Texas Data Center Intel

Recent Texas data center news

• Jan 27, 2026

  Sam Altman-backed Exowatt launches arm to power data centers with clean energy

  Exowatt has launched ExoRise, a business arm to deliver turnkey land and P3 solar + battery energy infrastructure to support large and hyperscale data centers across the U.S. Southwest.

  • Main announcement: Exowatt launched ExoRise to provide turnkey powered land and energy infrastructure (using its modular P3 solar + battery technology that stores energy as heat and converts to electricity on demand) for data centers in New Mexico, west Texas, Arizona, and Nevada; the company said the approach enables behind-the-meter and off-grid deployment and aims to deliver large-scale power without raising local electricity costs.
  • Background and details: Exowatt is Miami-headquartered and backed by Sam Altman and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z); the startup raised $70 million last year to commercialize P3, expects its first ExoRise pilot to come online by the end of the year, and reports a backlog of over 90 gigawatt-hours of signed customer demand.
• Jan 27, 2026

  EPA Prioritizes Data Center Chemical Reviews Amid TSCA Debate

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a priority review lane to accelerate TSCA reviews for chemicals used in data centers.

  • Priority review lane established: EPA will prioritize review of new chemicals intended for use in data center projects or for manufacturing covered components; this aligns with the Sep 2025 Executive Order “Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure.” Key dates: House Republicans released draft TSCA reform legislation on Jan 16, 2026, and House Energy and Commerce held hearings on Jan 22, 2026. Regulatory metrics: TSCA Section 5 requires a 90-day PMN review; EPA listed 456 active submissions as of Jan 2026 and a 2023 GAO report found EPA met the 90-day deadline less than 10% of the time.

  • Regulatory and technical context: The lane is intended to speed approvals for specialized cooling fluids, fire suppressants, corrosion inhibitors, biocides and additives used in immersion and direct-contact liquid cooling. Stakeholders quoted include Diana Rasner (Cleantech Group), Jeremy Greenhouse (Fredrikson & Byron), and Sean Gahan (Primient Covation LLC). Implementation/constraints: expedited federal review may reduce federal timelines, but state-level issues (e.g., Minnesota water-appropriation rules) and environmental safety concerns (fluorinated compounds vs. bio-based alternatives such as Susterra propanediol) remain important considerations.

• Jan 27, 2026

  Grid-forming, hybrids and alternative chemistries in Wood Mackenzie’s 2026 energy storage trend predictions

  Wood Mackenzie has published analysis identifying five key trends shaping the global energy storage market in 2026.

  • Main announcement: Wood Mackenzie reports a record 106GW installed in 2025 and outlines five trends for 2026 including grid-forming inverters, alternative battery chemistries (e.g., sodium-ion), co-located storage with solar/wind, and growing deployment of storage for data centres; it also highlights supply chain pressures persisting into mid-2026 and expects ENTSO-E technical requirements to become formal regulation in 2026.
  • Background and specifics: The analysis notes China continues to dominate the supply chain but faces local overcapacity and domestic content rules, driving manufacturers to expand overseas; examples and numbers include the Peak Energy – Jupiter Power multi-year sodium-ion supply agreement covering an initial 725MWh with a 4GWh option (up to 4.75GWh), and announced data centre projects of >230GW in the US, 35GW in Europe, and up to 78GW in China.
• Jan 27, 2026

  A Cherry-Picking Approach to Large Load Shaping for More Effective Carbon Reduction

  Researchers led by Bokan Chen have submitted an arXiv paper proposing a ‘cherry-picking’ daily load-shaping approach to reduce grid CO2 emissions and electricity cost (arXiv:2601.17990, submitted 25 Jan 2026).

  • Main announcement: The paper proposes a cherry-picking strategy that selects a daily load-shaping policy based on observable grid signals and historical data, and demonstrates via calibrated ERCOT day-ahead DC-OPF simulations that this approach can materially improve on common strategies (including LMP-based shaping). The study focuses on multi-megawatt loads such as data centers and other large flexible consumers (VPPs, distributed energy resources).
  • Background & details: The submission is v1 on arXiv (25 Jan 2026); full PDF and TeX source are available on arXiv, the paper is categorized under Machine Learning (stat.ML, cs.LG) and Systems and Control (eess.SY), and the work is released under a Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license; a DataCite/arXiv-issued DOI link is provided (pending registration).
• Jan 26, 2026

  AI impacts, policy brings frightening implications for environmental future

  Angelina Alkhouri argues that AI’s rapid expansion is creating significant environmental harms and calls for consumer demand, corporate transparency, and proactive policy.

  • Main claim and action: The column calls for consumer pressure, corporate transparency, and proactive policy to address AI’s environmental footprint, citing UCLA professor Ramesh Srinivasan and examples such as Microsoft, Anthropic, and Meta; it references an S&P Global finding that “Only 21% of responding companies mention sustainability within their AI initiatives.”
  • Background and supporting details: The piece details concrete impacts—server farms/data centers using drinking water for cooling and reliance on rare earth minerals for chips—includes student reactions (Shelby McAlpin, Katelyn Dilbeck), references the United Nations reporting on Sahel displacement, and frames the article as an opinion column urging immediate, verifiable actions (consumer demands and policy development).
• Jan 26, 2026

  Infocast ERCOT Market Summit

  Infocast is hosting a panel discussion at the ERCOT Market Summit on February 10, 2026.

  • Event announcement:Panel Discussion titled “Data Centers and Other Large Loads in ERCOT: Meeting Interconnection, Grid Integration, and Reliability Needs”.

