Caterpillar moved to the center of the AI infrastructure buildout this week as developer Nscale said it would use the company’s natural gas generator sets to power a major new West Virginia data center campus tied to Microsoft and NVIDIA.

Monday’s announcement positions Caterpillar’s G3500 series reciprocating engine platform as core infrastructure for what Nscale said could become one of the country’s largest dedicated AI compute developments.

Under the plan, Caterpillar equipment would support 2 GW of onsite generation by the first half of 2028 at the Monarch Compute Campus in Mason County, West Virginia, giving the project a faster path to power as grid access and transmission upgrades remain a constraint for large data center loads.

Nscale said the campus would host up to 1.35 GW of AI compute capacity for Microsoft under a letter of intent tied to NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 systems and the NVIDIA DSX AI Factory reference design. The company also announced it had acquired American Intelligence & Power Corp., which includes the 2,250-acre Monarch site and what Nscale described as the first state-certified AI microgrid in the U.S., with expansion potential beyond 8 GW.

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Trump urges tech companies to build their own power plants for data centers

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It’s the latest example of a data center project being structured around large-scale onsite natural gas generation, rather than waiting solely on utility service.

In a recent report, Cleanview identified 46 U.S. data center projects representing a combined 56 GW of planned behind-the-meter power capacity, which it estimated at roughly 30% of planned U.S. data center capacity in its tracker.

The research company also said 90% of the projects it identified were announced in 2025, indicating that “Bring Your Own Power” has shifted from a niche workaround to a more mainstream development path as grid interconnection timelines lengthen.

“A year ago, behind-the-meter data center power was a curiosity, embodied by xAI’s controversial decision to truck mobile generators into Memphis,” said Cleanview. “Now it’s an increasingly common development strategy.”

Cleanview added many of the projects it identified have secured equipment partners and are already under construction.

“Projects like Monarch demonstrate how Caterpillar’s natural gas generation platforms are being deployed as core infrastructure for data centers and other power intensive applications where reliability, speed of deployment, and lifecycle performance are critical,” Melissa Busen, Caterpillar senior vice president of Electric Power, said in a statement.

Nscale said the West Virginia site would operate independently of the local grid, which it argued would avoid adding costs to existing utility customers, while preserving the option of a future grid interconnection that could allow exports. The company also said it is pursuing carbon sequestration and a design intended to reduce water use.

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Duos Technologies Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DUOT), through its operating subsidiary Duos Edge AI, Inc., has executed a definitive contract with Hydra Host, advancing the previously announced plan to deploy a high-density NVIDIA GPU cluster for a leading global technology company. The GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) contract is expected to generate approximately $176 million in revenue over a 36 month term, including an initial $18 million customer pre payment, with projected gross margins exceeding 80 percent and expected annual EBITDA of approximately $40 million.

The agreement establishes Duos Edge AI as an emerging provider of distributed AI infrastructure designed for large scale compute workloads. Fully funded through Duos Technologies Group’s recently completed $65 million public offering and existing hardware financing arrangements, the partnership enables deployment to commence immediately without reliance on additional equity financing.

“The initial deployment will be located at a strategic site and will consist of multiple high density modular Edge Data Centers (EDCs) which are specifically designed to support large scale AI workloads,” said Doug Recker, newly appointed CEO effective April 1st, 2026. “Manufacturing of the EDCs is currently underway, with critical power modules already ordered to support deployment timelines.”

The first phase of the project includes an initial 4.3 plus MW colocation commitment from a leading global technology company that will serve as the project’s anchor tenant. This deployment represents the largest Edge Data Center project in Company history, with additional colocation revenue expected as the site scales toward its full power capacity.

This contract provides strong commercial validation for Duos’ High Power EDC business line, purpose built for AI companies and high performance compute tenants that require premium rack space, dedicated high density power, and rapid deployment. As Duos advances its long term objective of 75MW of distributed capacity, the Company is actively evaluating additional high density deployment sites to meet accelerating demand from AI hyperscalers, NeoCloud operators, and other AI infrastructure customers.

