"We have had nothing but noise. We have dust, dirt. We have all kinds of mist"
Context & source notes
Provenance: Quoted; content date; reported from elsewhere.
Setting: Her residence in Lowell.
Primary source: eNCA (opens in a new tab).
Data centers in Massachusetts
- 8 Records
- 5 Running
- 3 Proposed
- 1 Not yet verified
- 0 MW disclosed
- 0 Located to a site
- 7 Rule rows, 6 rated
- 15 Sources read
Massachusetts has 8 data center sites, 0 buildings where disclosed on the record: 5 running and 3 proposed. Most are in Suffolk County (4) and Middlesex County (2), and records are in 4 of 14 counties. The largest proposal is Holyoke Paper Mill Data Center in Hampden County; it is reported, as reported May 4, 2026.
How to read this page. Every count comes from the records on this page and links to where it is counted. Nothing is published until a person reads its source, and a figure no source gives reads Not disclosed; nothing is estimated. A rating changes only when a person sets it.
Projects and campuses on the record
A blank cell means not disclosed by any source on file. Power is the developer's figure or a permit's, each linked on the record. All 8 Massachusetts projects.
Every Massachusetts record 8 records, and 1 site not yet verified listed apart · sort by any column · blank cell: not disclosed
| Record | Place | Stage | Operator | MW | Basis | Located | Tier | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton Data Center | Grafton, Worcester | Not yet verified | EPA registry | 2 | 2026-10-20 | |||
| Centersquare Boston data center | Boston, Suffolk | Running | Centersquare | centroid | 1 | 2026-09-17 | ||
| DataBank Boston data center | Boston, Suffolk | Running | DataBank | centroid | 2 | 2026-09-17 | ||
| Digital Realty Needham | Needham, Norfolk | Running | Digital Realty | centroid | 2 | 2026-09-17 | ||
| Equinix BO2 | Billerica, Middlesex | Running | Equinix | centroid | 2 | 2026-09-17 | ||
| TierPoint Boston | Boston, Suffolk | Running | TierPoint | centroid | 2 | 2026-09-17 | ||
| Holyoke Paper Mill Data Center | Holyoke, Hampden | Proposed | centroid | 4 | 2026-09-17 | |||
| Boston Neighborhood Data Center | Boston, Suffolk | Proposed | centroid | 4 | 2026-09-17 | |||
| Markley Group Lowell Data Center | Lowell, Middlesex | Proposed | Markley Group | centroid | 4 | 2026-09-17 |
Tier 1: an official or company source. Tier 2: a news report resolving to the outlet's own page. Located: a site coordinate from a permit, a parcel or an address, or the county or town centroid. Verified: the last day a person read the source. A blank cell means not disclosed by any source on file.
Every Massachusetts county (14)
| County | Census GEOID | Projects | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County | 25025 | 0 | |
| Middlesex County | 25017 | 0 | |
| Hampden County | 25013 | 1 | |
| Norfolk County | 25021 | 0 | |
| Essex County | 25009 | 1 | |
| Barnstable County | 25001 | 0 | 0 |
| Berkshire County | 25003 | 0 | 0 |
| Bristol County | 25005 | 0 | 0 |
| Dukes County | 25007 | 0 | 0 |
| Franklin County | 25011 | 0 | 0 |
| Hampshire County | 25015 | 0 | 0 |
| Nantucket County | 25019 | 0 | 0 |
| Plymouth County | 25023 | 0 | 0 |
| Worcester County | 25027 | 0 | 0 |
A county without a record is listed, not linked.
