of energy innovators, the US Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has earmarked approximately $11.5 million in funding for 23 young scientists. 

The department’s new Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy (IGNIITE) program is focused on early-career scientists and engineers converting “disruptive ideas into impactful energy technologies.” 

Each IGNIITE 2024 selectee will receive approximately $500,000 to advance research projects at universities, national laboratories, and in the private sector that will span a wide range of energy applications, including advanced energy storage systems, fusion reactor technology, carbon-negative concrete alternatives, power electronics for grid reliability, critical material recovery, energy-efficient water desalination, plastic depolymerization, and more. 

Related:Strategies for Sustainable Water Consumption in Data Centers

Data Center Knowledge has been closely following ARPA-E’s progress in developing fresh approaches to energy. Catch up on some of our most recent coverage: 

ESG Drive 

In sustainability news this week, Salesforce unveiled three separate climate investments aimed at curbing its carbon emissions and fast-tracking its shift to clean energy. 

The new projects will build on the company’s goal to reduce its absolute emissions by 50% by 2030, and 90% by 2040. 

Microsoft, meanwhile, has partnered with an agricultural tech company for carbon renewal. As reported in ESG Dive, the tech giant will buy 40,000 carbon credits from agricultural tech provider Indigo Ag. 

Virginia-based Bechtel has broken ground on an advanced nuclear reactor in Wyoming that uses sodium instead of water as a coolant.  

Surf’s Up 

And finally, US-based surf park developer Aventuur has won approval to develop a New Zealand project promising year-round access to waves warmed by heat from a nearby data center. 

Related:New Data Center Developments: June 2024

Consent to proceed was issued by a panel appointed by the Environmental Protection Agency, the regulator said this week. As well as the surf lagoon and the data center operated by phone company Spark New Zealand, there will be a solar farm to power the site. 

Aventuur, founded in 2019, plans to develop similar leisure parks around the world. It was selected by the Western Australia state government to construct a surf park in Perth, and says it has exclusive rights to deploy the wave-making technology in North America and Singapore. 

Other Great Reads on DCK This Week 

The Hidden Hurdles of Data Center Observability and How to Overcome Them. Data center observability presents unique challenges compared to other environments. Learn how to navigate these hurdles and enhance your operations. 

Strategies for Sustainable Water Consumption in Data Centers. A free, comprehensive guide to current best practices in data center cooling and water sustainability. 

The Race for Exascale: A Recent History of the World’s Fastest Supercomputers. Nations jostle for bragging rights to have the world's fastest supercomputer. 

AI vs. ESG – A Pressing Business Conundrum. Balancing AI adoption with sustainability is a pressing challenge for businesses. Eva Sóley Guðbjörnsdóttir explains how strategic data center location can help. 

Are Quality Concerns Impeding Data Center Construction? Amid surging data center construction demands, quality concerns are hindering progress and efficiency, writes Matthew Kleiman.