This Month's Latest Tech News in Lancaster, CA - Sunday August 31st 2025 Edition

Weekly commentary: Lancaster at the crossroads of big AI capital and local impact - CoreWeave's announcement of up to $6 billion to build a purpose-built AI campus in Lancaster, starting at 100 MW of IT capacity and scalable to 300 MW, has turned a regional industrial footprint (including more than two million square feet of former printing-press facilities) into the front line of generative AI infrastructure; read the project overview at CoreWeave Lancaster data center project coverage by DataCenterDynamics.

A new $4 billion joint-venture injection from Blue Owl, Machine and Chirisa underwrites the campus financing and raises stakes for local workforce, permitting and energy planning - coverage at Blue Owl joint-venture financing for CoreWeave reported by GlobeSt. But plans aren't seamless: community pushback has surfaced over scale and siting (Lancaster residents push back on proposed $6B data center - LancasterOnline coverage), making this both an economic opportunity and a local planning test - a moment when residents, builders and workers will need rapid reskilling (programs like Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp registration) to turn big capital into tangible, long-term benefit.

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“This data center will accelerate innovation and drive economic growth across the region.” - Michael Intrator, co‑founder and CEO, CoreWeave

CoreWeave plans a $6B purpose-built AI data center campus in Lancaster, PA - a wide‑scale move that repurposes two vacant printing‑press facilities on roughly 78 acres at 216 Greenfield Road into high‑density GPU farms, starting with 100 MW of IT capacity and the ability to scale to 300 MW; the deal includes a $4B joint‑venture injection from Blue Owl, Chirisa Technology Parks and Machine Investment Group to fund the build‑out and about $200M earmarked for local grid upgrades, underscoring the project's regional stakes for power, jobs and supply chains (see the DataCenterDynamics coverage of Blue Owl funding for the Lancaster data center build‑out at DataCenterDynamics: Blue Owl funds Lancaster data center build-out and Bisnow reporting on the CoreWeave $4B financing and site specifics at Bisnow: CoreWeave raises $4B for Pennsylvania data center).

Expect a heavy construction lift - hundreds of short‑term jobs and a few dozen steady operations roles - and a reuse story that turns idle industrial shells into the backbone of AI compute in the Mid‑Atlantic.

Metric	Detail
Project cost	$6 billion
Committed private capital	$4 billion (Blue Owl, Chirisa, Machine)
Initial IT capacity	100 MW (scalable to 300 MW)
Site	216 Greenfield Road - two former printing press facilities (~78 acres)
Jobs (reported)	~600 construction, ~70 full‑time operations
Grid upgrades	~$200 million planned

“CoreWeave's cutting edge GPU as a service capability, combined with CTP's deep expertise in AI data center development make this a uniquely powerful alliance, all supported by Blue Owl's differentiated scale and structuring capabilities.” - Marc Zahr, co‑president and global head of real assets at Blue Owl

Blue Owl and Chirisa close $4B JV to finance CoreWeave Lancaster campus - Blue Owl Capital, Chirisa Technology Parks and Machine Investment Group have closed a $4 billion joint venture to bankroll CoreWeave's planned Lancaster AI campus, part of Blue Owl's expanded development commitment that can top $20 billion and support more than 1 GW of projects nationwide; coverage at Bisnow coverage of CoreWeave financing details the financing, local grid upgrades and job projections.

The deal underwrites an initial, sole‑tenant 100 MW facility (scalable larger) on the former printing‑press site in Lancaster, pairs adaptive‑reuse speed with proprietary, energy‑saving designs like closed‑loop and magnetic‑levitation cooling, and includes roughly $200 million for local power enhancements to support higher-density GPU farms - a pact that turns vacant industrial shells into purpose‑built AI infrastructure while promising hundreds of construction roles and steady operations jobs for the region; see Chirisa Technology Parks announcement with design and sustainability specifics.

Metric	Detail
Joint venture size	$4 billion
Blue Owl commitment to CTP	Up to $20 billion
Initial IT capacity	100 MW (scalable)
Planned grid upgrades	~$200 million
Site	216 Greenfield Road - two former printing‑press facilities (~78 acres)
Jobs (reported)	~600 construction, ~70 operations

“CoreWeave's cutting edge GPU as a service capability, combined with CTP's deep expertise in AI data center development make this a uniquely powerful alliance, all supported by Blue Owl's differentiated scale and structuring capabilities.” - Marc Zahr, Co‑President and Global Head of Real Assets, Blue Owl

Pennsylvania's July summit vaulted the state onto the national AI map with more than $90 billion in announced commitments - a cascade of data‑center, power and workforce bets that range from Blackstone's $25 billion push and Google's multibillion data‑center and hydropower pact to CoreWeave's $6 billion, up‑to‑300‑MW Lancaster build‑out - signaling tens of thousands of construction roles and thousands of permanent jobs to follow; read the organizer's full fact sheet at Senator McCormick's site and state reporting for context at Pennsylvania Capital‑Star.