The rules in Massachusetts 7 rows · rating rests only on a binding act in force
What the state and its counties and cities have decided. Each row is rated by what it has decided, open, case by case, restrictive or closed, never by whether that is good or bad.
| Body | Level | Rating | In force until | Latest act | Acts | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | state | Healey paused new applications for the state's data center sales tax exemption in June 2026. capecodtimes.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Jun 1, 202641 acts on this rowEvery act on the Massachusetts row
| 41 | 2026-09-24 | ||
| Mansfield | city | Mansfield voters passed near total ban on data centers in May 2026. yahoo.com (opens in a new tab) national outlet Sep 8, 20263 acts on this rowEvery act on the Mansfield row
| 3 | 2026-09-24 | ||
| Lowell | city | until February 24, 2027 | 2027-02-24 | Lowell City Council imposed a 360 day moratorium on data centers in March. bostonherald.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Mar 1, 20267 acts on this rowEvery act on the Lowell row
| 7 | 2026-09-23 |
| Holyoke | city | Holyoke approved a ban on data centers earlier this year. bostonglobe.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Sep 8, 20262 acts on this rowEvery act on the Holyoke row
| 2 | 2026-09-23 | ||
| Agawam | city | Agawam city council approved a temporary hold on data center developments while drafting a preliminary ordinance. atmmarketplace.com (opens in a new tab) news outlet Sep 22, 20262 acts on this rowEvery act on the Agawam row
| 2 | 2026-09-22 | ||
| Salem | city | not rated | Salem City Council passed first reading of a zoning ordinance to ban data centers with an aggregate energy demand of two megawatts or higher on September 25, 2026. patch.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Sep 251 act on this rowEvery act on the Salem row
| 1 | 2026-09-25 | |
| Westfield | city | until September 8, 2027 | 2027-09-08 | City councilors in Westfield voted earlier this year to enact a one year moratorium on additional data centers. bostonglobe.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Sep 8, 20261 act on this rowEvery act on the Westfield row
| 1 | 2026-09-08 |
Reported: the source's date; the item names no day of its own. A month with no day: the source names the month and not the day. A rating rests only on a binding act in force; "not rated" means no person has set one. A blank cell means the record holds nothing for it.
Bills and laws in Massachusetts
none on the record yet
No statute, commission order, tariff, tax rule, moratorium or bill on data centers at the state level is on the record for Massachusetts yet. The Massachusetts laws page is where one appears when a person publishes it.
0 bills tracked in Massachusetts; 194th General Court, legislature in session; last checked October 26, 2026. The last check found: No data center bills found as of October 26, 2026. Search terms: data center, data centre, large load, hyperscale, computing facility, server farm, high load factor (indirect), energy intensive facility (indirect), large electric load (indirect), digital asset mining (indirect), cryptocurrency mining (indirect), qualified technology facility (indirect), colocation (indirect), moratorium (with another term), sales tax exemption (with another term). The search on LegiScan. (opens in a new tab)
Bill data from LegiScan (opens in a new tab), licensed CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab). The record chooses the bills, writes each stage in its own words and cites the legislature's own page for every bill.
How this state's members voted
| Member | Party | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Auchincloss | D | Yea |
| Clark (MA) | D | Yea |
| Keating | D | Yea |
| Lynch | D | Yea |
| McGovern | D | Yea |
| Moulton | D | Yea |
| Neal | D | Yea |
| Pressley | D | Yea |
| Trahan | D | Yea |
A blank party cell means the clerk's roll gives none.
| Member | Party | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Markey (D-MA) | D | Nay |
| Warren (D-MA) | D | Nay |
A blank party cell means the clerk's roll gives none.
Positions as the clerk records them. How bills and votes are recorded.
What happened
-
Moratorium adoptedSalem
patch.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet -
Scorecard eventMansfield
bostonglobe.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet -
Scorecard eventMassachusetts
bostonglobe.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet -
MoratoriumMassachusetts
bostonglobe.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet -
MoratoriumAgawam
atmmarketplace.com (opens in a new tab) news outlet -
Scorecard eventAgawam
Agawam city council voted unanimously to ban cryptocurrency ATMs, requiring removal within 90 days.
atmmarketplace.com (opens in a new tab) news outlet
What was said
The Markley Group serves more than 600 clients in Massachusetts and connects the digital infrastructure that powers our economy, our schools, and the everyday needs of our community
Governor Maura Healey asking data centers to bring their own clean energy
Every Massachusetts statement, by speaker (30)
28 more on this page, one per speaker and claim; 30 statements in all
Matthew Madden noted executive order does not provide detailed grandfathering rule or guidance as to projects already in permitting or development process
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bowditch & Dewey (opens in a new tab).
