Global Stack data centers: 6 sites mapped

Global Stack is a Southern California company, registered in March 2026, that has been pitching California's state-run fairgrounds on 100-year land leases for what it calls emergency-resilience infrastructure: shipping-container-sized computing units, multi-story parking garages and "vertiports" for helicopters and passenger drones. DatacenterDynamics reported in July 2026 that the company intends to build such sites on at least 70 fairgrounds by 2030, with data center units of up to about 10 megawatts. Global Stack says it is not building traditional data centers and that its units use closed-loop cooling and little water. Residents at meeting after meeting have disputed that description. At the Ventura County Fairgrounds in September 2026, CEO Dan Kang said, "We're not a data center," but acknowledged the unit would be considered a data center "in general governance," the Ojai Valley News reported.

The strongest pushback has come in the San Joaquin Valley and on the coast. On July 21, 2026, 29 people spoke against the proposal for the Kings County Fairgrounds at a packed Hanford City Council meeting, and none spoke in favor, the Hanford Sentinel reported. Mayor Mark Kairis said the city had not been consulted, and City Attorney Ty Mizote noted the fairgrounds are owned by the state. "The general rule is state agencies are not subject to local laws," he said, adding that the city council may have no authority to prohibit the project. Resident Amy Briar said her electric bill had reached $1,200 a month. The same day in Tulare, a fair board tabled a Global Stack lease item after more than two hours of public comment, KMPH reported. On Sept. 15, 2026, the Ventura County Fair Board voted 5-3 to give Global Stack a 30-day notice ending a nonbinding memorandum of understanding for a 5-acre waterfront site, after a meeting attended by about 200 people. "This project is not right for the fairgrounds," board member Miriam Mack said. The Ventura City Council voted unanimously the same day to send a letter opposing the project.

Earlier, according to DCD, the Calistoga fairgrounds advisory committee discontinued talks with the company after public backlash, and the Solano County fair described the idea as "basically tabled." At the Cow Palace in Daly City, the arena's CEO said in July 2026 that it was still evaluating a proposal and had made no decision. In August 2026 the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Michael Flores, the state's deputy secretary for fairs and expositions, had made introductions and attended pitch meetings for Global Stack while his daughter worked for the company. A spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom told the paper, "Our office is investigating these claims."

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.