To learn more about Duos Technologies Group, Inc., visit www.duostechnologies.com.

The post Duos Technologies Finalizes Hydra Host Contract for Distributed AI Infrastructure appeared first on Data Center POST.

Duos Technologies Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DUOT), a leader in intelligent technologies and digital infrastructure, has signed a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) with Hydra Host to deploy a high-density NVIDIA GPU cluster for a leading global technology customer. The project supports a GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) partnership expected to generate approximately $176 million in revenue over a 36-month term, with gross margins exceeding 80% and projected annual EBITDA of more than $40 million.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Duos team on this opportunity,” said Aaron Ginn, CEO and Co-Founder of Hydra Host. “Their ability to deliver immediate access to power combined with an industry-leading deployment speed makes them a standout in the market. We see significant runway ahead as we look to expand our collaboration around colocation and Duos’ High-Power EDC model, which we believe is purpose-built to address a market where demand for AI compute capacity is fundamentally outpacing the speed at which traditional data center supply can be delivered.”

Complementing this milestone, Duos has appointed Doug Recker as Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, as the company accelerates its transformation into a focused Edge AI and digital infrastructure platform. Mr. Recker succeeds Chuck Ferry, who will continue to serve on the board of directors.

“This initial customer marks a pivotal step in accelerating the buildout of Duos Edge AI,” said Doug Recker, Chief Executive Officer. “We are now entering an exciting phase of execution, further reinforced by our recently announced LOI with Hydra Host, which underscores growing third-party demand for our distributed AI infrastructure model and validates the scalability of our platform. With secured power, rapid deployment capabilities, and expanding strategic partnerships, we believe Duos is well positioned to pursue high-value infrastructure opportunities. Our focus remains on disciplined expansion, capital-efficient growth, and delivering sustainable long-term value for our shareholders.”

Beyond GPUaaS revenue, the collaboration creates a pathway for approximately $25 million in incremental colocation revenue over the same term, validating Duos’ High-Power Edge Data Center (EDC) business line. The company has also signed a non-binding LOI for a ground lease in Iowa with access to up to 10MW of utility power, advancing its long-term goal of building up to 75MW of distributed capacity.

To learn more about Duos Technologies Group, Inc., visit www.duostechnologies.com.

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Datalec Precision Installations (DPI) and PODTECH have announced a global technology partnership focused on delivering pre-staged, deployment-ready AI infrastructure solutions as hyperscaler demand drives data center vacancy rates to historic lows. With capacity tightening to 6.5% in Europe and 5.9% in the U.K., the partnership addresses a critical bottleneck in AI data center commissioning, where deployment timelines and technical complexity have become major constraints for enterprises and cloud platforms scaling GPU-intensive workloads.

The AI Infrastructure Commissioning Challenge

As hyperscalers deploy more than $600 billion in AI data center infrastructure this year, representing 75% of total capital expenditure, the focus has shifted from simply securing capacity to ensuring infrastructure is fully validated and production-ready at deployment. AI workloads demand far more than traditional data center services. NVIDIA-based AI racks require specialized expertise in NVLink fabric configuration, GPU testing, compute node initialization, dead-on-arrival (DOA) testing, site and factory acceptance testing (SAT/FAT), and network validation. These technical requirements, combined with increasingly tight deployment windows, have created demand for integrated commissioning providers capable of delivering turnkey solutions.

Integrated Capabilities Across the AI Lifecycle

The DPI-PODTECH partnership brings together complementary capabilities across the full AI infrastructure stack. DPI contributes expertise in infrastructure connectivity and mechanical systems. PODTECH adds software development, commissioning protocols, and systems integration delivered through more than 60 technical specialists across the U.K., Asia, and the Middle East. Together, the companies offer end-to-end services from pre-deployment validation through network bootstrapping, ensuring AI environments are fully operational before customer handoff.

