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NM · State profile
New Mexico Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across New Mexico — updated daily.
Recent New Mexico data center news
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New Era Energy Stock Plummets After CEO Flouts Environmental Rules for Personal Gains in Oil & Gas Scam
The Office of the New Mexico Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against New Era Energy & Digital CEO Everett Willard Gray and two associates alleging a fraudulent scheme tied to oil and gas wells and seeking civil penalties and operational restrictions until remediation is completed.
- Main action: The complaint (filed in the First Judicial District Court) alleges Gray and affiliates used multiple shell companies to avoid plugging inactive wells, causing methane leaks and soil contamination, and engaged in fraudulent transfers, false statements to regulators, and strategic bankruptcies; plaintiffs seek civil penalties and an injunction to prevent the defendants from operating in New Mexico until proper remediation.
- Background & specifics: The company’s stock fell over 41% intraday and a further 8.9% after-hours following the lawsuit; the complaint states New Mexico typically bears average plugging costs of $163,000 per well (£120,697) when operators default; Gray is identified as founder/CEO of the original Remnant companies, managing member of Solis Partners (established June 2020 ‘to receive Remnant’s best wells,’), and CEO of New Era Energy & Digital; New Era has promoted a 3,500-acre land option in Lea County for a proposed multi-gigawatt AI data centre linked to natural gas and nuclear power initiatives.
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SoftBank to Acquire DigitalBridge for $4 Billion, Doubling Down on AI Infrastructure
SoftBank Group has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire DigitalBridge for an enterprise value of approximately $4.0 billion.
- Deal terms and timing: SoftBank will acquire all outstanding shares of DigitalBridge for $16.00 per share in cash (a 15% premium to the December 26 closing price and roughly a 50% premium to the unaffected 52-week average); the transaction was unanimously approved by DigitalBridge’s board and is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals.
- Background and strategic details: DigitalBridge is a Boca Raton, Florida–headquartered alternative asset manager that manages approximately $108 billion in assets across data centers, fiber networks, cell towers, small cells, and edge infrastructure; the acquisition is positioned to strengthen SoftBank’s AI infrastructure strategy (including participation in Project Stargate, a ~7 gigawatt planned buildout across Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio) and to let DigitalBridge operate as a separately managed platform while providing SoftBank long-duration capital and origination capabilities.
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How AI can help cut global emissions even as its power demands continue to impact the environment
The Associated Press reports that AI applications can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions even as AI computing and data centre energy use rises.
- Main announcement/action: The article documents multiple real-world AI applications that reduce emissions or improve energy efficiency, including building automation, EV charging scheduling, oil-and-gas methane flaring reduction, geothermal site discovery, and traffic-light optimization; key stats include data centres ≈1.5% of global electricity use (last year) and an IEA projection that that consumption could more than double by 2030. Names and concrete results cited: building automation can cut energy use 10–30%; Google’s Project Green Light can reduce stop‑and‑go traffic up to 30% and cut emissions ~10%; Geminus AI’s simulations run in seconds versus traditional ~36 hours; Zanskar purchased an underperforming geothermal plant in New Mexico last year and announced a second geothermal discovery in Nevada in September.
- Background and implementation details: The story cites experts and companies — Alexis Abramson (Columbia University Climate School), Bob French (75F), Zoltan Nagy (Eindhoven University of Technology), Greg Fallon (Geminus AI), Carl Hoiland and Joel Edwards (Zanskar), and Juliet Rothenberg (Google) — and describes a California pilot program that shifted EV charging to times with greater renewable supply and customer savings; IEA projections and UNEP findings on methane’s climate impact are used as factual context.
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‘Erosion of trust’: Michigan legislators push back on flood of data center proposals
The Michigan Legislature has introduced multiple bills aimed at increasing transparency and limiting data center development in the state.
- Main action and sponsors: Legislation includes a bill to repeal data center tax breaks (2025-HB-5396, introduced by Rep. Dylan Wegela), a bill to bar public officials from signing nondisclosure agreements for data center discussions (2025-HB-5399, introduced by Rep. Reggie Miller), and a bill to rescind a $100 million state grant for the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory data center (2025-HB-5362, introduced by Rep. Jimmie Wilson Jr.). The Michigan Public Service Commission approved DTE Energy contracts for the $7 billion, 1.4 GW Oracle and OpenAI data center in Saline Township (project on ~575 acres). Organizers are collecting 356,958 signatures for the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics (MMOP) ballot initiative, targeting the November 2026 ballot.
- Background and implementation details: Proposed Michigan Senate package would limit evaporative cooling to 2 million gallons/day, require the MPSC to publish annual water and energy use reports, and prohibit passing water infrastructure costs for data centers onto other customers. Utilities (DTE, Consumers) argue projects bring jobs and tax revenue; DTE states political contributions “are supported by the DTE voluntary employee PAC or DTE shareholders – not from customer revenue.” Local actions (e.g., Howell Township six-month moratorium) and ballot drives (MMOP) are cited as primary routes for residents to influence projects.
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NTIA Recommends $6.5M in Tribal Broadband Awards
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recommended nearly $6.5 million for nine Tribal broadband projects under the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP).
- Main announcement: NTIA recommended nearly $6.5 million in funding for nine Tribal broadband projects, including a $2.5 million award to Dena’ Nena’ Henash to complete four engineered, environmentally permitted, shovel-ready fiber-to-the-home network designs; awards also include $496,003 for a hybrid fiber/wireless network serving the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and $500,000 to the Barona Group to expand low-cost internet access.
