The rapid expansion of data centers and AI applications is one of the biggest stories in the energy sector and the Monarch Compute Campus, which is beginning to take shape in West Virginia, figures to be one of the most interesting sites coming online and could be a compelling test case for future development. In today’s RBN blog, we explore the Monarch project, a massive data center with on-site power generation that seeks to optimize the Btu-to-GPU value chain through upstream access to Appalachian natural gas, creation of the nation’s first state-certified microgrid, and a modular approach to development.
Let’s start with the basics. London-based Nscale, which builds, owns and operates data centers, announced March 16 that it had acquired American Intelligence & Power Corp. (AIP), which was established earlier this year by 8090 Industries and our friends at Fidelis New Energy. Since AIP owned the Monarch campus, Nscale’s acquisition included that site. Nscale also said the same day that it had signed a letter of intent to provide 1.35 gigawatts (GW) of compute capacity to Microsoft, setting up the campus as a flagship development of Nvidia’s next-generation Vera Rubin AI platform. We’ll touch on more details about the campus later, but construction is expected to start soon with operations beginning in H2 2027. Should the site expand as planned, it would reach 8.1 GW of capacity by 2031.
As we noted in Win, Lose or Draw, numerous factors go into deciding where to build a data center, and each location has its own strengths and weaknesses. While West Virginia has not seen a rapid buildout of data centers, especially compared to neighboring Virginia (home to at least 100 hyperscale facilities), the Monarch campus (see Figure 1 below) was especially attractive to Nscale primarily because of its size, scale and potential.
Figure 1. The Monarch Compute Campus. Source: Nscale
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About the song
“The Power” was written by Benito Benites, John “Virgo” Garrett III and Toni C. It appears as the first song on Snap!’s debut album, World Power. Released as a single in January 1990, the song — best known for its hook, “I’ve got the power!” — went to #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Rap Singles charts and went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. It has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Personnel on the record were: Benito Benites, John “Virgo” Garrett III (music), Master Musikproduktion GmbH (original sound), and Turbo B and Penny Ford (vocals).
World Power was recorded in 1989-90 and was the debut album for German Eurodance project Snap! Released in May 1990, the LP went to #30 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. Four singles were released from the album.
Snap! is a German Eurodance group formed by producers Benito Benites (Michael Munzing) and John “Virgo” Garrett III (Luca Anzilotti) in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1989. “The Power,” featuring Turbo B and Penny Ford, is their biggest hit to date. They have released three studio albums, four compilation albums, and 24 singles. Thirteen different vocalists have been employed by the group at various times since its inception. In 2018, rights to all recordings of Snap! owned by Munzing and Anzilotti were transferred to BMG Rights Management.
"About the Song" -- written by Mickey McMahan , RBN Director of Musicology
