Texas Data Center Intel

Recent Texas data center news

• Jan 29, 2026

  NERC Warns Long-Term Grid Reliability Risks Mounting from Surging Demand, Lagging Resources

  NERC released the 2025 Long-Term Reliability Assessment (LTRA) on Jan. 29, 2026 highlighting accelerating grid reliability risks driven largely by data centers and AI-related load growth for the 2026–2035 period.

  • Key findings and concrete metrics: The assessment projects summer peak demand rising by 224 GW and winter demand by 245 GW over the next decade (2026–2035) based on mid-2025 data; it identifies 13 of 23 assessment areas facing elevated or high resource adequacy risk, cites 105 GW of planned generator retirements (a 10 GW reduction from last year), notes battery/wind/solar increased by 23 GW year-over-year, and reports 41,000 miles of transmission projects above 100 kV under construction/planning (versus 28,275 miles last year) with ~900 projects of which ~390 are delayed.
  • Regions, programs, and recommended actions: Regions flagged as elevated/high risk include MISO, PJM, ERCOT, WECC-Northwest, WECC-Basin, and SERC-Central; FERC-approved expedited resource programs (late summer 2025) for MISO, PJM, and SPP are noted though most additions were not modeled; the assessment highlights fuel assurance concerns (Canada: 97% firm gas rights example) and recommends expedited resource additions, streamlined siting/permitting, and coordinated electric–gas planning to address near-term adequacy shortfalls.
• Jan 29, 2026

  The Data Center Surge Has a Hidden Source of Carbon Emissions

  Tech companies are becoming buyers of low-carbon concrete as US data center construction surges.

  • Main announcement: Major tech firms (notably Microsoft and Amazon) are securing low-carbon concrete supply and forming buyer coalitions to reduce embodied emissions in data center construction; Microsoft agreed to purchase up to 622,500 metric tons of cement from Sublime Systems over six to nine years, and Amazon has a deal with Brimstone and is using low-carbon concrete in data centers in Virginia and Oregon.
  • Background and details:RMI projects data center expansion through 2030 will require 2 million metric tons of cement (traditional concrete would emit 1.9 million metric tons CO2); the Sustainable Concrete Buyers Alliance was launched in September by RMI and the Center for Green Market Activation with members including Amazon, Meta, and Prologis; the Inflation Reduction Act had earmarked roughly $1.6 billion for green concrete support which was later pulled, and Sublime cited an $87 million government funding loss and paused its Holyoke factory (laid off 10% of staff).
• Jan 29, 2026

  Country’s Largest Air Pollution Permit Issued to Power Plant for Data Centers in West Texas, Developer Says

  The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued the largest air pollution permit this week to Pacifico Energy’s GW Ranch project in Pecos County.

  • Permit and project details: The permit authorizes Pacifico Energy’s 7.65 GW GW Ranch and allows releases of over 12,000 tons/year of regulated air pollutants and up to 33 million tons/year of greenhouse gases; Pacifico called the project “the largest power project in the United States” in its press release. The article reports calculations that GW Ranch could consume 1–2 billion cubic feet of gas per day (about 4–7% of Permian Basin 2025 production).
  • Context and related developments: Reporting/analysis based on the developers’ press release, TCEQ permitting documents and a Global Energy Monitor (GEM) data release showing Texas added nearly 58 GW of gas power projects to the pipeline in 2025; related projects noted include Fermi America (6 GW applied permits), Chevron (up to 5 GW announced), and permit examples for Misae Gas Power (519 MW) and Sandow Lakes Power Plant (1.2 GW). TCEQ denied a community request for a hearing on Sandow and issued permits at a public meeting.
• Jan 29, 2026

  Rethinking Water in the AI Data Center Era

  Gradiant announced it secured two contracts to design and deploy sustainable water solutions for new data center sites in the United States and the Indo-Pacific (May 2025), positioning large AI campuses as mission-critical industrial water systems rather than secondary cooling loads.

