Texas Data Center Intel

Recent Texas data center news

• Jun 25, 2026

  Meta, Microsoft lead $850 billion boom in data center leases

  Bloomberg analysis reports Meta Platforms and Microsoft committed tens of billions of dollars in additional future data-center leases, pushing total future lease commitments among major cloud computing companies above $850 billion.

  • Main announcement:Meta Platforms added $79 billion in new commitments (a 76% increase over the prior period) bringing its total to $182.9 billion as of March 31; Microsoft added more than $41 billion in commitments, taking its total to $196.6 billion. Amazon added $10 billion, Oracle’s future-dated leases slightly declined, and CoreWeave Inc. remained largely flat. These additions are part of an overall pool of more than $850 billion in future lease commitments reported by Bloomberg.
  • Context and details: Future lease costs won’t appear on balance sheets until payments begin; leases are generally tied to data centers but can include offices or warehouses and often contain escape clauses. The commitments are expected to be paid out over the next two decades. Microsoft had paused leasing through much of 2025 and recently announced a large server farm project in west Texas in partnership with Chevron Corp.
• Jun 24, 2026

  Construction employment rises in 30 states over past year, AGC reports

  The Associated General Contractors of America reported that construction employment increased in 30 states and the District of Columbia between May 2025 and May 2026.

  • Main announcement: AGC reported state construction employment increased in 30 states and D.C. between May 2025 and May 2026; Texas added 18,700 jobs (2.1%), North Carolina added 13,600, Wisconsin added 9,000, and Wisconsin posted the largest percentage increase (6.2%); California recorded the largest annual decline at 13,100 jobs (−1.5%).
  • Monthly detail and risks: From April to May, construction employment increased in 23 states and D.C., declined in 22 states, and was unchanged in 5 states; monthly leaders included Texas (+3,600) and Wisconsin (+2,900). AGC officials Ken Simonson and Jeffrey D. Shoaf cautioned that opposition to data center projects and uncertainty over federal transportation funding pose threats to future construction job growth.
• Jun 24, 2026

  Texas Approves Batch Zero Study as Data Center Demand Soars

  The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved ERCOT’s Batch Zero framework on June 18 to centralize evaluation of new large loads and expansions of 75 MW or more.

  • Main action:PUCT approved ERCOT’s Batch Zero framework (one-time, systemwide interconnection study) to evaluate new large loads and load expansions of 75 MW or more; ERCOT will classify projects as committed Base Load, included in Batch Zero, or deferred and may require completed studies, executed interconnection agreements, equipment purchases, and site construction evidence to qualify as Base Load.
  • Background/details: ERCOT estimates ~35 GW as committed Base Load and ~65 GW to be evaluated in Batch Zero (combined exceeding historical peak demand of ~85 GW); the framework centralizes previously utility-by-utility studies, creates a refinement process linking Batch Zero transmission projects into ERCOT’s Regional Planning Group, and responds to a surge of data center and AI-related power requests.
• Jun 24, 2026

  Canada's Beacon DC targets 275MW data center campus on California oil field

  Beacon Data Centers has announced plans for the Golden Valley Technology Hub, a new 275MW data center development on the Elk Hills Oil Field in Kern County, in partnership with California Resources Corporation (CRC).

  • Project details: 275MW Golden Valley Technology Hub on a 100-acre site with 400,000 sq ft (37,161 sqm) of data center space, an on-site substation, and closed-loop liquid cooling. The facility will be powered by CRC’s Elk Hills Power Plant with existing utility grid connections as backup and fifteen 2.5MW diesel generators for additional backup. Timelines for construction were not shared.
  • Background and context: Beacon was launched by Nadia Partners (March 2023) as Beacon AI Centers and claims a portfolio of more than ten campuses representing 6GW planned capacity (projects in Alberta, New Brunswick, Texas, Kern County CA, Calvert AL, and Ohio). CRC operates the adjacent 550MW Elk Hills natural gas power plant, acquired the Elk Hills Field in 2018, and had previously said it would “evaluate potential data center sites and power needs” for offtake from the power plant.
• Jun 24, 2026

  QTS files to expand Fort Worth, Texas, data center for a third time

  QTS has filed for a $300 million expansion (QTS FTW1 DC1 Expansion) at its FTW DC1 data center in Fort Worth, Texas.

  • Project details: The filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation names the project QTS FTW1 DC1 Expansion, with an estimated cost of $300 million, scheduled start date 2026-07-01 and end date 2027-10-01, to build a two-story, 147,946 sq ft (13,744 sqm) data center at 14100 Park Vista Boulevard (same address as FTW DC1).
  • Background and related filings: FTW DC1 was acquired by QTS in 2017 from Health Care Services Corporation. QTS previously filed for a separate FTW DC2 project (listed as a 471,875 sq ft, $220m facility) in April 2022 and re-filed in January 2024. QTS also has other Texas developments: a 165 MW, 56-acre facility in Irving, a 90 MW, 32-acre facility in San Antonio, and an in-development site in Wilmer (previous filings referenced).
• Jun 23, 2026

  Massachusetts’ Kopin Corp. To Open New Optics and Photonics Design Center in Dallas

  Kopin Corp. has announced plans to open a new Optics and Photonics Design Center in Dallas, slated to open by the end of 2026.

