ECL developing 35MW Santa Clara data centre

Author: Joe Peck

ECL, a US data-centre-as-a-service company, has announced plans to develop a 35MW data centre in Santa Clara, California, USA, designed to support high-density AI workloads using a mix of power sources.

The facility, known as CSC-1, will combine on-grid electricity with hydrogen and natural gas generation. The approach is intended to address growing demand for power in data centre markets where grid capacity is limited.

CSC-1 will launch with rack densities ranging from 75kW to 270kW, and the site is based on ECL’s FlexGrid architecture, which integrates multiple power inputs and is designed to operate alongside local utility infrastructure.

The system is expected to deliver a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of below 1.15 while supporting lower emissions through a combination of cooling methods.

The development will follow a phased approach, starting with an initial 2.5MW deployment and scaling up to full capacity as demand increases. This model is intended to allow operators to begin AI workloads earlier, without waiting for full site completion.

Modular power approach addresses grid constraints

Northern California remains a constrained market for data centre power, with delays in grid connections affecting new developments. As a result, alternative approaches such as on-site power generation are becoming more widely adopted.

ECL’s FlexGrid system uses modular power blocks that can be deployed incrementally. This allows capacity to be added over time, aligning infrastructure growth with demand for AI compute.

The system also incorporates different cooling methods, including direct-to-chip and air cooling. When hydrogen is used as a power source, by-product water can be reused within the cooling process, reducing the need for additional water supply.

The architecture is designed to meet Tier III-level reliability requirements and includes a real-time management platform to monitor and adjust power generation, cooling, and rack-level operations.

Yuval Bachar, Co-founder and CEO of ECL, comments, “A 35MW facility delivered in Santa Clara in under a year would have been unthinkable through traditional grid-connected development.

“Every major AI operator in the Bay Area is staring at the same maths, with years-long interconnection queues pitted against AI deployment needs that are growing by the minute.

“By phasing growth through modular power blocks, ECL matches infrastructure deployment to the actual pace of AI demand rather than forcing customers to overbuild or wait. This site demonstrates that power architecture itself can become the enabling layer for AI scale rather than the constraint.”

ECL is currently accepting enquiries from prospective tenants for the site.

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