In June , Senator Markey wrote to EPA Administrator Zeldin to demand the withdrawal of a proposed rule that undermines Clean Air Act permitting standards to facilitate the buildout of data centers and associated fossil fuel infrastructure.
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: markey.senate.gov (opens in a new tab).
Archived copy: Wayback Machine (opens in a new tab).
Proposed data center regulations would require data centers to bring their own water resilience
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: The Boston Globe (opens in a new tab).
Mayor Dominick Pangallo advocated for the ordinance banning data centers citing Salem's size, density, economic viability and desire to remain affordable for residents and workers.
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; content date; reported from elsewhere.
Primary source: Patch (opens in a new tab).
Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo proposed an ordinance that would prohibit large AI data centers from being built in Salem.
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: The Boston Globe (opens in a new tab).
Anthony Russo, City Council President, stated Gov. Maura Healey executive order grants municipalities authority over data center approvals.
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: ATM Marketplace (opens in a new tab).
Ed Gaskin, columnist, argues that municipalities should develop comprehensive data center strategies including capital transformation plans and transparent incentive policies before developers arrive
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: bostonherald.com (opens in a new tab).
Ed Gaskin proposes that host municipalities keep 100% of property taxes, PILOT payments, infrastructure reimbursements, and community benefits, with separate statewide data center contribution to Green Zone Investment Fund
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: bostonherald.com (opens in a new tab).
Culpepper said Boston's density and existing infrastructure demands make large scale data centers incompatible with the city's direction
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: wbur.org (opens in a new tab).
Trahan supported the Ratepayer Protection Act in committee in July, and the measure now moves to the Senate
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Quiver Quantitative (opens in a new tab).
Lori Trahan voted for the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, which sets standards for state utility regulators and requires large electricity users, including data centers, to cover the cost of grid upgrades and provide financial guarantees
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; content date; reported from elsewhere.
Primary source: Quiver Quantitative (opens in a new tab).
Trump posted on Truth Social this week that AI and data centers will be the Greatest Economic Development Engine in History
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Boston Globe (opens in a new tab).
Archived copy: Wayback Machine (opens in a new tab).
Matthew Madden noted that data centers require massive utility upgrades, interconnections and long lead times for electrical equipment
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bowditch & Dewey (opens in a new tab).
Kate Saenko, Boston University computer science professor, said Healey's data center executive order is sensible and requires thoughtful process
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: WGBH (opens in a new tab).
Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo defended proposed ban on data center construction citing documented impacts and community affordability
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: WGBH (opens in a new tab).
John Byers, Boston University AI Accelerator director, said ban on NDAs promotes transparency and cost mitigation for consumers
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: WGBH (opens in a new tab).
Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center operates on carbon free power
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: WBUR (opens in a new tab).
Republican Mike Minogue challenging Healey for governorship criticized her data center stance
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Briefs Finance (opens in a new tab).
Lowell data center residents sued Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for approving flawed air quality plan from Markley Group to install eight new generators and operate total of 27 diesel generators
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: WBUR (opens in a new tab).
Chrissy Lynch Massachusetts AFL CIO president said data center construction supports tens of thousands of union jobs
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Realtor.com (opens in a new tab).
Also reported by: Briefs Finance (opens in a new tab) national outlet .
Said again: September 10, 2026 ( Briefs Finance (opens in a new tab) national outlet ).
Governor Maura Healey made an announcement regarding data centers in Massachusetts
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: C-SPAN (opens in a new tab).
