Texas Data Center Intel

Recent Texas data center news

• Apr 8, 2026

  Chevron-Microsoft Talks Hint at the Future of AI Power Infrastructure

  Chevron has entered exclusivity negotiations with Microsoft and Engine No. 1 to explore development of a large natural gas-fired power plant intended to serve AI data center demand.

  • Main announcement: The companies have signed an exclusivity agreement to explore a power generation and electricity offtake arrangement for a proposed natural gas-fired plant in West Texas, with an estimated cost of roughly $7 billion and an initial capacity of about 2,500 MW; no definitive commercial terms or final agreement have been reached.
  • Background and details: The talks aim to deliver behind-the-meter, always-on supply to support hyperscaler AI workloads rather than rely solely on grid or renewables; Engine No. 1‘s involvement signals potential for a dedicated development and financing structure, and the parties are still negotiating configuration, financing, and whether this would be a single site or the start of a larger portfolio.
• Apr 8, 2026

  ICYMI: Mission First, AI Forward

  Dell Technologies announced initiatives to help federal agencies, research institutions, and communities move AI from pilot to production by supplying mission-ready infrastructure, partnerships, and secure solutions.

  • Main announcement: Dell is partnering with U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Navy / Naval Postgraduate School, NVIDIA, and research centers to deliver mission-ready AI infrastructure, including the delivery of Cech — a Dell-powered early-access system for NERSC ahead of full deployment later this year, shipment of a desktop with NVIDIA GB300 technology, and co-engineering an air-gapped solution for classified environments. Michael Dell’s participation in the Dell Federal Symposium and his appointment to PCAST were highlighted as part of federal engagement.
  • Background and other details: Activities span events and programs: Dell Federal Symposium (Washington, D.C.) promoting practical, secure AI; NVIDIA GTC debut of GB300 desktop and air-gapped solution; RSA 2026 announcements on quantum-ready security; community efforts include TCU university AI environment, a United Way Institute launch in North Texas with an AI Day of Learning on April 20 (North Texas), and a Power Up Philly AI Discovery Zone at Temple University. External recognitions cited include Ethisphere, Forbes, Fast Company, and Nextgov/FCW.
• Apr 7, 2026

  Fervo, Turboden Sign 1.7-GW Turbine Deal for Geothermal Power Plants

  Turboden America LLC has announced a framework turbine supply agreement to provide ORC turbines for up to 35 GeoBlocks (1,750 MW) to Fervo Energy.

  • Main announcement: Turboden America LLC will supply its Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) turbines for up to 35 GeoBlocks (35 × 50 MW = 1,750 MW) for Fervo Energy, building on a prior agreement to supply ORC units for three 50-MW GeoBlocks at Fervo’s Cape Station, Utah project; the agreement also establishes delivery timelines intended to enable faster project execution and a more resilient supply chain.
  • Background and details: Turboden America LLC is a subsidiary of Turboden S.p.A. (part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group); Fervo is headquartered in Houston, Texas and is in advanced commissioning of Phase I at Cape Station (expected online later this year); the announcement notes ORC turbines convert heat into power without increasing fuel consumption, water use, or CO2 emissions and can be paired with gas turbines and industrial waste-heat processes; data center developers are cited as exploring geothermal as baseload power.
• Apr 7, 2026

  CO2 battery startup Energy Dome signs MOU to deploy technology at Texas data centre

  Energy Dome has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with New Era Energy & Digital (NUAI) to evaluate deployment of its CO2 Battery Plus at NUAI’s Texas Critical Data Centres (TCDC) in Odessa, Texas.

  • Main announcement: The MOU creates a framework for Energy Dome (headquartered in Italy) and NUAI to evaluate implementing CO2 Battery Plus to support NUAI’s AI-optimised 1GW data centre in Odessa, Texas, with priorities on speed to power, reduced reliance on grid interconnection timelines, high availability for mission-critical operations, and lower-emissions power generation.
  • Background and related projects/details: Energy Dome’s CO2 Battery Plus uses waste heat from OCGT exhaust (removing the need for prior heat storage) and can operate in Charge, Discharge (SuperBoost) and Generation (Boost) modes (SuperBoost can more than double output; Generation can boost net gas turbine output by as much as 25%). Related deployments: 200MWh Sardinia project (financial close 2024, Engie offtake signed in late 2024); Alliant Energy 20MW/200MWh project approved by regulators in July 2025 (construction to begin this year, completion expected by end of 2027). The article also references other LDES and multi-day battery deals including Google’s strategic investment in Energy Dome, Google’s plan for 30GWh of Form Energy iron-air batteries in Minnesota, and Form Energy’s 12GWh supply agreement with Crusoe.
• Apr 7, 2026

  Cold-Climate Data Centers: The Next Hot Thing in Data Center Growth

  This article outlines the case for cold-climate data centers and cites industry examples and a pitch by Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy.

  • Main point: The article describes how cold-climate data centers leverage naturally low ambient temperatures for free cooling, reducing energy and water use; it cites recent industry activity including Equinix and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s $4 billion acquisition of atNorth (atNorth operates eight data centers across Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland) and states there are nearly three dozen data centers in the Arctic.
  • Background and details: The piece lists operators (Google in Hamina, Verne Global in Iceland, Green Mountain in Norway, Northern Data) and highlights logistical constraints: distance from population centers, limited power and networking infrastructure, and access challenges; at Data Center World Power in Texas (last year) Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy pitched Alaska, claiming being “30 degrees cooler than Texas” could save a one-gigawatt plant upwards of $150 million a year in ancillary cooling costs.
• Apr 7, 2026

  Banpu to invest $1.5bn to expand operations in US

  Banpu has announced it will invest at least $1.5bn (Bt48.86bn) to expand its US power operations to capitalise on rising electricity demand from data centres.