The partnership builds on successful NVIDIA AI rack deployments for international hyperscaler programs, where both companies demonstrated the ability to manage complex, multi-site rollouts. By formalizing their collaboration, DPI and PODTECH are positioning to scale these capabilities across regions where data center capacity is most constrained and AI infrastructure demand is accelerating fastest.

Strategic Focus on High-Growth Markets

The partnership specifically targets Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, markets experiencing acute capacity constraints and surging AI investment. PODTECH’s existing presence across these regions gives the partnership immediate on-the-ground capacity to support hyperscaler and enterprise deployments. The company’s ISO 27001, ISO 9001, and ISO 20000-1 certifications provide the compliance foundation required for clients in regulated industries and public sector engagements.

Industry Perspective

“As organizations accelerate their AI adoption, the reliability and performance of the underlying infrastructure have never been more critical,” said James Bangs, technology and services director at DPI. “Building on our partnership with PODTECH, we have already delivered multiple successful deployments together, and this formal collaboration enables us to scale our capabilities globally.”

Harry Pod, founder at PODTECH, emphasized the operational benefits of the integrated model: “Following our successful collaborations with Datalec on major NVIDIA AI rack deployments, we are very proud to officially combine our capabilities. By working as one integrated delivery team, we can provide clients with packaged, pre-staged, and deployment-ready AI infrastructure solutions grounded in quality, precision, and engineering excellence.”

Looking Ahead

For enterprises and hyperscalers navigating AI infrastructure decisions in 2026, the partnership signals a shift toward specialized commissioning providers capable of managing the entire deployment lifecycle. With hyperscaler capital expenditure forecast to remain elevated through 2027 and vacancy rates showing no signs of easing, demand for integrated commissioning services is likely to intensify across DPI and PODTECH’s target markets.

Organizations evaluating AI infrastructure commissioning strategies can learn more at datalecltd.com.

The post DPI and PODTECH Partner to Scale AI Infrastructure Commissioning Across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East appeared first on Data Center POST.

With the hyperscalers and the cloud builders all working on their own CPU and AI XPU designs, it is no wonder that Nvidia has been championing the neoclouds that can’t afford to try to be everything to everyone – this is the very definition of enterprise computing – and that, frankly, are having trouble coming up with the trillions of dollars to cover the 150 gigawatts to more than 200 gigawatts of datacenter capacity that is estimated to be on the books between 2025 and 2030 for AI workloads. …

Nvidia’s $2 Billion Investment In CoreWeave Is A Drop In A $250 Billion Bucket was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

Amid the myriad discussions about AI – from the astounding amount of money being spent by vendors and enterprises and the debate about actual ROI those businesses are getting to the technology’s effect on cybersecurity, jobs, and the fear of disinformation and resulting distrust – it’s easy to forget its usefulness in particular industries. …

Nvidia Takes The Open Road In AI Weather Forecasting was written by Jeffrey Burt at The Next Platform.

No, we did not miss the fact that Nvidia did an “acquihire” of AI accelerator and system startup and rival Groq on Christmas Eve. …

Is Nvidia Assembling The Parts For Its Next Inference Platform? was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

If the GenAI expansion runs out of gas, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world’s most important foundry for advanced chippery, will be the first to know. …

TSMC Has No Choice But To Trust The Sunny AI Forecasts Of Its Customers was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

But virtue of its scale out capability, which is key for driving the size of absolutely enormous AI clusters, and to its universality, Ethernet switch sales are booming, and if the recent history is any guide, we can expect Ethernet revenues will climb exponentially higher in the coming quarters as well. …

Pushed By GenAI And Front End Upgrades, Ethernet Switching Hits New Highs was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

Our special guest today is Paul Bloch, President and Co-founder of DDN, the high performance storage and intelligent data platform company.
AI runs on massive amounts of fast and reliable data, which makes topics related to ....

The post @HPCpodcast: DDN’s Paul Bloch on High Performance Storage Strategies for AI Data Centers appeared first on Inside HPC & AI News | High-Performance Computing & Artificial Intelligence.

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