New Mexico Data Center Intel

Recent New Mexico data center news

• Jan 23, 2026

  In Davos debut, Musk says US tariffs make solar power a challenge

  Elon Musk was interviewed at Davos by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, during which he criticised US solar tariffs and outlined aggressive targets for Tesla and his AI/robotics efforts.

  • Main announcement/action: Musk said the United States could produce enough solar power to meet all of its electricity needs by using a “small corner of Utah, Nevada or New Mexico,” criticised high US solar tariffs as making solar economics artificially poor, and flagged humanoid robot sales next year plus European approval for self-driving tech within weeks.
  • Background and context: The interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland covered Musk’s roles at Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI, referenced a freeze on US approvals for major wind and solar projects leaving thousands of megawatts in limbo, and noted growing electricity demand from Big Tech data centres; remarks were part of a technology-focused session rather than a geopolitical discussion.
• Jan 20, 2026

  Fiber Broadband Report Notes Significant Progress on Fiber Deployment, Increased Costs

  The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) released its yearly fiber deployment report showing 60% of U.S. households are serviceable by fiber.

  • Report findings: 84.6m homes now have fiber access (60% of U.S. households), representing an 11% increase from 2024; 16% of households have access to multiple providers; rural locations now have nearly 50% fiber coverage with fastest growth in Arizona, Idaho, Maine, New Mexico, Wyoming (average 39% YoY).
  • Cost and deployment pressures: Growth is largely driven by private investment from ILECs and support from BEAD funding; labor and materials account for 55% of total project expenditures, “make ready” costs increased 150% in some cases shifting projects to aerial builds, and permitting represents ~10% of average project cost and causes delays that “domino effect” other cost components. The report noted no observed cost savings from provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as previously predicted by FBA leadership.
• Jan 13, 2026

  New Mexico Completes First ConnectNM Pilot Project

  New Mexico’s Office of Broadband Access and Expansion announced the completion of a Connect New Mexico Pilot Program project that brings high-speed internet to 52 rural homes in Chaves County.

  • Project details: OBAE awarded an ARPA grant of $487,000 to the Penasco Valley Telephone Cooperative to construct nearly 11 miles of aerial fiber to 52 rural residences; the total project budget was $649,000 with matching funds from the cooperative.
  • Program and timeline context: The project is the first fully completed under the ConnectNM Pilot Program; it supports New Mexico’s three-year broadband plan targeting total statewide broadband access by 2029 and proposes launching a statewide broadband subsidy by 2027. OBAE has awarded 21 grants to ISPs and tribal communities and intends to continue the Pilot Program into 2026 by delegating it as a key performance target of the statewide plan.
• Jan 9, 2026

  CES2026: From Innovation to Guardrails, Senators Confront Tech’s Next Phase

  Democratic senators at CES called for faster federal policy on broadband affordability, AI safeguards, biotechnology security, and autonomous systems.

  • Main action: At the Consumer Electronics Show, Senators Jacky Rosen, Ben Ray Luján, and Gary Peters urged Congress and regulators to accelerate reforms on broadband affordability and data governance, citing the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program and warning that roughly 90 million Americans live in households that cannot afford broadband even where networks exist. They pressed for Universal Service Fund (USF) modernization and noted a bipartisan Universal Service Fund Working Group is examining reforms to stabilize funding and expand eligibility.
  • Background and details: Senators highlighted national-security and safety measures: BIOSECURE Act (included in the recent defense authorization bill) to protect biomedical/genomic data; reliance of federally funded researchers on Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories high-performance computing and secure data environments; calls for transparency in AI training data and federal standards for vehicle automation including references to the HALT Act and proposals for driver-monitoring and impaired-driving detection systems. The panel cited Nvidia‘s recent chip announcement as accelerating commercialization pressures on regulators.
• Jan 8, 2026

  Exus Renewables North America Closes $400-Million Credit Facility for Solar, Wind, Storage Projects

  Exus Renewables North America has closed a $400-million senior secured corporate credit facility to fund development and expansion of its wind, solar and battery storage portfolio.

  • Transaction and uses: The company closed a $400-million senior secured corporate credit facility (announced January 8) arranged by Santander, Barclays, ING Capital, and Nomura as Coordinating Lead Arrangers, with KeyBanc Capital Markets and BHI (Bank Hapoalim’s US commercial arm) as Joint Lead Arrangers; proceeds will fund development-stage expenditures including interconnection deposits, commercial offtake, equipment procurement, and other project development expenses across its North American pipeline.
  • Portfolio and advisors: Exus has more than 700 MW in operations or under construction, 4.5 GW in active development, and ~5.8 GW in total portfolio; the company was advised by PEI Global Partners with Latham & Watkins as legal counsel, while lenders were advised by Paul Hastings. PPA counterparts noted include Google and Meta (no financial terms disclosed).
• Jan 7, 2026

  New Mexico Unveils Plan to Expand Affordable Broadband

  New Mexico’s Office of Broadband Access and Expansion has proposed a state telecommunications affordability program to replace the expired federal Affordable Connectivity Program and included the proposal in a three-year statewide broadband plan aiming for universal access by 2029.

