Meta's AI Infrastructure Launch, $6B Data Center in Arkansas, and Nvidia's H200 Halt

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In this edition of the Silicon Brief, we're diving into the latest developments in AI chips and data centers. AVAIO Digital Partners is making waves with a $6 billion investment in a new AI-ready data center campus in Arkansas, promising to boost the local tech sector and create over 500 permanent jobs. Meanwhile, SK Hynix is set to invest nearly $13 billion in a new chip packaging plant in South Korea, aiming to meet the rising demand for memory chips fueled by AI advancements.

Additionally, RT-One and Hitachi Energy are teaming up to build the largest AI data center platform in Latin America, focusing on energy-efficient and reliable high-density computing. In the realm of AI chip competition, startup Etched has raised $500 million to challenge industry giant Nvidia, while Cerebras Systems is seeking $1 billion in funding as it eyes a 2026 IPO. These stories highlight the dynamic and rapidly evolving landscape of AI infrastructure and technology.

AVAIO Digital Partners Plans $6 Billion Data Center in Arkansas

AVAIO Digital Partners has announced a $6 billion investment in a new AI-ready data center campus in Pulaski County, Arkansas. The project is expected to create over 500 permanent jobs and construction will begin in early 2026. Read more

SK Hynix to Invest $13 Billion in Chip Plant

SK Hynix plans to invest nearly $13 billion in a new chip packaging plant in South Korea to address the growing demand for memory chips fueled by AI advancements. Read more

Meta Launches 'Meta Compute' for AI Infrastructure

Meta has announced 'Meta Compute', a new initiative to expand its AI infrastructure, with plans to increase energy capacity significantly. The project is led by Mark Zuckerberg and involves key executives like Santosh Janardhan, Daniel Gross, and Dina Powell McCormick. Read more

RT-One and Hitachi Energy to Build Latin America's Largest AI Data Center

RT-One and Hitachi Energy have partnered to develop the largest AI data center platform in Latin America, with mega campuses planned in Uberlândia and Maringá, Brazil. The project focuses on enhancing electrification infrastructure for energy-efficient and reliable high-density computing. Read more

Cast AI Valued at $1 Billion, Launches OMNI Compute

Cast AI has reached a valuation of over $1 billion following an investment from Pacific Alliance Ventures. The company has launched OMNI Compute, enabling businesses to access GPU resources across multiple clouds without altering application code. Read more

Accelsius Secures $65 Million for AI Data Center Cooling

Accelsius has raised $65 million in a Series B funding round led by Johnson Controls and Legrand to enhance its liquid cooling technology for AI data centers. Read more

Patmos Hosting Secures $100M Loan for AI Campus

Patmos Hosting Inc. has secured a $100 million C-PACE loan to develop an AI Campus in Kansas City, Missouri, marking the largest C-PACE loan in the state's history. Read more

Microsoft Plans New Data Centers with Stable Electricity Costs

Microsoft has announced plans for new data centers, ensuring that local electricity bills remain stable by collaborating with utility providers. This move comes in response to public concerns over data center expansions. Read more

Etched Raises $500 Million to Challenge Nvidia in AI Chips

AI chip startup Etched has secured $500 million in funding to compete with Nvidia in the AI processor market. The funding round was led by Stripes and includes notable investors such as Peter Thiel. Read more

Cerebras Systems Seeks $1 Billion Funding at $22 Billion Valuation

AI chip startup Cerebras Systems is in discussions to raise $1 billion, boosting its valuation to $22 billion as it plans for a 2026 IPO. The funds will support data center expansion and manufacturing improvements. Read more

Aon Expands Data Center Insurance Program to $2.5 Billion

Aon has increased its Data Center Lifecycle Insurance Program by $1 billion, bringing the total to $2.5 billion. This expansion aims to support data center projects and address risks in cloud computing and AI. Read more

OpenAI Expands Hardware Supply Chain with US Suppliers

OpenAI is seeking US-based suppliers to aid its expansion into consumer devices, robotics, and data center technology by issuing a request for proposals from component manufacturers. Read more

US Imposes Tariff on Nvidia AI Chips to China

The US government has introduced a 25% tariff on advanced AI semiconductors, including Nvidia's H200 chips, exported to China. This measure is part of efforts to bolster the US chip industry and manage foreign supply chain dependencies. Read more