The deals mix massive grid upgrades (FirstEnergy's roughly $15 billion plan and PPL's $6.8 billion investment through 2028), industrial repowering (Brookfield/Google's plan to repower 1930s hydropower dams for about 670 MW) and training commitments to staff the new economy, creating a visible “reuse and repower” narrative where idle infrastructure is being recast as the backbone of the AI age - a moment when permitting speed, workforce pipelines and local impacts will determine whether these headline figures become hometown paychecks.

Metric	Detail
Total announced	More than $90 billion (Energy & Innovation Summit fact sheet)
Blackstone	$25 billion (data center & energy infrastructure)
Google / Brookfield	$3 billion hydropower deal (670 MW)
CoreWeave	$6 billion (up to 300 MW data center in Lancaster)
FirstEnergy	~$15 billion grid expansion

“Today, the commonwealth is reclaiming its industrial heritage and taking its place at the forefront of the AI technological revolution,” Trump said.

The Lancaster site update narrows the big-picture pledges into very concrete local steps: Chirisa and Machine's adaptive reuse at 216 Greenfield Road - the former R.R. Donnelley plant - has demolition permits for roughly half of the 1,000,000‑square‑foot building and is in early construction, with Phase 1 slated to start in August 2025 and wrap in summer 2027 while CoreWeave will lease the facility (see the city's Lancaster Data Center FAQ and Key Facts (City of Lancaster) Lancaster Data Center FAQ and Key Facts).

Neighbors and city leaders are already grappling with process and impacts - Lancaster City Council voted to draft a data‑center zoning amendment and a zoning appeal and hearings are scheduled, so future rules could add review steps for both 216 Greenfield Road and 1375 Harrisburg Pike (read WITF's coverage of the zoning hearing and draft ordinance WITF coverage of Lancaster zoning hearing and draft ordinance).

Expect a heavy, temporary construction footprint (600–1,000 skilled jobs) and a smaller steady operations workforce (about 150 local roles), plus upfront city impacts like roughly $7.8M in Phase 1 building‑permit fees and known constraints on water use and noise as officials finalize DEP and fire reviews; the project's scale - recycling a million‑square‑foot shell into AI compute - makes the permitting and community‑benefit negotiations the decisive moments for whether Lancaster captures long‑term local value (project overview at CoreWeave plans $6B data center in Lancaster (DataCenterDynamics) CoreWeave plans $6B data center in Lancaster (DataCenterDynamics)).

Metric	Detail
Sites	216 Greenfield Road (in early construction) & 1375 Harrisburg Pike (no current plans)
Phase 1 timeline	Begin Aug 2025 - complete Summer 2027
Demolition / footprint	Demolition permits for ~half of 1,000,000 sq ft facility; Phase 1 adaptive reuse
Jobs	600–1,000 construction; ~150 permanent local jobs
Permits / fees	Building permit fees (Phase 1): ≈ $7.8 million

“This data center will accelerate innovation and drive economic growth across the region.” - Michael Intrator, co‑founder and CEO, CoreWeave

Regional defense AI: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and Arquimea demo ISR anomaly detection in Palmdale - In a Palmdale demonstration reported April 14, 2025, Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works and Spanish partner Arquimea revealed an AI‑driven anomaly detection capability for ISR platforms that analyzes electro‑optical and infrared (EO/IR) spectra to spot subtle changes, cut the number of sensor scans required, and even predict image characteristics not visible from a single viewpoint; the team simulated a small uncrewed air system flying through a dense jungle, using episodic‑memory neural nets to compare stored views with new observations and flag important deviations.

The technique promises faster, more reliable warnings for hidden threats, wildfires, pollution and equipment failures, bolsters crewed–uncrewed teaming and trustworthy AI, and will be explored across additional sensors and autonomous decision systems in 2025 - see the full Lockheed Martin Skunk Works AI ISR press release and thoughtful analysis at NextGen Defense analysis of Lockheed‑Arquimea anomaly detection.

