{"resourceId":"sanjose-city-draft-uniform-standards-20mw-data-centers-rd-20261009","versions":[{"version":"external-c0efd6570095b4391b43fb89a91cf5f30d0a5984489521fff0455b6f2cee1b30","resource":{"id":"sanjose-city-draft-uniform-standards-20mw-data-centers-rd-20261009","title":"City of San José: draft Uniform Standards for 20 MW+ data centers and large-load R&D facilities—recycled or low-water cooling, carbon-neutral power, 25-hour generator testing cap, third-party verification","organization":"City of San José (City Manager's Office, Mayor's Office)","sector":"Local government land use, energy and environmental regulation","geography":"San Jose, California, USA","publishedAt":"2026-10-09","publicationDate":"2026-10-09","eventDate":"2026-10-15","sourceName":"City of San José","sourceLabel":"City news release (draft standards)","sourceUrl":"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/7584/4699","evidenceClass":"standards-guidance","outcomeClass":"emerging","topics":["infrastructure","governance-procurement","operating-model"],"finding":"San José's draft standards define Large Load Data Centers and Large Load Research and Development Facilities as 20 MW or greater. Proposals include City Council hearing of land-use and CEQA appeals above 20 MW; cooling with 100% recycled water or low-water closed-loop or air-cooled systems, banning potable open-loop cooling; 100% carbon-neutral electricity; EPA Tier 4 generators with testing limited to 25 hours a year; annual sewer-discharge and noise monitoring; third-party verification of actual energy and water use against environmental-clearance assumptions; a 1,500-foot notification radius; and an anticipated $4-5 per square foot housing linkage fee and about $50,000 per MW reliability fee, both under study. The Planning Commission is due to review them Nov 18, with council readings Dec 8 and 15; they would apply to applications still under review when they take effect.","sledRelevance":"Newly relevant because the council's Oct 20 Holger Way decision concerned an NVIDIA-leased R&D building permitted at 20 MW, the threshold the draft uses, and because the standards cover R&D facilities, not only data centers. A detailed local template for any city, county or university district reviewing GPU facilities.","evidence":"Official city release describing draft standards subject to change; no adopted text, no enforcement record, fees still under study. Retrieved via a fetch tool after curl received HTTP 403.","architectureImplications":"Pushes designs toward recycled-water or closed-loop/air cooling and clean-energy supply; requires metering sufficient for third-party verification.","governanceImplications":"Moves large-project appeals to the council, adds inspection and enforcement authority, expands public notice, and applies to pending applications once effective.","securityPrivacyImplications":"Not addressed.","caveats":"Draft only; a critic quoted in separate local coverage says the standards rely on words like 'encourage' and 'monitor'; generator limits do not apply during outages.","streamIds":["nvidia"],"roles":{"sales":"Sales framing: San José is writing one of the most detailed local rulebooks for large GPU facilities, and it covers R&D labs as well as data centers. Interpretation: public-sector clients considering hosting AI compute should expect similar conditions on water, clean power, generators and audits elsewhere in California. A bounded offer is a compliance readiness review against these draft standards. Do not present them as adopted; they are a draft with fees still under study.","engineering":"Engineering framing: the draft standards translate directly into design constraints: recycled or closed-loop/air cooling, carbon-neutral supply, Tier 4 generators with limited testing, and metering good enough for third-party verification against environmental assumptions. Pre-sales engineers should check that proposed GPU designs can meet low-water cooling and report actual energy and water use. The 20 MW threshold means sizing decisions near that line carry regulatory consequences, as Holger Way shows.","delivery":"Delivery framing: if adopted, these standards create lasting operating duties, including annual sewer and noise monitoring, energy and water reporting, and verification with required improvements if use exceeds assumptions. Interpretation: delivery teams should build metering and reporting into commissioning rather than add them later, and track the Nov 18 and December hearings for changes. Acceptance criteria below are proposals for compliance readiness, not observed results."},"roleDetails":{"sales":{"customerProblem":"Hosts of large GPU facilities face new local conditions on water, power, generators and audits.","stakeholders":["City planning and sustainability staff","Facility owners and tenants","University facilities offices","Utilities","Community groups"],"discoveryQuestions":["Does the planned facility reach 20 MW?","Can it use recycled water or closed-loop cooling?","Is carbon-neutral supply available through the local clean-energy provider?","Who will produce annual reports?"],"valueHypothesis":"Interpretation: designing for these standards early could avoid redesign and appeal delays; no adopted rules yet.","potentialEngagement":"Compliance readiness review of a planned GPU facility against San José's draft standards.","unsupportedClaims":["Standards are adopted","Fees are final","Standards will end community opposition"]},"engineering":{"fit":"GPU facilities near or above 20 MW in San José or cities adopting similar rules.","architectureIntegration":"Cooling, power supply, backup generation and metering designed to meet draft requirements and third-party verification.","prerequisites":["Recycled water access or low-water cooling design","Carbon-neutral electricity supply","Tier 4 generators","Energy and water metering"],"constraints":["Draft text may change","Generator limits exclude outages","Fees under study"],"security":"Not addressed by the source.","proofOfValue":["Model annual water loss under chosen cooling","Demonstrate metering accuracy for third-party verification","Test generator schedule against the 25-hour cap"]},"delivery":{"work":"Build compliance reporting and metering into commissioning and operations.","dependencies":["Final ordinance text","Utility and water-recycling availability","Third-party verifier"],"ownership":"Facility operator's environmental compliance lead.","skillsAdoption":"Operations staff need reporting and audit-preparation routines.","governanceCheckpoints":["Planning Commission review (Nov 18)","Council readings (Dec 8 and Dec 15)","Annual reports and verification"],"acceptanceCriteria":["Proposed: annual energy and water use within environmental-clearance assumptions","Proposed: no potable open-loop cooling","Proposed: generator testing logged under 25 hours per year"],"risks":["Rules tightened before adoption","Verification findings requiring retrofits","Fee levels higher than budgeted"]}},"retrievedAt":"2026-10-24T02:57:10Z","enrichedAt":"2026-10-24T03:06:36Z","enrichmentBasis":"retrieved source","accessibilityWorkforceImplications":"Includes prevailing wage and skilled-workforce requirements and encourages local hiring and apprenticeships.","procurementImplications":"Fees (linkage, reliability) and labor standards add cost that hosts must budget; the city seeks use-tax attribution on equipment purchases.","operatingModelImplications":"Operators would carry annual reporting and third-party verification duties for the life of the facility.","sourceVerification":{"openedUrl":"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/7584/4699","referenceExcerpt":"For data center and research and development projects over 20 megawatts, both land-use and CEQA appeals would be heard by the City Council.","promptVersion":"sled-research-v4.0","model":null,"basis":"agent-reported inspection"}}}]}