New Mexico Data Center News

Apr 16, 2026

Blue Owl Builds a Capital Platform for the Hyperscale AI Era

Blue Owl announced the final close of Digital Infrastructure Fund III at $7 billion and is repositioning itself as a capital platform for hyperscale and AI infrastructure.

Main announcement: Blue Owl completed a $7 billion final close of Digital Infrastructure Fund III (hard cap), nearly doubling its original $4 billion target; the fund will develop, acquire, and own data centers and connectivity assets, focusing on large-scale build-to-suit projects for hyperscalers. The firm integrated IPI Partners (closed Jan 6, 2025, bringing >$11 billion AUM) and installed Matt A’Hearn as head of digital infrastructure to support the expansion.
Background and details: Blue Owl has entered multiple structures including a Meta joint venture (Hyperion) where Blue Owl-managed funds hold 80% and Meta 20%, with ~$27 billion estimated development costs (Blue Owl contributed roughly $7 billion cash; Meta received a one-time distribution of ~$3 billion); the firm also announced a QIA partnership (launched with >$3 billion initial assets) and backed projects like the Abilene campus (1.2 GW initial, potential ~2.1 GW with Microsoft additions; second phase construction began March 2025 with initial energization expected mid-2026).

Apr 15, 2026

New Mexico To Close Digital Divide With $382 Million From BEAD

The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) announced plans to secure enforceable BEAD grant agreements to serve every location in New Mexico by the end of 2026.

Main announcement: OBAE Director Jeff Lopez said the state plans to have enforceable commitments (signed grant agreements) by end of 2026 to serve 100 percent of locations in New Mexico, backed by a $382 million BEAD allocation; Lopez also cautioned that map changes, rights-of-way challenges, and potential defaults could result in serving 99.9 percent instead of full 100 percent.
Background and implementation details: OBAE will seek flexibility from NTIA to use BEAD non-deployment funds for middle-mile and long-haul fiber buildouts, 5G support, and workforce development; the workforce program is already supported by a $1.9 million U.S. Department of Labor grant and contracts with BICSI and the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions to train communities and plan for fiber networks and data centers.
- Event: Fiber for Breakfast webinar
  - Date: April 15, 2026
  - Time: not specified
  - Location: virtual (Fiber for Breakfast webinar)
  - Agenda/subject: broadband deployment and challenges in New Mexico

Apr 14, 2026

New Mexico environmental groups seek federal regulators to deny pipeline for Project Jupiter

Several New Mexico environmental groups have filed a formal challenge with the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) seeking denial or a more exhaustive review of a proposed 17-mile gas pipeline (the “Green Chile Project”) intended to fuel Project Jupiter.

Filed challenge to FERC: Environmental groups (Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, Food & Water Watch) and attorneys from the Western Environmental Law Center formally intervened on the final day to submit comments, arguing FERC fast-tracking would be “premature and inappropriate”; the pipeline application was submitted by Dallas-based Energy Transfer on Jan. 29, 2026 and seeks expedited approval with plans to break ground in April and complete by August.
Project and regulatory background: The proposal is a 17-mile, $60-million Green Chile Project planned to deliver 400,000 dekatherms/day to private power plants serving Project Jupiter; state regulators recently denied permits for 0.63 miles of state trust lands in Doña Ana County, and New Mexico environment officials have pushed air permit decisions to July and scheduled a public hearing after receiving more than 7,000 comments.

Apr 14, 2026

Data centers are moving inland, away from some traditional locations

Synergy Research Group and Sightline Climate reported a geographic shift and widescale delays in U.S. data center construction.

Main announcement:Synergy Research Group finds the planning and build “center of gravity” for data centers is moving inland to Texas and Midwestern states (Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri). Sightline Climate reports 16 GW of data centers slated to open in the U.S. this year but only 5 GW are under construction now and expects 30–50% of projects to be delayed; 25 GW are announced for 2027 with only 6 GW under construction.
Background and details: Delays are driven by component shortages (memory, storage, batteries, electrical transformers, circuit breakers) and local opposition (e.g., the Seminole Nation banning data centers on tribal lands). Major cloud and AI firms named as project sponsors include Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and CoreWeave. The article also references Pennsylvania’s $70 billion push for data centers and notes many 2028–2032 projects have not broken ground.

Apr 9, 2026

Turning Buildings into Energy Assets

DaisyChain Energy, led by Co-founder and CEO Alex Blumberg, is deploying submetering and smart rate arbitrage to help commercial buildings reduce peak loads and act as grid-stabilizing assets.

Main announcement/action: DaisyChain combines submetering and smart rate arbitrage to track energy use at the circuit level and shift consumption to off-peak rates, producing immediate savings for commercial buildings while preparing sites for batteries, heat pumps, and other distributed energy resources. MCJ is an investor in DaisyChain; the company’s approach targets grid congestion and the problem of the grid being built for rare peak events.
Background and additional details: The article cites NERC warnings about growing power shortage risks and references global spending on grid upgrades (source: BCC Research). It notes rising demand from electrification and AI data centers and promotes related content: the DaisyChain conversation on the Inevitable podcast (linked to Spotify) and a related episode about Paces accelerating data center and renewable siting. Event details (as provided):
- San Francisco Climate Week event: Date: not specified in article; Time: not specified; Location: San Francisco; Agenda/subject: New Mexico’s transformation as a hub for entrepreneurs and investments, featuring Rob Black (New Mexico Cabinet Secretary of Economic Development), Bruce Brown (Head of Strategic Climate Initiatives, New Mexico State Investment Council), Carrie Von Muench (Founding COO, Pacific Fusion), and Carl Hoiland (Co-Founder, Zanskar Geothermal).