Gov. Healey announced an executive order requiring data center developers to enter into community benefits agreements with municipalities.
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: CBS News (opens in a new tab).
Jake Fortes, a Markley Data Center opponent whose home backs up to the facility, said the executive order does not address his concerns about the existing facility.
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: CBS News (opens in a new tab).
Healey stated data centers must bring their own energy supply or pay a fee into a ratepayer protection fund returning money to ratepayers.
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: CBS News (opens in a new tab).
Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue stated he has little interest in investing in new data centers due to insufficient energy infrastructure.
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: CBS News (opens in a new tab).
Governor Maura Healey announced an executive order on data centers in Massachusetts
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: C-SPAN (opens in a new tab).
A judge found that Lowell residents may have been denied a meaningful opportunity to challenge the project during the state permitting process
Context & source notes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: NBC Boston (opens in a new tab).
On the November 3, 2026 ballot in Massachusetts: Governor (3), U.S. Senate (4), U.S. House, District 1 (2), U.S. House, District 2 (1), U.S. House, District 3 (3), U.S. House, District 4 (2), U.S. House, District 5 (1), U.S. House, District 6 (2), U.S. House, District 7 (1), U.S. House, District 8 (3), U.S. House, District 9 (2); 2 of 24 candidates with a statement on data centers on the record. Every candidate.
Already running in Massachusetts
5 sites are serving load, 3 of them in Suffolk County.
See the 5 running sites
- Centersquare Boston data center Boston, Suffolk County Running
- DataBank Boston data center Boston, Suffolk County Running
- Digital Realty Needham Needham, Norfolk County Running · Operational since 2011 (15 years)
- Equinix BO2 Billerica, Middlesex County Running · Operational since 2012 (14 years)
- TierPoint Boston Boston, Suffolk County Running
Questions about Massachusetts data centers
How many data center projects are on the record in Massachusetts?
8 projects are on the record in Massachusetts: 3 reported, 5 running and 1 not yet verified. Each is listed under Projects with its status history and sources. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows aboveWhere in Massachusetts are they?
Records are in 4 counties: Suffolk County (4), Middlesex County (2), Hampden County (1) and Norfolk County (1). The county table lists every county with its count, zero included. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows aboveHow much power is disclosed for data centers in Massachusetts?
Not disclosed. None of the 8 records on file for Massachusetts states a power figure. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows aboveHow much water do data centers in Massachusetts say they will use?
Not disclosed. None of the 8 records on file for Massachusetts states a water figure. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows aboveWho is building data centers in Massachusetts?
6 developers are named on the record: Centersquare, DataBank, Digital Realty, Equinix, Markley Group and TierPoint. 2 records name no developer; each name above opens the record, where the developer's source is listed. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows aboveWhich counties and cities in Massachusetts have rules about data centers?
6 county and city rows are on the record, 5 of them rated: Mansfield is rated closed: Mansfield voters passed near total ban on data centers in May 2026, September 8, 2026, source (opens in a new tab), Lowell is rated restrictive: Lowell City Council imposed a 360 day moratorium on data centers in March, March 1, 2026, source (opens in a new tab) and Holyoke is rated closed: Holyoke approved a ban on data centers earlier this year, September 8, 2026, source (opens in a new tab). The state's own row is rated case by case, with 41 dated acts listed under the scorecard. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows aboveWhat is proposed or being built near me in Massachusetts, by county?
3 records are not yet running. Hampden County: Holyoke Paper Mill Data Center (reported); Middlesex County: Markley Group Lowell Data Center (reported); and Suffolk County: Boston Neighborhood Data Center (reported). A county name opens its page with the map and every record there. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows aboveWhat has the state of Massachusetts itself decided?