  • Planned investment: Banpu will invest at least $1.5bn (Bt48.86bn) through its US arm BKV to expand US power capacity; BKV is considering building new gas-fired power plants and buying existing facilities to add around 1GW of generating capacity, with a focus on Texas.
  • Background and additional details: Banpu already operates two Texas gas-fired plants (acquired in 2021 and 2023) of ~1.5GW each, manages 3GW of power projects in China, Laos, Vietnam and Australia, and plans to increase coal production in China, Indonesia and other nations amid short-term demand shifts due to Middle East supply disruptions.
• Apr 7, 2026 · Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

  Four Reasons New AI Data Centers Won’t Overwhelm the Electricity Grid

  Robin Gaster argues that the AI Data Center Moratorium Act introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is unnecessary and misunderstands the drivers of electricity prices.

  • Main point: The author contends the moratorium is unnecessary because electricity price increases are driven largely by fuel costs (especially natural gas), capacity/backup costs, and utility capex, and there are four practical pathways (slower buildout, demand management, bring-your-own-power/BYOP, and utility contract structures) to add data center load without raising rates. The piece explicitly rejects emergency federal action and frames the Sanders–Ocasio-Cortez bill as an inappropriate response.
  • Background and specifics:>240 GW of data center announcements (mostly planned to 2030) is cited but only ~1/3 being built; OpenAI plans $600 billion in data center investment by 2030 vs ~$20 billion in revenues; PJM capacity prices rose from ~$60/kWh (2024) to > $300/kWh (2025); typical permit timelines 6–18 months, design/construction 20–54 months, queue times in PJM up to 8 years; contractual protections noted include 15-year minimum contracts, ~85% minimum load guarantees, exit fees, and “hold harmless” guarantees used by some hyperscalers.
• Apr 6, 2026

  Trump EPA’s budget proposal boosts AI

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed its FY2027 budget blueprint that increases staffing and funding for AI and seeks regulatory changes to accelerate data center build-out while cutting overall EPA funding.

  • Main announcement: The EPA, under Administrator Lee Zeldin, proposes to prioritize making America “the AI Capital of the World” via new staffing and cash for AI and by easing regulations for data center build-out; the request would reduce EPA’s annual funding to $4.2 billion (a cut of more than 50%) in the FY2027 proposal. The plan is presented in the agency’s fiscal 2027 blueprint and is part of Zeldin’s five-pillar plan, “Powering the Great American Comeback.”
  • Background and other details: The documents (released Friday) also show a push to slash funding for watershed cleanups in blue states and align with the “Make America Healthy Again” movement; the five-pillar plan also lists protecting the environment, restoring energy dominance, permitting reform, and backing the auto industry.
• Apr 6, 2026

  How a 350-Location Pharmacy Chain Put PowerStore’s Kubernetes Promise to the Test​

  Drogaria Araujo has deployed Dell PowerStore (with PowerEdge compute) to support mission-critical Kubernetes workloads across its retail pharmacy environment.

  • Deployment details: Drogaria Araujo has implemented Dell PowerStore paired with PowerEdge and VMware Tanzu to support 657 mission-critical deployments (containers, VMs, databases) and process over 100 million transactions per month, aiming for a single unified storage and operational model.
  • Context and source: This information is presented as a Dell Technologies blog case study (author: Dell Technologies / Jon Hyde) describing the technical architecture—including the Container Storage Modules (CSM) framework—and explaining that the deployment addresses prior performance bottlenecks and management complexity as Kubernetes adoption grew.
• Apr 6, 2026

  From Meta to Mars: The Top 5 Global Corporate Buyers of Clean Energy

  Saur Energy reports the top five corporate buyers of clean energy in 2025: Meta, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Mars.

  • Main announcement: The article ranks the top five corporate offtakers and reports concrete procurement figures: Meta and Amazon together contracted 20.4 GW of clean energy in 2025 (including 4.7 GW of nuclear). Specific company metrics include Meta: ~8 GW of solar in 2025 and >29 GW contracted globally as of Sep 2025; Amazon: ~4 GW solar, 2 GW wind, nearly 4 GW nuclear in 2025 and a portfolio of >700 projects across 28 countries as of Feb 2026; Google: 4,181 MW contracted in 2025 and >22 GW signed since 2010; Microsoft: added >2 GW in 2025 and has contracted 40 GW to the grid (≈19 GW online as of Feb 2026); Mars: over 1 GW contracted in 2025.
  • Context and supporting details: The piece is an analytical report citing company disclosures and BloombergNEF data. It references recent PPAs and partnerships (e.g., Meta+ENGIE North America >1.3 GW across four Texas projects; Meta+Enbridge 600 MW Clear Fork solar; Amazon 472 MW OX2 wind in Sweden; Amazon 476 MW Iberdrola PPAs in Spain; Amazon 300 MW hybrid wind-solar in India; Google 1 GW with TotalEnergies in Texas and 1.2 GW with Clearway; Mars Renewable Acceleration deals with Enel North America, GoldenPeaks, and Foresight). It also notes market-level figures: 55.9 GW of corporate clean power deals in 2025 (a 10% decline YoY), Engie contracted 3.6 GW, and 5.2 GW of baseload-like clean firm products. The article is a summary/analysis of existing deals and reports, not a single new corporate announcement.