Apr 1, 2026

Six Emerging Environmental Entrepreneurs Selected for National Fellowship

E2 and 1 Hotels have announced the 2026 E2 1 Hotels Fellows, awarding six early-career environmental entrepreneurs funding and support to implement projects advancing sustainability, clean energy, and environmental policy.

Main announcement: The 2026 E2 1 Hotels Fellows were announced on April 1, 2026, with six fellows each receiving $10,000 to execute projects addressing urban solar, community microgrids, K-12 climate and clean energy workforce development, data center siting and policy toolkits, and the environmental/social impacts of AI. The fellows named are Alex Hill, Alexis Cureton, Danielle Lee, Jolie Villegas, Nathaniel Burola, and Sonali Anderson.
Background and details: The fellowship is in its eighth year, started with a donation from 1 Hotels founder Barry Sternlicht and the Sternlicht Sustainability Fund; fellows also receive mentorship from E2 members and membership in E2’s Emerging Leaders program. The press release notes E2 members have collectively managed more than $100 billion in venture and private equity capital and supported over 2,500 companies.

Apr 1, 2026

Geothermal’s Rise a Hot Topic Worldwide

Rystad Energy forecasts near-term surge in geothermal investment to 2030.

Main announcement: Rystad Energy projects global investment in geothermal could reach nearly $9 billion by 2030, up from about $1.4 billion in 2020; the article reports multiple new commercial and pilot projects (e.g., Fervo Energy’s 500-MW Cape Station in Utah; the U.S. EIA notes the first large-scale commercial EGS in the U.S. is expected online in June). Include timelines and project scales where given.
Background and supporting details:Corporate deals and government support include Google’s long-term agreement with Ormat to supply up to 150 MW in Nevada (online 2028–2030), XGS Energy’s $1.2-billion, 150-MW project to power Meta in New Mexico (two phases operational by 2030), federal and state grants (e.g., $1.78 million tax credit for Vail on a $6-million library geothermal project; DOE / GEODE $165 million grant programs; an $8.6-million grant approved to expand a U.S. Northeast geothermal district heating network).

Mar 20, 2026

Exowatt Expands to Austin as Power Constraints Reshape AI Infrastructure

Exowatt opened an 11-acre campus in Austin to accelerate deployment of modular solar energy systems and address power constraints for AI infrastructure.

Main announcement: Exowatt has opened an 11-acre campus in Austin containing 48,000 square feet of office, manufacturing, and warehouse space to speed deployment of its modular solar energy systems; the company also launched ExoRise, a business unit to deliver turnkey “powered land” in solar-rich regions (West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada) to compress deployment timelines.
Background and details: The move responds to increasing grid congestion, interconnection delays, and surging AI load requests across US markets (notably Texas and the Southwest); Exowatt previously received a $50 million Series A extension backed by Overmatch Ventures, and company and industry leaders (Hannan Happi, Steven Dickens, Evan Loomis) emphasize modular and behind-the-meter solutions as strategic responses.

Mar 19, 2026

Nuclear Sprint: DOE and Industry Race to Meet Trump’s Target

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources convened March 19 to examine DOE implementation of President Trump’s May 2025 nuclear energy executive orders.

Main announcement/action: The hearing presented DOE and witnesses’ roadmap to expand U.S. nuclear capacity from ~100 GW today to 400 GW by 2050, with an executive-order milestone of three reactors achieving criticality by July 4, 2026; near-term measures include a $1 billion loan for the Crane Restart (expected 835 MW by 2028), Palisades restart (~800 MW) this summer, and reactor uprates adding ~2.5 GW by 2027 and ~5 GW by 2029. The DOE announced three $900 million enrichment awards, and Kairos Power is operating under a $303 million milestone-based technology investment agreement and a PPA to deliver up to 50 MW (part of up to 500 MW by 2035 with Google/TVA).
Background and other details: Witnesses flagged fuel supply vulnerabilities (Russia supplied ~20–25% of U.S. enriched uranium in 2024; a >3 million SWU gap exists), HALEU production gaps (no commercial-scale HALEU outside Russia/China), lithium-7 shortages for molten-salt reactors, INL facility timelines (e.g., DOME completion by March 31, 2026), participation in the Reactor Pilot Program (10 companies, 11 projects), and statutory/ export measures including the International Nuclear Energy Act of 2025 authorizing $65.5 million for export support and a Poland $47 billion AP1000 selection.

Mar 17, 2026

US Data Centre Pipeline Hits 241 GW, Growth Slows in Q4: Wood Mackenzie

Wood Mackenzie reported that the disclosed U.S. data centre pipeline reached 241 GW by end-2025, while Q4 additions slowed to about 25 GW.

Main finding: The disclosed U.S. data centre pipeline reached 241 GW by end-2025; Q4 2025 additions were ~25 GW (about half of Q3). Large-load capacity tied to construction or electricity supply agreements is ~183 GW (≈22% of U.S. peak demand in 2025), and developers shifted to executing existing projects due to load queue constraints and speculative mega-project activity in the U.S. South and Southwest.
Additional details: The report projects major developers will increase capital spending by about $94 billion versus 2025 (growth expected to slow in 2026). Oracle Corporation has taken on significant debt for its “Stargate” campuses (many relying on on-site generation). ERCOT and PJM account for 72% of large-load commitments; Texas leads planned capacity and on-site generation, while New Mexico, Indiana, and Wyoming saw the fastest Q4 project growth. The report also notes proposed grid/interconnection rule changes in ERCOT and Southwest Power Pool that could require new generation contracts or introduce non-firm transmission/curtailment risks.

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