No statute, commission order, tariff, tax rule, moratorium or bill on data centers at the state level is on the record for Massachusetts yet; the laws page is where one appears when a person publishes it. The state's own scorecard row carries 41 dated acts, the newest reported September 24, 2026. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows above Disclosed figures
nothing disclosed by 8 records
summed only where a record disclosed the figure
| Figure | Disclosed total | Disclosed | Without a figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 0 | 8 | ||
| Water, stated per day | 0 | 8 | ||
| Water, stated per year | 0 | 8 | ||
| Permanent jobs | 0 | 8 | ||
| Tax each year | 0 | 8 |
A blank cell means no record in Massachusetts disclosed the figure. Third party figures on the same metrics are listed apart below; a figure a project disclosed about itself is never mixed with them.
| Figure | Disclosed total | Disclosed | Without a figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 0 | 8 | ||
| Water, stated per day | 0 | 8 | ||
| Water, stated per year | 0 | 8 | ||
| Permanent jobs | 0 | 8 | ||
| Tax each year | 0 | 8 |
A blank total means no record disclosed the figure; the count without one says how many.
Summed only where a record disclosed the figure; a record with no figure adds nothing and is counted as not disclosed. Water is summed per day and per year separately, as the sources stated it, and never converted. A tax claim given as a range is summed at both ends.
The disclosed totals are in the table above.
No source on file states what any of the 8 tracked facilities in Massachusetts are for. 1 site not yet verified is named apart and is not in that number.
What each use disclosed
| Use | Records | Power | Water | Jobs | Tax each year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No stated use | 8 |
A blank cell means no record with that use disclosed the figure.
A record that lists several uses counts once under each. Each cell is the sum over the records with that use, disclosed rows only.
No source on file states how any of the 8 tracked facilities in Massachusetts are cooled. 1 site not yet verified is named apart and is not in that number.
Sources read for Massachusetts
15 sources
- Newspapers
- Boston Globe, Boston Herald, MassLive
- Public broadcaster
- WBUR
- Economic development
- MassDevelopment
- Search feeds
- 10 news searches
Every feed, with its kind and tier
Search feeds
- Google News: "data center" Massachusetts (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 1
- Google News: "data center" rate rule terms Massachusetts (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 1
- Google News: Centersquare Boston data center (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 1
- Google News: DataBank Boston data center (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 1
- Google News: Digital Realty Needham (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 1
- Google News: Equinix BO2 (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 1
- Google News: TierPoint Boston (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 1
- Leaders watch: Massachusetts 1 (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 1
- Leaders watch: Massachusetts 2 (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 1
- Leaders watch: Massachusetts 3 (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 1
Newspapers
- Boston Globe (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 4
- Boston Herald (opens in a new tab) page, tier 4
- MassLive (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 4
Public broadcaster
- WBUR (opens in a new tab) feed, tier 4
Economic development
- MassDevelopment (opens in a new tab) page, tier 2
About this data
Last verified
Next check Feeds every four hours, pages daily.
Sources read 15 sources for Massachusetts: Boston Globe, Boston Herald, MassLive, WBUR, MassDevelopment, 10 news searches
Figures Only what a source states, with its basis. Nothing is estimated, and a figure no source gives reads not disclosed.
License Data CC BY-NC 4.0 (opens in a new tab); free for personal, academic, civic and newsroom reporting with attribution. Commercial, enterprise, financial or AI training use needs a commercial license. Prose stays under copyright.
Report a correction · Send a tip about Massachusetts
Cite this page
Data Center Record, "Data center records in Massachusetts", https://datacenterrecord.org/states/ma. Data: Data Center Record, datacenterrecord.org, CC BY-NC 4.0.
The structured rows are CC BY-NC 4.0. Link to this page; that is what turns a reuse into a citation. Prose stays under copyright.
For researchers
- State code
- MA
- Rating of the state's own row
- Case by case
- Count by status
- reported 3, running 5, not yet verified 1
- Located records
- 0 located, 8 at a centroid, 0 without coordinates