TPP Panel: Pros and Cons of Data Centers

The Patuxent Partnership will hold a data centers panel discussion Monday, June 16, at the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland.

Monday, June 16, 2025 | 8:30am – 10am
USMSM Center Hall, Building 2 @ 44219 Airport Road, California, MD

Join TPP for this discussion with experts who will answer your questions about what it means for Southern Maryland.

“Data Centers. The Pros and Cons and What It Means for You, the Residential Customers” will include these panelists:

• Lael Campbell, Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Constellation
• Sonja Cox, President and Chief Executive Officer, SMECO
• Brad Frome, Rise Investment Partners
• Rosa Nance, Independent Advocate
• Martin Rapos, Chief Information Officer at FLEXNODE

The moderator will be Scott White, TPP board director and president/CEO of HTii.

Check here to register.

With the escalating reliance on AI, straining local electric grids, increasing demand and prices, how do we balance residential use with exponential increases in demand for AI and keep electricity affordable for residential use? Data centers have been repositories of our information since fast Internet connectivity and non-stop operations became essential to doing business.

Data centers solve some problems, but resource-consuming factors and the need for ongoing new and improved designs have a huge impact.

Large data centers’ industrial-scale operations can use as much electricity as a medium-sized town.

There are 44 data centers in Maryland, with the majority around Frederick and Baltimore. Almost 300 data centers in Northern Virginia, the highest concentration in the world.

This complex problem involving location, proximity to power grids, telecommunications infrastructure, networking services, power lines, emergency services, and the environment, affects all of us.

About The Patuxent Partnership

The Patuxent Partnership is a nonprofit member organization that fosters collaboration between government, industry, and academia to advance education through STEM-based initiatives; to advance technology through speaker programs, forums, and networking; to advance science and technology transfer through the exchange of ideas, information, and data related to technologies; and to increase workforce development through an array of initiatives.

SoMD 2030 is focused on building a STEM pipeline, increasing career opportunities. This collaborative effort is funded by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aviation Division. The Patuxent Partnership is accomplishing the work under an agreement with NAWCAD, working with St. Mary’s College of Maryland, College of Southern Maryland, area public school systems, as well as other schools, industry, and NAWCAD. SoMD 2030 connects talented students with paid apprenticeships and internships.

To learn more about The Patuxent Partnership and its programs, visit its Leader member page.

 

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