Monthly Newsletter, August 2026
September 17 Is Close. Here's What Changed.
From the Arizona Data Center Alliance, connecting Arizona employers, schools, and workers across the state's growing data center economy. Here's this month's update.
Industry Partners
The Big One
Building Community Trust in the Data Center Era: Part Two
Thursday, September 17, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at ASU SkySong in Scottsdale. Check-in and networking open at 9:30.
June 25 was the conversation. September 17 is the working session. The format changes with it. We open by reporting on what has been done since June, including the task force that came out of that room. Then a community voice panel on water, the topic the task force converged on, and the one where the vocabulary trips people up fastest. Then breakout tables, run as small think tanks on specific topics, with each table reporting back on what it found and what it would do about it.
You are not there to be presented to. You are there to sit at a table and work. That is the whole design.
Registration is open, and more than 55 people are already signed up.
Building Community Trust in the Data Center Era: Part Two
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, ASU SkySong, Synergy 1 & 2, 1475 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
Partners: AFCOM Arizona Chapter, the Arizona Data Center Foundation, 7x24 Exchange Arizona Chapter, and Infrastructure Masons. Registration required.
Presenting Sponsor
Thank you to Mod42 for sponsoring the venue and lunch so the event can remain free and open to the community. Their sponsorship helps cover event costs, while the Alliance continues to lead the discussion and agenda.
Community Engagement Task Force
The Task Force Met for the First Time
On Monday, August 10, the Community Engagement Task Force held its first meeting, bringing together people from fiber and wireless infrastructure, workforce training, public affairs, power and cooling equipment, building automation, a health system, a smart region organization, ASU, and the community itself.
The group also aligned on what the Task Force is not. It is not here to sell data centers, promote services to one another, or support or oppose any specific project. Its purpose is to make sure the conversations that need to happen are actually happening.
Five things the group has taken on:
- Be a vehicle for community questions and concerns, starting by confirming what those concerns really are.
- Turn those concerns into fact finding and information sharing, in person and in the community, not only in documents.
- Build a resource package for local government, with particular attention to rural communities that need to carry the conversation locally.
- Define what good engagement looks like before, during, and after a project is proposed.
- Create action between events, so progress shows up in the gaps and not only on event days.
The Task Force will continue meeting regularly to work through its agenda and help move these conversations forward. We also want to hear directly from the community. If you live near a proposed or operating data center, have questions about development in your area, or want to be part of the conversation, please reach out or join us on September 17.
Event Recap
Summer Happy Hour and Intern Celebration
On August 6, the AFCOM Arizona Chapter packed Hundred Mile Brewing in Tempe for its annual Happy Hour and Intern Celebration.
The chapter presented a $12,000 check for 2026 intern scholarships, funding the Data Center Internship Program.
Here is the number that matters more. Three interns went through the Summer Internship Program this year. All three accepted full-time positions with their host organizations.
Three students, three hires. They found the industry, a program placed them, an operator hired them, and they are staying in Arizona. That full loop is the reason this work exists, and it is easy to lose sight of it in a room full of name tags.
Thank you to the internship hosts, Aligned Data Centers and Stream Data Centers. The program does not happen without organizations willing to hand a real job to someone new. Thank you as well to the event sponsors, Titan Power, LEAD Tech, and The Judge Group.
Scholarships
The TikTok Challenge Is Open. Send It to a Student.
Fifteen Arizona students win a share of $6,700. First place is $4,000. The ask is a 30 to 90 second video on what they think about data centers and what their ideal job in the industry would look like. Film it on a phone. We are looking for a point of view, not production value.
Open to Arizona students in high school, trade school, or college. Trade school and college students should be in a data center field or one next to it: electrical, mechanical, HVAC, IT and networking, construction trades, engineering, cybersecurity, facilities, and similar programs all count. Entrants need a public TikTok account and must keep the video public through December 3. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian to sign off.
Entries close Saturday, October 31, 2026. Winners are announced December 3 at AFCOM Arizona's Christmas at the Princess.
This one needs your network more than your budget. If you know a student, a teacher, a counselor, or a program director, forward them the page. That is the whole ask.
$6,700
Total awarded
15
Students win
Oct 31
Entries close
Foundation
Two Educators Join the Foundation Board
The Arizona Data Center Foundation board has added two education directors.
Dr. Becky Baranowski is Dean of Workforce and Instruction at Estrella Mountain Community College. She helped launch Arizona's first Data Center Technician Certificate programs, through the partnership between Estrella Mountain and Mesa Community College, and has worked closely with Microsoft on the Microsoft Scholars Program.
Andrea Schauer is Residential Faculty in Technology and Consumer Sciences at Glendale Community College, with more than 21 years in telecommunications, networking, and corporate training, plus experience running her own small business.
Putting educators on the board is not a courtesy appointment. Most of what the Foundation funds ends up on a campus, and the people who run those programs should have a vote on where the money goes.
The Arizona Data Center Foundation is a 501(c)(3). It funds scholarships, internships, and workforce training across the state. Donations are open, and you can give to the general fund or direct your gift to scholarships or skills development.
Water is the topic of the community panel on September 17. If you want background on Arizona's overall water picture before then, ASU's Arizona Water Blueprint maps where the state's water comes from, where it goes, and who manages it. It is independent, it is not ours, and it is a good place to form your own view.
Explore the Arizona Water BlueprintAlso Coming Up
More Events on the Calendar
August 26, 2026
Arizona Technology Summit 2026
7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, Phoenix Convention Center. Seventeenth annual. Sessions on enterprise AI, data integration, and private cloud architecture.
September 30, 2026
7x24 Exchange Arizona September Luncheon
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Phoenix. Venue to be announced.
November 3, 2026
AFCOM Arizona Caddyshack Golf Classic
8:30 AM shotgun start, Omni Tucson National, Tucson. Four-person scramble supporting the chapter's scholarship and workforce work.
November 13, 2026
Data Center Career Day
Estrella Mountain Community College, Avondale. Students meet hiring teams, tour a mobile data center, and join AI workshops led by Microsoft. Registration is open, full agenda to come.
December 3, 2026
AFCOM Arizona Christmas at the Princess
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, La Hacienda Patio, Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Networking, holiday celebration, scholarship recognition, and the TikTok Challenge winners announced.
December 9 to 10, 2026
National AI DataCenter Summit #AIDC26
Talking Stick Resort, Scottsdale. Day one golf STEM fundraiser, day two full summit. Produced by BigData Southwest and AZDCA.
Get Involved
There's a Seat at This Table for You
Industry professionals, educators, students, and community members all have a place in this work. Tell us how you want to help and we'll route you to the right person.