Grid Power Is Becoming the Bottleneck for AI Data Centers
Key Highlights
- ➤Site I lease: 15 years, approximately $1.25 billion contracted base-term rent
- ➤Site I covers 55 megawatts gross and 43 megawatts critical IT capacity
- ➤Site I delivery targeted for first quarter of 2027; rent starts after delivery
- ➤Site II lease: 12 years, approximately $391 million contracted revenue, subject to agreements
- ➤Cipher Digital (CIFR) lifted Barber Lake contracted revenue above $9 billion
Expert Statements
Gio Albertazzi, CEO of Vertiv Holdings Co
“an increasingly critical constraint on data center growth”
Harmol Samra, CEO of Host Digital Inc.
“a place to plug in the chips, with power already flowing.”
Tyler Page, CEO of Cipher Digital Inc.
“reflects the enduring value of the infrastructure we're building.”
NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USA News Group News Commentary - The scarcest input in AI computing is shifting from chips to the power that runs them. On Sept. 2, Vertiv agreed to pay approximately $1.45 billion in cash for a microgrid and behind-the-meter power firm, saying the deal should help data center operators secure power faster. On Sept. 25, Cipher Digital said it had stretched the contracted life of a Texas data center from 10 years to 20 and lifted contracted revenue at the site to more than $9 billion. On Sept. 29, Host Digital Inc. put its own answer to the same problem in front of shareholders, in a letter from its CEO built around energized sites and long-term take-or-pay leases. Companies mentioned in this commentary include: Host Digital Inc. (NYSE American: HOST), Cipher Digital Inc. (Nasdaq: CIFR), Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR), Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE: VRT), and Talen Energy Corporation (Nasdaq: TLN).
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