“Skunk Works is dedicated to enabling crewed-uncrewed teaming to optimize operational flexibility, abbreviate data-to-decision timelines and improve pilot safety,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager, Skunk Works.

Trustworthy AI and crewed-uncrewed teaming research continues at Lockheed - recent Skunk Works work with Arquimea demonstrated an AI anomaly‑detection approach that sifts EO/IR data with episodic‑memory neural nets to spot subtle changes, cut redundant sensor scans and even predict viewpoints a sensor hasn't seen, which helps flag hidden threats, wildfires or pollution in real time (read the Skunk Works anomaly detection demo Skunk Works anomaly detection demo).

That lab progress ties directly into broader crewed–uncrewed teaming efforts - from Black Hawk modernization and MOSA digital backbones to MATRIX™ on‑board autonomy - which envision helicopters and fighters orchestrating swarms of launched effects and logistics drones; earlier flight tests even showed a battle manager issuing real‑time commands to AI aircraft through a touchscreen, a vivid image of pilots tapping a tablet to task multiple drones (see the Lockheed crewed‑uncrewed teaming overview Lockheed crewed‑uncrewed teaming overview).

The combined emphasis on explainable anomaly detection and scalable interfaces aims to shorten data‑to‑decision timelines while keeping humans squarely in control.

“Skunk Works is dedicated to enabling crewed-uncrewed teaming to optimize operational flexibility, abbreviate data-to-decision timelines and improve pilot safety,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager, Skunk Works.

CUJO AI acquires Domos to fuse device intelligence with Quality-of-Outcome analytics (Los Angeles) - the April deal stitches Domos' IETF‑aligned “Quality of Outcome” (QoO) framework and SDKs into CUJO's device‑level visibility to give ISPs app-aware, household‑specific insights that translate raw network telemetry into “probabilities of perfect application outcomes,” cutting straight to the user experience problems that cause buffering, laggy games and dropped calls; read CUJO's announcement for the product vision and API plans at thea href="https://cujo.com/domos-is-now-part-of-cujo-ai/">CUJO AI press release announcing the Domos acquisition and Telecoms.com's concise coverage of the strategic fit at Telecoms.com coverage of CUJO AI acquisition and strategic fit.

For operators that already rely on CUJO (including Comcast, DT and BT), the blend of device intelligence, security and QoO analytics promises faster root‑cause fixes, new network‑API monetization paths and truly app‑aware home Wi‑Fi tweaks that turn troubleshooting into measurable business value - a practical, outcome‑first turn for broadband operators wrestling with customer churn and costly support loops.

Metric	Detail
Acquisition	CUJO AI acquires Domos (announced April 9, 2025)
Domos tech	Quality of Outcome (QoO) framework; SDKs & APIs
Domos HQ / founding	Oslo, Norway - founded 2013
CUJO reach	Serving 60M+ households (reported)
Notable customers	Comcast, DT, BT

“With this acquisition, CUJO AI is solving a key challenge in modern connectivity - transforming network metrics into actionable insights that directly improve application performance.” - Remko Vos, CEO, CUJO AI

Climate and cleantech AI: Tao Climate joins Startupbootcamp AIvolution - as Lancaster repurposes industrial shells for AI compute, cleantech is bringing its own data-driven solutions: Tao Climate, now listed on Startupbootcamp's startup page, combines a Green FinTech MRV platform with industrial‑hemp projects that absorb up to 15 tonnes of CO2 per hectare and have already sequestered 500 tonnes in a verified Ukraine pilot that also housed 170 people; read the project overview at Tao Climate hemp carbon removal project overview and see their accelerator profile at Startupbootcamp Tao Climate accelerator profile.

Their stack pairs AI, satellite imaging and field data to measure removals in real time and to mint high‑quality, traceable removal credits - and they're positioning hemp not only as a carbon sink but as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel, a vivid image of “turning airports into hemp farms” that both cuts emissions and creates new airline revenue streams.

For regions juggling massive energy and permitting questions, Tao Climate's MRV and outcome‑first credits offer a practical path to turn land, data and finance into verifiable climate impact.

“Hemp is nature's overachiever,” says Gary Byrnes, CEO, Tao Climate.