- Background and timeline: NTIA is overhauling the $3 billion TBCP, paused most previously recommended grants in November, will hold Tribal consultations on January 13 and January 20, 2026, and plans to issue new guidance for a funding round in spring 2026; roughly $980 million from the program’s second funding round remained undistributed as of November.
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Vantage Breaks Ground on $15B Stargate Campus in Wisconsin
Vantage Data Centers has broken ground on the Lighthouse data center campus in Port Washington, Wisconsin.
- Project details: Lighthouse is a four-data-center campus on 674 acres delivering 902 MW of IT capacity; the project is described as driven by a $15 billion investment and the $8 billion first phase is being built by Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, The Weitz Company, Michels Corporation, and a Turner–McCarthy joint venture, with expected completion by 2028.
- Program context and partners: Lighthouse is part of Oracle and OpenAI’s Stargate initiative (a broader consortium including SoftBank, MGX, Arm, Microsoft, and Nvidia); Stargate is an ambitious $500 billion program aiming to deliver 10 GW of capacity over the next four years, with confirmed U.S. sites (Abilene TX; Shackelford County TX; Milam County TX; Doña Ana County NM; Lordstown OH) and international plans (Norway, UAE, UK, Argentina).
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US Expected To Install Over 7 GW of Wind Capacity In 2025, 36% More Than 2024
Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association released a report projecting the U.S. will add more than 7 GW of wind capacity in 2025 (a 36% increase from 2024) and remain on track to install 46 GW between 2025–2029.
- Main announcement: The report forecasts >7 GW of U.S. wind capacity additions in 2025 and an unchanged five-year outlook of 46 GW (2025–2029); capacity additions are expected to peak at 10.7 GW in 2026 and 12.7 GW in 2027, with 3.8 GW queued for Q4 2025 and Q3 2025 installations at 932 MW. It highlights major onshore projects including Pattern Energy’s 3.5-GW SunZia and Invenergy’s 998-MW Towner Energy Center, and notes Vineyard Wind connected 15 turbines and delivered about 200 GWh in the first nine months of the year.
- Background and details: The report cites utilities committing ~160 GW of large-load additions and expects peak demand growth averaging ~3% through 2029, with data centres accounting for roughly 59 GW of the projected 90 GW peak-demand increase. It flags risks from elevated turbine costs, tariffs, permitting delays, and expects U.S. onshore wind capex to rise ~5% through 2029; repowering activity is expected to add about 2.5 GW across 18 projects in the next three years.
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NVIDIA, US Government to Boost AI Infrastructure and R&D Investments Through Landmark Genesis Mission
NVIDIA has announced it will join the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission as a private industry partner and has signed an MOU with DOE to accelerate scientific discovery using AI, robotics and high‑performance computing.
- Genesis Mission partnership & MOU: NVIDIA will integrate a discovery platform connecting government, industry and academia under the DOE’s Genesis Mission, targeting AI leadership in energy, scientific research and national security, and has signed an MOU covering AI for manufacturing and supply chains, open‑source AI, fission and fusion energy, robotics, AI‑enabled digital twins, and quantum computing.
- Technical focus & prior collaborations: Existing and future work spans open AI science models (NVIDIA Apollo), robotics and autonomous labs, nuclear energy, quantum computing research, biology, materials science and synthetic design, subsurface and geothermal resources, and environmental cleanup; it builds on collaborations such as an Oracle‑NVIDIA DOE supercomputer at Argonne and seven new AI systems at Argonne and Los Alamos National Laboratories to advance DOE’s mission.
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How the 2026 Washington Legislature Can Right-Size the Power Grid
Washington State lawmakers are being urged to overhaul transmission planning and permitting to expand grid capacity and connect more clean energy by 2026.
- Main reforms proposed include creating a state transmission authority with revenue bonding power, broadening EFSEC expedited processing to avoid trial-like adjudicative hearings, clarifying or mandating that transmission lines be allowed in most/all local zones, and targeted SEPA exemptions or substitutions where impacts are minimal or already covered by EFSEC standards, all while preserving Tribal consultation and privacy.
- Context and details: Article cites New Mexico, Colorado, and California public or quasi-public transmission models, highlights decade-long stagnation in Washington grid build-out, documents multi-year local conditional use permit delays (e.g., Energize Eastside) and their cost pass-through to PSE customers, and references recent historic flooding in Washington as evidence of escalating climate risks that make faster grid expansion urgent.
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Lawmakers introduce bill to cancel $100 million University of Michigan data center grant
Michigan State Rep. Jimmie Wilson Jr. introduced legislation to rescind a $100 million state grant awarded for the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory’s planned data center in Ypsilanti Township.
- Main action: Legislation introduced by Rep. Jimmie Wilson Jr. seeks to rescind a $100 million state grant (awarded by the Michigan Strategic Fund / Michigan Economic Development Corp.) for the U‑M / Los Alamos data center project; the Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees passed a Dec. 2 resolution calling the grant application a “bait and switch” and urging cancellation.
- Background and details: The overall project is described as a $1.2 billion initiative with U‑M financing $850 million, initially proposed for a 20‑acre site (grant application) while the university later acquired 124.68 acres on Textile Road; construction is scheduled to begin in 2028 and complete by 2031, the project would include two computing centers and the university says it will support research in medicine, climate science, energy, and national security; a petition signed by over 700 U‑M employees, faculty, and students calls to cancel the project and end the Los Alamos partnership.