  • Main announcement: Gradiant (May 2025) secured two contracts to design and deploy industrial-scale water solutions in the United States and the Indo-Pacific, emphasizing zero liquid discharge (ZLD) and systems that can recover/reuse up to 99% of process water onsite; the company also promotes its SmartOps AI platform for real-time water/wastewater operations and reliability.
  • Background & related actions: Other verifiable initiatives include Meta + ION Water (Jan 15, 2026) launching a watershed-scale program in the Brazos River Watershed to conserve ~26 million gallons over five years (metered, in-watershed measurement); Xylem + Amazon (Sept 2025) announced municipal-scale leakage-reduction projects in Mexico City and Monterrey estimating >1.3 billion liters/year saved (including ~800 million liters in Mexico City); Koomey Analytics’ Dec 2025 snapshot found Amazon had 24 confirmed sites using reclaimed municipal wastewater for cooling.
• Jan 29, 2026

  Modernize the Grid, Accelerate AI: Dell at DTECH 2026

  Dell Technologies is participating in DTECH 2026 to demonstrate AI, edge and cyber-resilience solutions for electric utilities, and will present validated designs and demos at booth 829.

  • Announcement / Key action: Dell Technologies will showcase AI-ready infrastructure and utility solutions at DTECH 2026, including Dell AI Factory, NativeEdge (edge computing/vPAC), and cyber recovery capabilities; the event draws more than 20,000 utility leaders and Dell highlights partnerships with Intel, NVIDIA, AMD, ABB, Forescout, and Nokia for validated designs and integration.
  • Details / Background: Solutions emphasized include edge compute for substations (vPAC/NativeEdge), AI for network operations (predictive maintenance, anomaly detection), zero trust and cyber recovery for control systems, and references to ADMS and DERMS; Dell provides a solution brief and a contact link but does not announce monetary commitments or specific timelines in this article.
• Jan 28, 2026

  ERCOT’s battery fleet is the ‘first line of defence for the grid’ through Texas winter storms

  ACCURE CEO Kai-Philipp Kairies said ERCOT’s battery storage fleet can act as a crucial first line of defence during extreme winter conditions.

  • Main announcement/action: Kai-Philipp Kairies, CEO of ACCURE Battery Intelligence, emphasised that ERCOT’s connected large-scale BESS fleet (now more than 15GW) can help keep the lights on in extreme winter storms, but that technical performance needs careful management.
  • Background/details: The article explains ERCOT operates a unique merchant, energy-only wholesale market where battery operators must provide power when signalled by the market; it is reporting remarks to ESN Premium amid ongoing winter storms and references the grid operator ERCOT and the scale of the BESS fleet.
• Jan 28, 2026

  From Factory to Frontier: North Texas’ Moonshot Pushes AI Pods to the Edge, Anchors National Network With New Manufacturing Hub

  Moonshot announced it is opening a 505,265-square-foot global headquarters and manufacturing hub in Lewisville, backed by a $50 million expansion investment, and has launched a joint venture (QAI Moon) with QumulusAI and IXP.us to deploy a nationally distributed AI Pod network beginning with 25 initial sites and scaling to 125 sites over five years.

  • Main announcement: Moonshot will build a 505,265-square-foot global headquarters and manufacturing hub in Lewisville with a $50 million expansion investment; the site will manufacture modular AI Pods for the newly formed QAI Moon JV (Moonshot + QumulusAI + IXP.us). The rollout starts with 25 initial sites (including an alpha site at Wichita State University in July) and the partners plan to scale to 125 U.S. sites over the next five years. GPU-as-a-Service will operate the AI Pods while QumulusAI handles orchestration and IXP.us provides interconnection at IXPs.

