Coalition to Advance Data Center Siting, Grid Reliability, and Regulatory Modernization as the Foundation for California’s Innovation Economy
San José, CA (April 3, 2026) — Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) – the leading business association representing the innovation economy and its ecosystem – today announced the launch of its Coalition on Innovation Infrastructure, a cross-sector initiative housed under SVLG’s Center of Expertise on Tech & Innovation.
The Coalition will unite hardware manufacturers, software developers, energy providers, data center operators, and network infrastructure companies around a shared agenda: ensuring California has the physical and regulatory foundations necessary to lead the global AI economy.
Uniquely positioned to lead this effort, SVLG will leverage its expertise on technology and energy policy, deep member network, and established relationships in Sacramento to drive alignment through public education, direct advocacy, and strategic communications.
“California has long been the global home of innovation – but maintaining our competitive edge demands 21st-century infrastructure built to meet this moment,” said SVLG CEO Ahmad Thomas. “The Coalition on Innovation Infrastructure takes a full-stack approach, bringing together the companies that power AI from the ground up to ensure our state has the energy, the facilities, and the regulatory environment to compete and win in the global innovation economy. This work builds on SVLG’s strong and sustained leadership on these issues and reflects the increasingly dynamic and complex policy and market landscape in this space.”
The Coalition will pursue three core areas of impact:
- Strengthening data center siting and permitting pathways to reduce barriers to new AI infrastructure development across California.
- Improving grid reliability to ensure the energy supply for next-generation AI systems is available, resilient, and responsibly sourced.
- Providing greater regulatory certainty to unlock the long-term capital investment required to scale AI infrastructure at the pace the moment demands.
In addition to its core policy and advocacy engagement, the Coalition will lead strategic communications and public affairs initiatives to build broader public awareness to the critical role of the infrastructure powering AI and other frontier innovation in California’s competitiveness and long-term economic growth.
This work builds on SVLG’s leadership on innovation infrastructure issues in California. SVLG previously sponsored Senator Cortese’s SB 1298 to support expanded data center capacity and, most recently, sponsored Senator McNerney’s legislation (SB 1120) to expand the CalCompetes Tax Credit in support of California’s broader innovation ecosystem. SVLG is also engaged in coalition advocacy on data center proposals, including recent testimony on bills SB 886 (Padilla), SB 887 (Padilla), and SB 978 (Perez), and continues to co-lead efforts to push back on antitrust efforts affecting the innovation ecosystem.
SVLG’s Coalition on Innovation Infrastructure Task Force will build on this record to advance a more coordinated, forward-looking platform for member engagement on the next generation of infrastructure policy challenges amid an increasingly complex and dynamic legislative and regulatory environment.
The Coalition is a part of SVLG’s Future Forward Agenda, a multi-year effort to strengthen regional innovation, shape smart policy, and drive long-term economic growth across the Bay Area and the Golden State.
About the Silicon Valley Leadership Group: The Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) is the leading business association representing the innovation economy and its ecosystem. Founded by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard, SVLG has worked for nearly five decades to address issues that affect the region’s economic dynamism and quality of life. Today, SVLG is focused on accelerating the next era of Silicon Valley leadership, activated by our Institute for California AI Policy (ICAP) and three Centers of Expertise (COE): Technology & Innovation, Business Competitiveness, and Civic Impact. SVLG members collectively provide nearly one in every three private-sector jobs in Silicon Valley and contribute more than $3 trillion to the global economy. For more information, visit svlg.org.
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