  • Main announcement: Kopin will open a dedicated Optics and Photonics Design Center in Dallas by the end of 2026 that will include optics and photonics lab space, a design and engineering center, advanced R&D capabilities focused on Neural I/o, and manufacturing capacity for Neural I/o and ASOS systems. The company presented this as an expansion of its U.S.-based engineering footprint to accelerate next-generation Neural I/o development for the AI infrastructure market.
  • Background and related details: Kopin has a strategic joint development agreement with NYC-based Fabric.AI to build MicroLED-based optical interconnect technology for high-performance AI data centers; the article also notes an initial microdisplay production order received in February from a Tier-1 European defense contractor for a rotary-wing helmet-mounted display integration.
• Jun 23, 2026

  Landry to regulators: Protect the ratepayers in Entergy’s proposed power plant deal

  Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has urged the Louisiana Public Service Commission to thoroughly scrutinize Entergy’s proposed acquisition of a Texas power plant tied to Meta’s Hyperion data center before approving cost recovery.

  • Main action: Gov. Jeff Landry called on the Louisiana Public Service Commission to evaluate whether Entergy’s proposed purchase of a Texas power plant (to help power Meta’s Hyperion data center) provides measurable public value — such as improved reliability, additional generating capacity, or long-term savings — and to ensure protections for ratepayers before costs are added to electric bills.
  • Background/details: The article notes Entergy’s broader expansion plans include natural gas-fired power plants built to serve the Hyperion project in northeast Louisiana; consumer advocates and some policymakers warn about the mismatch between decades-long plant lifespans and shorter large-customer contracts, which could leave residential and small-business customers exposed to costs if major customers do not renew agreements.
• Jun 23, 2026

  Virginia Approves First-Ever Data Center Power Tax

  Virginia lawmakers approved budget legislation establishing a data center electricity consumption tax of $0.011 per kWh effective July 1, 2026; the bill now heads to Governor Abigail Spanberger.

  • New tax: establishes a data center electricity consumption tax of $0.011 per kWh on all electricity consumed by data centers (applies to utility-supplied, competitive retail providers, and self-generated/behind-the-meter power), effective July 1, 2026; legislative estimates project $600 million annually (about $1.2 billion over the two-year budget cycle). A continuously operating 500 MW facility is estimated to owe ~$48 million annually, and a 1 GW campus would owe nearly $100 million before refunds.
  • Implementation & scope: the State Corporation Commission will collect the tax monthly and must develop implementation guidelines within 60 days of budget passage; the law preserves the sales and use tax exemption for qualifying data center equipment, includes a refund mechanism returning collections above $600 million proportionally to operators, and explicitly excludes data centers from a separate utility rate carveout for large-load industrial customers (which applies to facilities with demand ≥25 MW and workforce ≥200, capped at 150 MW aggregate participation unless SCC approves a higher limit).
• Jun 23, 2026

  Nexus DC files to develop data center in Dallas, Texas

  Nexus Data Centers has filed to develop a data center at 357 HCR 3372 in Hubbard, Hill County, Texas.

  • Project details: Nexus - Apex DFW HB1 is set to span 491,380 sq ft (45,650 sqm) with a $400 million construction budget; construction is scheduled from January 2026 to October 2027 at the Hubbard site (357 HCR 3372).
  • Background and financing: The filing follows reports of a 600MW natural gas-powered campus proposal; Google is reportedly providing financial backing and the project is said to serve Anthropic. In March, Nexus’ unit Nexus Apex Holdings, LLC secured two senior secured credit financings from Eagle Point Credit Management LLC to support a 2,900-acre data center and behind-the-meter energy campus (amounts not disclosed).
• Jun 23, 2026

  Chevron Lands 20-Year Microsoft Deal to Power West Texas AI Campus

  Chevron and Microsoft announced a 20-year power supply agreement for Project Kilby, a planned Microsoft-operated data center campus near Pecos, Texas.

  • Main announcement: Chevron (through subsidiary Energy Forge One) and Microsoft signed a 20-year agreement to supply dedicated dispatchable power for Project Kilby, targeting approximately 2.67 GW of generation capacity built in phases with first power planned for 2028 and Chevron aiming for a final investment decision by end of 2026. Microsoft said the campus will add roughly 2 GW of data center capacity over the next 5–7 years.
  • Background and implementation details: Turbine suppliers identified include GE Vernova and Solar Turbines (a Caterpillar subsidiary); the project is sited in the Permian Basin to leverage local natural gas fuel and infrastructure. The development is expected to create more than 6,000 construction jobs and hundreds of permanent operational positions, and it formalizes talks disclosed in April into a binding long-term power agreement.