YOU ARE AT:AI InfrastructureInside the deals driving Pennsylvania’s AI and energy boom

Inside the deals driving Pennsylvania’s AI and energy boom

More than $90 billion in new investments in data centers and energy infrastructure were announced last week, at the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit

In sum – what to know:

$90B+ committed to energy and AI – Major U.S. and global players are investing heavily in Pennsylvania’s energy, data and workforce infrastructure, signaling a new chapter for American innovation.

Data centers fuel demand surge – Over $50 billion in data center-related projects were announced, including a 1.3 GW hub near Carlisle and major builds by CoreWeave and Energy Capital Partners.

AI and workforce training prioritized – Google, Anthropic, Meta and the Energy Innovation Center are launching programs to equip thousands of Pennsylvanians with skills in AI, energy and cybersecurity.

More than $90 billion in new investments in data centers and energy infrastructure were announced last week, at the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, hosted by Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) and President Donald J. Trump.

The event gathered leading energy and AI executives, global investors, labor leaders and top government officials with the aim of highlighting Pennsylvania’s key role in powering the country’s AI and energy transformation.

The funding will support the development of data centers, power infrastructure and AI workforce training, and is expected to generate tens of thousands of construction jobs and thousands of long-term positions.

Some of the major investments commitments announced during the summit include:

-Blackstone pledged $25 billion to data center and energy infrastructure in Northeast Pennsylvania, launching a joint venture with PPL Corporation and creating 6,000 construction and 3,000 permanent jobs. QTS, a data center operator owned by Blackstone, has acquired multiple land parcels in Northeastern Pennsylvania for the development of data center facilities. The company also plans to issue a request for information to identify other localities that may be interested in hosting future projects. As part of the broader infrastructure effort, Blackstone and PPL have created a joint venture that intends to invest in new natural gas power plants in the state. These would supply electricity for future data centers and related facilities.

-CoreWeave announced a $6 billion investment to build a 300 MW data center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, generating 600 construction and 175 operational jobs. The firm said that the site will initially support 100 megawatts (MW) of power capacity, with the potential to expand to 300 MW. CoreWeave also stated that the data center facility will be equipped to run advanced AI computing infrastructure and is part of the company’s broader strategy to expand its U.S. data center footprint.

-PA Data Center Partners and Powerhouse Data Centers unveiled a $15 billion plan to develop a three-campus, 1.3 GW data center hub near Carlisle.

-First Energy will invest $15 billion in grid expansion across 56 counties, creating new apprenticeships in partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

-PPL Corporation plans to invest $6.8 billion by 2028 to enhance grid capacity and support growing data center power demand, resulting in 3,400 jobs. PPL also partnered with Blackstone to develop gas generation.

-Constellation Energy committed $2.4 billion to uprate the Limerick nuclear power plant, creating 3,000 jobs annually and adding 340 MW of capacity.

-Brookfield and Google signed a $3 billion agreement to repower two hydropower plants and deliver 670 MW of clean energy. Google also launched an AI training initiative in the state.

-Energy Capital Partners plans a $5 billion data center project at York II Energy Center, along with 51 community solar projects. The data center alone will create 2,500 construction jobs.

-Equinor is investing $1.6 billion to enhance natural gas output and link it to flexible power for data centers, generating 1,000 jobs annually.

-Westinghouse Electric Company aims to have 10 nuclear reactors under construction by 2030, targeting $6 billion in economic impact and 15,000 jobs.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Juan Pedro Tomás
Juan Pedro Tomás
Juan Pedro covers Global Carriers and Global Enterprise IoT. Prior to RCR, Juan Pedro worked for Business News Americas, covering telecoms and IT news in the Latin American markets. He also worked for Telecompaper as their Regional Editor for Latin America and Asia/Pacific. Juan Pedro has also contributed to Latin Trade magazine as the publication's correspondent in Argentina and with political risk consultancy firm Exclusive Analysis, writing reports and providing political and economic information from certain Latin American markets. He has a degree in International Relations and a master in Journalism and is married with two kids.