  • Background and details: Moonshot formed Moonshot Energy (early 2025) to operate GPU-as-a-Service and expanded from cryptocurrency mining into UL-certified electrical systems and modular electrical units under Moonshot Electrical & Controls. The company reported rapid growth (more than 3,800% growth reported by Dallas Business Journal) and cited a $26 million revenue month (January 2024); customers named include Foxconn, Google, Anthropic, TeraWulf, and Fermi America. Products include switchboards, control panels, modular electrical units, and power transformers for utility and solar applications.

• Jan 27, 2026

  Applied Digital CEO Wes Cummins On the Hard Part of the AI Boom: Execution

  Applied Digital describes scaling from a single 100 MW facility to roughly 700 MW under construction and explains its strategy to lock supply chains and design flexible, AI-optimized infrastructure.

  • Main announcement/action: Applied Digital says it has ~700 MW under construction (up from a single 100 MW building), locked key MEP components 18–24 months ago, and is deploying a fourth-generation design with extensive off-site MEP assembly (“LEGO brick” skids) to accelerate schedules and reduce on-site labor risk.
  • Background and details: The company operates direct-to-chip liquid cooling at scale in Ellendale, North Dakota with multi-layer redundancy (pumps, chillers, dual loops, thermal storage); aligns designs to the Nvidia roadmap (415V → 800V → eventual DC), focuses on six customers (Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Meta, Google, CoreWeave), and warns 2026–2027 will be execution years due to long-lead power gear, utility timelines, and tight MEP supply chains.
• Jan 27, 2026

  Prime Data Centers uses closed-loop air and liquid cooling to earn Energy Star certifications

  Prime Data Centers announced that two of its computing facilities in Dallas and Sacramento earned U.S. EPA Energy Star certification.

  • Main announcement:Prime Data Centers earned Energy Star certification for its Dallas (20-MW) and Sacramento (26-MW) facilities, citing efficiency-driven design, advanced monitoring and benchmarking, and the use of closed-loop air and liquid cooling; the company says both facilities are committed to 100% renewable energy and reported 83% waste diversion at active U.S. construction sites in 2024.
  • Background and commitments: The company’s 2025 sustainability report states it will pursue Energy Star certification for all eligible U.S. data centers, pilot “zero waste to landfill” construction, and aims to use hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) by 2030 as the main backup-generator fuel; the article also notes 25 major U.S. data center projects were abandoned in 2025, and peers such as Microsoft and OpenAI have pledged to “pay their way” for grid upgrades to support new data centers.
• Jan 27, 2026

  Pumped hydro, high-temperature thermal storage, and geothermal LDES projects make key advancements across the US

  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a 40-year license to Rye Development and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners for the 1,200MW Goldendale pumped hydroelectric Energy Storage Project in Washington, US.

  • Main announcement and project details: The FERC license grants a 40-year approval for the 1,200MW Goldendale pumped hydro project developed by Rye Development for fund manager Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CI V) on private land at a former aluminium smelter near Goldendale, Washington. The project is expected to have a 4–5 year construction period, an MOU requires union labour via agreements with the Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council and the Columbia Pacific Building & Construction Trades Council, and Rye Development projects over 3,000 family-wage jobs during construction and more than US$10 million each year to Klickitat County upon operation.

  • Other milestones and background: Electrified Thermal Solutions has commissioned a 20MWh Joule-Hive thermal battery at Southwest Research Institute (San Antonio, Texas) that stores heat up to 1,800°C, serves 1–5MW thermal loads and targets 2GW of thermal power capacity by 2030; Sage Geosystems closed US$97 million in Series B funding led by Ormat Technologies and Carbon Direct Capital to advance its first commercial Pressure Geothermal plant at an Ormat facility and its EarthStore solution (claims of unlocking over 130× more geothermal potential in the US).

    • Event: Energy Storage Summit USA — 24-25 March 2026, Dallas, TX
      • Agenda/subject: keynote speeches and panel discussions on FEOC challenges, power demand forecasting, and managing the BESS supply chain.