Valor Energy announced on 19 October that it had agreed to acquire the company holding a Youngstown computing centre for US$3.6 million, subject to adjustment and closing conditions. Existing site, power arrangements and contracts are expected to remain with that entity.[1]
Valor describes approximately 18 megavolt-amperes, or MVA, under a 23kV Ohio Edison connection that it believes is approved and energised. This is apparent site power. Converting the existing facility for AI still requires design, construction, equipment and permits.[1]
Follow the power through the site
Apparent power describes an electrical load using voltage and current. Real power is the part expressed in watts. Schneider Electric defines power factor as real power divided by apparent power; multiplying MVA by that factor gives MW for the same operating point. Power factor is not a measure of how much electricity a cooling system consumes.[2]
Cooling and power delivery then take their share of the real energy supplied. The US Department of Energy’s design guide defines power usage effectiveness, or PUE, as total annual facility energy divided by IT equipment energy. A value of 1.30 means 1.30 units entered the facility for each unit reaching IT over that period.[3]
Here is an original steady-load illustration. Assume a connection can supply 18 MVA continuously, the power factor is 0.95, and total facility power is 1.30 times IT power at that operating point. Assume no additional reserve. These are invented operating conditions, not measurements of Youngstown.
From the connection to the computers
| Measure | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Real facility power | 17.1 MW | 18 MVA × assumed power factor of 0.95.Source 1Source 2 |
| IT equipment power | About 13.15 MW | 17.1 MW ÷ assumed facility-to-IT power ratio of 1.30.Source 3 |
| Supporting equipment | About 3.95 MW | 17.1 MW minus the IT share.Source 3 |
The first conversion accounts for power factor; the second allocates real power between IT and its support systems. They answer different questions. IT itself includes the computers, storage and networking needed to run the service. The calculation therefore does not assign the entire IT allowance to GPUs.
The new equipment determines what must change
A total power allowance says little about where the heat will appear inside the building. The DOE guide links high-density servers to increased cooling requirements and discusses direct liquid cooling for such equipment. It also describes how airflow design and cable obstructions can create hot spots. These are physical reasons why an existing computing facility still needs a design matched to its next installation.[3]
For example, two layouts could place the same total IT demand across very different numbers of racks. The more concentrated layout asks each local power and cooling path to support more. A connection adequate for the building as a whole does not settle whether those paths can deliver the required service at every rack.
Read the purchase price as one budget input. Assessing the completed project also requires conversion and equipment spending, operating costs, financing and the useful capacity that will earn revenue.
Closing remains conditional on due diligence and required consents. The announcement does not disclose a conversion budget or usable IT load.[1]
The commercial reward is the usable construction and connection work a new project can inherit.
Sources & further reading
- Valor Energy agreement to acquire the Youngstown computing centre Valor Energy via GlobeNewswire · 19 Oct 2026 · Accessed 19 Oct 2026
- Power factor: PM2200 series user manual Schneider Electric · Accessed 19 Oct 2026
- Best Practices Guide for Energy-Efficient Data Center Design (July 2024) US Department of Energy / NREL · Accessed 19 Oct 2026