Automation and logistics are getting greener and faster as Ranpak and Walmart expand a multi‑year rollout of Ranpak's AI‑driven AutoFill system - paired with the Decision Tower machine‑vision brain - to more Next Generation Fulfillment Centers, promising precise paper void‑fill that can cut packaging waste by up to 50% and boost throughput by roughly 30% while freeing associates for higher‑value tasks; see Ranpak's announcement for the program specifics and PackWorld's coverage of the rollout and tech details.

Current use at McCordsville, IN will scale to new sites (Greencastle, PA; Joliet, IL; Lancaster, TX; Stockton, CA), and the tie‑up even includes a purchasing warrant linked to a $300M spending commitment, underscoring how sustainability and automation are becoming core levers in modern e‑commerce operations.

Metric	Detail
Technology	Ranpak AutoFill™ + Decision Tower (AI machine vision)
Current implementation	McCordsville, IN
Planned deployments	Greencastle, PA; Joliet, IL; Lancaster, TX; Stockton, CA
Estimated benefits	Up to 50% less packaging waste; ~30% increased throughput
Commercial terms	Warrant to buy up to 22.5M Ranpak shares tied to a $300M commitment
Ranpak automation revenue (Q2 2025)	$7.1M

“Our collaboration with Walmart represents a significant milestone for Ranpak as we continue to scale our automation capabilities to meet the needs of the world's largest retailers.” - Omar Asali, Chairman and CEO, Ranpak

Robotics-as-a-Service in hospitality: Nightfood's $41M Victorville acquisition and robot-powered Courtyard conversion - Nightfood Holdings signed a $41 million LOI to buy the 155‑room Holiday Inn at 15494 Palmdale Road in Victorville and convert it into a Courtyard by Marriott flagship for its RaaS play, folding Skytech's guest-facing robots (laundry assistants, concierge delivery bots and soon a sweeper) into a renovated property that the company bills as a proof‑of‑concept for AI‑powered, margin‑lifting operations; Nightfood projects a 25–40% revenue lift after upgrades and franchise conversion and is structuring the deal as a Series C convertible‑stock share exchange with a $31M net purchase price after a $10M mortgage, plus a $5M earnout tied to milestones like a new gym with 50+ members and 30 days of Courtyard operations.

The Victorville site is meant to demonstrate how subscription RaaS revenue and asset appreciation can coexist - imagine concierge robots gliding down a freshly renovated lobby while managers mine operational telemetry to trim costs and improve guest experience.

For additional context see the Nightfood press release and LA Times coverage of the acquisition.

Metric	Detail
Transaction value	$41,000,000 (LOI)
Net purchase price	$31,000,000 (after $10M mortgage)
Rooms	155
Projected revenue lift	25–40%
Earnout	$5,000,000 in Series C preferred (milestones)
Due diligence / exclusivity	30‑day due diligence; 180‑day exclusivity

"The most important strategic asset is the team, with deep experience in food service, hospitality, and real estate development." - Jamie Steigerwald, Chairman, Nightfood Holdings

Conclusion: What Lancaster-area readers should watch next - Lancaster's rebooted industrial landscape is now on a tight public timeline, so watch three things closely: (1) zoning and local rules - Lancaster City Council has opened the door to stricter data‑center zoning, with hearings and ordinance work that could change review requirements (LancasterOnline zoning hearing coverage); (2) permits, timelines and infrastructure work at 216 Greenfield Road - demolition permits for Phase 1 are already granted, building‑alteration plans are under review, and Phase 1 is slated to begin August 2025 and finish summer 2027 per the City's Data Center FAQ (City of Lancaster Data Center FAQ and timeline); and (3) who benefits locally - the project anticipates 600–1,000 construction jobs and roughly 150 steady operations roles, plus about $7.8M in Phase 1 permit fees, so residents should track community‑benefit negotiations and workforce pipelines (reskilling options like the Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp registration can help turn construction and operations roles into long‑term local careers).

The big, vivid image to keep in mind: a million‑square‑foot printing plant being refitted into humming GPU farms - and whether permitting, grid and community decisions steer those jobs and revenues back to Lancaster.

Watch item	Detail
Zoning action	City Council pursuing zoning changes; public hearings ongoing (LancasterOnline zoning hearing coverage)
Phase 1 timeline	Begin Aug 2025 - complete Summer 2027 (City of Lancaster Data Center FAQ and timeline)
Permits status	Demolition permits granted; building alteration plans under review
Jobs	~600–1,000 construction; ~150 permanent local roles
Phase 1 fees	Building permit fees ≈ $7.8 million