    • Date & Time: February 10, 2026 | 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM CT.
    • Location:Kalahari Resort, Round Rock, TX.
    • Moderator:Casey Bell, Partner, TROUTMAN PEPPER LOCKE LLP.
    • Panelists:Matthew Boms (Executive Director, TEXAS ADVANCED ENERGY BUSINESS ALLIANCE); Kent Draper (Chief Commercial Officer, IREN); Ruchira Shah (General Manager, Software Product Management, WÄRTSILÄ ENERGY STORAGE, INC); Dan Stanzione (Executive Director, Texas Advanced Computing Center, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN); Joel Yu (Senior Vice President, Policy & External Affairs, ENCHANTED ROCK).

  • Background & agenda topics: The panel will examine technical and market issues affecting large electricity loads in ERCOT, including differences in needs for AI-based data centers vs. crypto miners and other flexible loads, influence of corporate sustainability goals on power procurement, local opposition to onsite power/interim solutions, willingness of developers to commit to SMRs, geothermal, and other clean firm generation, interconnection process concerns, utility tariff structures to enable transmission builds, and price signals for demand response.

    • Registration: see event page for registration and details (link provided).
• Jan 26, 2026

  Oracle AI Infrastructure in 2026 and Our Commitment to Local Communities

  Oracle has announced its 2026 AI infrastructure buildout and community commitments.

  • Main announcement: Oracle announced AI data center projects in 2026 in partnership with OpenAI, with campuses at two sites in Texas and additional sites in New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Michigan; Oracle commits to funding onsite power and grid upgrades (including onsite transmission lines, battery storage, and dedicated substations) and to use closed-loop non-evaporative cooling so water usage is on par with a typical office building.
  • Background and details: The company states it will pay its own way on energy when required or invest in grid improvements where sharing the grid; sites include extensive landscape screening and setbacks, planned road infrastructure upgrades funded by Oracle, and workforce commitments: tens of thousands employed during construction and thousands during operation (Oracle estimates a ~1 GW site requires more than 1,000 permanent employees).
• Jan 26, 2026

  How Hyperscale AI Is Remaking the Power Grid

  Industrial Info Resources (IIR) reported at PowerGen International that the US has approximately $2.4 trillion in AI data center development underway.

  • Key announcement: IIR presented at PowerGen International (Jan. 20-22, 2026) that the US accounts for about $2.4 trillion in AI data center development and that global announced and ongoing data center investment ≈ $3.2 trillion; IIR also reported roughly 296 GW of cumulative planned capacity in the US with more than 70 projects ≥ 1 GW and projected US electricity demand rising from ~23 GW (2023) to ~42 GW (today) and on target to surpass 90 GW by 2030.
  • Details and context: IIR outlined concentration by state (Texas ~$517 billion, Virginia ~$344 billion, Georgia ~$217 billion, Missouri ~$121 billion, Arizona ~$102 billion), noted month-over-month investment velocity (more than $100 billion announced per month over the past year; October 2025 > $350 billion), and described near-term procurement strategies including gas turbines (booked through end of decade), reciprocating engines, BESS, and partnerships on nuclear; timeline compression pressures require many projects to deliver generation and interconnection within 12–24 months.
• Jan 23, 2026

  Oracle Advances American AI Innovation and Local Economic Prosperity in New Mexico

  Oracle announced it will be the tenant of Project Jupiter, an AI data center campus in southern New Mexico, and that it will occupy the campus to deploy AI infrastructure for OpenAI.

  • Main announcement and commitments: Oracle will be the tenant of Project Jupiter and will deploy AI infrastructure for OpenAI; the company projects an economic boost of approximately $384 million per year during construction and $113 million per year once operational; it plans $360 million in direct payments to Doña Ana County, $50 million for water system fixes, over $600 million in Gross Revenue Tax payments expected to the State and County, and supplemental community investments of $6.9 million (including a $1.5 million donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Las Cruces). Oracle and partners now expect ~4,000 construction jobs and up to 1,500 onsite or county jobs (versus earlier forecasts of 2,500 construction and 750 permanent jobs). Oracle will fund and build a dedicated microgrid, onsite transmission lines, battery storage, and a dedicated substation; installed pollution controls will exceed US EPA’s new standards by 50% or more.
  • Project details and background: The campus will use a closed-loop, non-evaporative cooling system that does not draw from local water supplies (water tanks filled once); daily operational water use will be comparable to a typical office building. Oracle Academy is expanding in New Mexico and partnering with local institutions (New Mexico State University, Doña Ana Community College) for workforce development. The article is an announcement/op-ed by Josh Pitcock (Jan 23, 2026) and contains forward-looking statements referencing Oracle’s SEC filings.
• Jan 23, 2026

  Unplugged: Data Centers Embrace Onsite Power to Break Free from the Grid

  Bloom Energy has released a new data center power report announcing plans and survey findings.

  • Bloom Energy report:One-third of hyperscalers and colocation providers plan to bring power production entirely onsite by 2030; demand for onsite power rose 22% versus six months earlier based on a double-blind survey of 152 decision-makers (hyperscalers, colocation developers, utilities, GPU service providers). The report also states over 50% of new data center campuses are expected to exceed 500 MW by 2035 and identifies a power expectation gap where utilities estimate delivery times 1.5–2 years longer than developers anticipate.
  • Geography and alternatives: The report projects Texas could secure nearly 30% of the US data center market by 2028 and Georgia’s market share to grow by 75%, while established markets (California, Oregon) may decline by more than 50%; it cites fuel cells and behind-the-meter solutions as growing alternatives and references a Research and Markets projection of the fuel cell market reaching $28.4 billion by 2031.