  • Program announcement & timeline: The plan proposes a telecommunications affordability program to provide a monthly subsidy for eligible households, with the affordability fund launching in 2027; the statewide plan sets a goal of universal access by 2029 and lists 2026 targets such as completing all Connect NM and CPF-funded projects, finalizing all BEAD awards, and deploying a statewide broadband permit finder tool.
  • Background, funding and project details: OBAE submitted a $675 million BEAD final proposal to the NTIA, managed 21 CPF and ARPA projects totaling $117 million in 2025 with 100 Mbps symmetrical speed requirements, committed $58 million for 22 Connect NM fund projects, launched the Community Connect grant program, increased Lifeline enrollment, and provided over 4,000 student households with affordable broadband through the Student Connect Program for a minimum of three years.
• Jan 7, 2026

  SoftBank, DigitalBridge, and Stargate: The Next Phase of OpenAI’s Infrastructure Strategy

  OpenAI launched Project Stargate as a national-scale AI infrastructure orchestrator on Jan. 21, 2025, coordinating capital, land, power, and supply-chain partners to secure long-duration, frontier-scale compute.

  • Main announcement and commitments: OpenAI announced Project Stargate with an intention to invest up to $500 billion over 4–5 years, including $100 billion targeted for near-term deployment; by late 2025 the program had publicized multi-gigawatt site plans (4.5 GW in July; >8 GW by Oct.) and multi-hundred-billion dollar projected investments (e.g., ~$400B and $450B figures tied to U.S. site portfolios). Key named partners in implementation include Oracle, SoftBank (and DigitalBridge), Samsung, SK hynix, NVIDIA, G42, Cisco, Vantage Data Centers, and local developers.

  • Background, timeline, and implementation detail: The 2025 rollout focused on governance, partner alignment, and power-first site selection with sites announced in Texas (Shackelford, Milam), New Mexico (Doña Ana), Ohio (Lordstown), Wisconsin, and Michigan (Saline Township); notable implementation constraints include grid interconnection, permitting, and financing underwrites (e.g., reporting of a stalled underwriting on an ~$10 billion Michigan project). International nodes include Stargate UAE (1 GW, G42-operated) and exploratory Stargate Argentina (LOI, ~$25B, up to 500 MW).

• Jan 7, 2026

  Looking Ahead to 2026: Signals from Energy, AI, and Industry

  MCJ published a set of predictions for 2026 covering energy, AI, data centers, nuclear fission, grid policy, and geoengineering.

  • Main announcement (predictions): MCJ contributors (Cody, David, Yin, Thai, Casey) forecast automation and autonomy moving from pilots into default infrastructure; consolidation in AI and data center markets via acquisitions; a migration of founders and commercialization activity to the American Southwest (Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas); continued fission buildout supported by DOE underwriting and hyperscaler offtake with “shovels in the ground” expected in 2026; and geoengineering becoming an investible category as philanthropic and early equity flows increase.
  • Background and concrete details: The piece cites ERCOT-inspired storage frameworks (e.g., RTC+B) and broader ISO adoption starting in 2026 to enable real-time co-optimization and unified market participation for storage; predicts vertical integration in the AI/data center sector where buyers target combinations of land, power generation, and software; notes DOE financing for nuclear restarts since 2024 and anticipates novel reactors demonstrating criticality in 2026. Contact for submissions or feedback: info@mcj.vc.
• Jan 2, 2026

  State Broadband Bills of 2025: A Legislative Review

  State legislatures across the United States enacted and considered broadband-related legislation in 2025; fewer than 140 of more than 600 proposed bills became law.

  • Main actions: States enacted laws prioritizing infrastructure and permitting reforms, pole and rights-of-way access, criminal penalties for theft/vandalism, state broadband funding, and data center incentives. Notable enacted measures include Hawaii H 934 (established a state Broadband Office and programs, enacted in June and backed by $400 million in combined funding), West Virginia SB 907 (expanded the Economic Development Project Fund to allow up to $25 million annually for broadband incentives and up to $125 million annually for broadband loan insurance) and West Virginia HB 2014 (signed in April; created microgrid districts with zoning/permitting exemptions and special property tax treatment for qualifying projects).
  • Additional details and timelines: States also raised criminal penalties (e.g., Oklahoma classified willful damage to a critical infrastructure facility as a Class D3 felony with fines up to $100,000 and prison up to 10 years; Louisiana authorized fines up to $50,000 and prison up to 20 years; California AB 476 increased penalties for knowingly buying illegally obtained scrap metal to $5,000). Other enacted programs include California SB 338 (a $2 million telehealth pilot), New Mexico SB 126 (Rural USF increased from $30 million to $40 million), and Oregon’s device support up to $100 in Lifeline-related assistance. At least 37 states passed data center incentives in 2025 and over 1,000 AI-focused bills were introduced nationwide, with ~38 states adopting or enacting roughly 100 AI measures in 2025.
• Dec 30, 2025

  Environment and health in New Mexico: top stories of 2025

  Source NM published a roundup of New Mexico’s top environment and health stories of 2025, highlighting PFAS contamination, a measles outbreak, federal land policy shifts, inclusion of New Mexican downwinders in RECA, data center development impacts, and groundwater toxic metals.

  • Main coverage: Source NM summarized key 2025 actions: PFAS regulation efforts (EPA 2029 deadline for public water systems; NM Environment Department proposed PFAS rules to the Environmental Improvement Board with public hearings potentially as early as February), RECA expansion that now includes New Mexican downwinders with an application deadline Dec. 31, 2027 and an online portal the Department of Justice expects by year-end, and Project Jupiter — Doña Ana County approved $165 billion in bonds for a large data center campus that has applied for permits to build natural gas generating stations and was told the permit applications were “incomplete” and given until Jan. 19 to provide more information.
  • Background and other details: The piece also reports a measles outbreak with more than 100 cases over six months (outbreak ended in September), discovery of toxic metals (antimony, arsenic, uranium) in Mora County groundwater potentially linked to Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire-suppression foam with approximately $2 billion remaining in federal compensation funds under consideration, and federal land policy shifts (USDA roadless rule consultation; Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s comments on the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule) with New Mexico leaders urging protection around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.