OpenAI and Cerebras Ink $10 Billion AI Compute Deal

OpenAI has signed a multi-year agreement with Cerebras to acquire 750 megawatts of compute power, valued at over $10 billion. This deal is set to enhance AI output speeds for OpenAI's customers, with deliveries starting this year and continuing through 2028. Read more

Nvidia H200 Chip Production Halted Due to China Blockade

Suppliers of parts for Nvidia's H200 chips have stopped production after Chinese customs officials blocked shipments of the AI processors, amid warnings to domestic firms against purchasing them. Read more

San Diego County to Regulate AI Data Centers

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has approved an initiative to regulate AI data centers, aiming to address concerns about potential increases in utility rates due to their energy demands. Read more

Nebius to Build $6.6 Billion AI Data Center in Kansas

Nebius, a European AI infrastructure company, plans to construct a $6.6 billion data center in Independence, Kansas. The project will begin in 2026 and is expected to create 125 jobs. Read more

Rio Tinto to Supply Copper to Amazon for AI Data Centers

On January 15, 2026, Rio Tinto announced a two-year agreement to supply copper from its Arizona mine to Amazon for use in AI data centers, highlighting the growing demand for copper in the AI industry. Read more

Intel Appoints Eric Demers to Lead AI GPU Engineering

Intel has hired Eric Demers from Qualcomm to lead its GPU engineering with a focus on AI for data centers, aiming to strengthen its position against competitors like Nvidia. Read more

SpacemiT Raises $86 Million for AI Chip Production

Chinese chipmaker SpacemiT has secured $86 million in funding to boost the commercialization of its RISC-V-based chips, particularly for robotics and AI devices. Read more

Keppel Ltd. Expands Data Centre Capacity in Victoria

Global asset manager Keppel Ltd. has secured a 720 MW site near Morwell, Victoria, enhancing its data centre powerbank capacity in the Asia Pacific region. This strategic move aims to support growing digitalisation and AI demands with green power and high-performance connectivity. Read more

Soluna and Metrobloks to Develop AI-Ready Data Center in Texas

Soluna Holdings, Inc. and Metrobloks, LLC have partnered to co-develop a 100+ MW AI and high-performance compute data center in Willacy County, Texas, aiming to utilize renewable energy for high-density computing. Read more

Quadric Secures $30 Million for AI Chip Development

Quadric, Inc. has raised $30 million in a Series C funding round to advance its on-device AI chip technology, particularly its General Purpose NPU processor IP. Read more

Infinium Launches Infinium Edge™ for AI Data Center Cooling

On January 15, 2026, Infinium announced the Infinium Edge™ platform, which aims to improve cooling efficiency for AI and HPC workloads in data centers using custom-engineered dielectric fluids. Read more

Zhipu Unveils Multimodal AI Model with Huawei Chips

Chinese AI startup Zhipu has introduced GLM-Image, a multimodal model fully trained on Huawei chips, marking a significant step in China's tech independence. Read more

Taiwan to Invest $250 Billion in US Semiconductor Manufacturing

Taiwan has agreed to invest $250 billion in the US semiconductor industry as part of a trade deal announced by the Trump administration. This move aims to boost domestic semiconductor production and address concerns over foreign supply chain reliance. Read more

Galaxy Digital Doubles Power Capacity at Helios AI Campus

Galaxy Digital has received approval from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas for an additional 830 megawatts of power at its Helios data center campus, doubling its total capacity to over 1.6 gigawatts. Read more

BlackRock and Microsoft Secure $12.5 Billion for AI Infrastructure

BlackRock and Microsoft have secured $12.5 billion to develop AI infrastructure, focusing on data centers and energy. This is part of a larger partnership aiming for $30 billion in commitments. Read more

Equal1 Raises $60 Million for Quantum Computing

Equal1 has secured $60 million in funding to advance its silicon-based quantum computing technology. The investment will aid in deploying its Bell-1 quantum server at high-performance computing centers, including the European Space Agency's facility in Italy. Read more

SiFive and NVIDIA Collaborate on RISC-V AI Data Centers

SiFive has partnered with NVIDIA to integrate NVLink Fusion into its RISC-V data center solutions, enhancing connectivity with NVIDIA GPUs for scalable AI infrastructure. Read more

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Meta's AI Infrastructure Launch, $6B Data Center in Arkansas, and Nvidia's H200 Halt - Silicon Brief #52

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