West Texas—While Abilene and Marfa headline billion-dollar campus announcements, a lesser-known town tucked between solar and wind farms and ranchland is angling to host the region’s next wave of AI-grade infrastructure.
The 82-acre tract, marketed by Texas Data Center Land Broker Roxanne Marquis (8888cre.com), already has 50 MW transmission and 10 MW distribution load studies in motion, with a 140 MW battery-energy-storage system (BESS) queued for energization by March 2028—a rare status on ERCOT’s famously competitive grid.
This is currently the only site in West Texas’s ERCOT region that offers both 50 MW in active load studies and a 140 MW BESS tracking March 2028 energization. Once a letter of intent is accepted, the queue position transfers—and the opportunity disappears.
Since NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang declared that “data centers are becoming AI factories,” hyperscalers have scrambled for power-rich land. Microsoft Azure is scattering cloud regions faster than ever. Google Cloud just green-lit another sustainable build. AWS CEO Andy Jassy approved \$13 billion in new U.S. capacity. Meta is pivoting to GPU-dense AI clusters after Sam Altman’s OpenAI forecasts sent compute demand soaring.
All five giants are chasing the same essentials: huge megawatts, short queues, and room for GPU and AI-accelerator innovation, liquid and immersion cooling, and generative-AI LLM farms.
This West Texas site offers fast-track power access. The substation is adjacent to the property, and the BESS enables developers to bypass multi-year interconnection delays that are strangling more prominent hubs. Battery storage also enhances grid resilience and creates an ideal testing ground for quantum computing prototypes that require ultra-stable power conditions.
Consultants estimate that first-phase buildouts could range from \$400 million to \$600 million. Later phases could push total investment above \$1 billion, significantly diversifying a county economy still rooted in cattle and cotton. Cooler nighttime temperatures, low seismic risk, and favorable zoning reduce both operational expenses and regulatory red tape compared to flashier West Texas neighbors.
Satya Nadella has described Azure as “the world’s computer,” with his team actively scouting secondary metros to accommodate spillover demand. Sundar Pichai recently committed Google to 24/7 carbon-free energy for all future data centers, aligning perfectly with the BESS-backed solar footprint surrounding the site. AWS’s Jassy told investors they will “build where customers need us”—which increasingly means moving away from grid bottlenecks.
Texas is experiencing a wave of large-scale data center development driven by demand for AI, digital finance, and decentralized computing infrastructure.
Major projects include:
The Stargate Project in Abilene, a \$500 billion initiative by OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, featuring two 480,000 square-foot buildings with a combined 1.2 GW power capacity.
Data City, Texas, near Laredo—a planned 50,000-acre green-powered data center campus aiming to be the largest of its kind.
An 80,000-acre campus in Presidio County, backed by Open Origin, designed to support the Stargate initiative.
Microsoft’s \$765 million expansion in Medina County covering 489,400 square feet as part of its Texas growth strategy.
Aligned Data Centers’ new 880,000 square-foot campuses in Mansfield and Plano, featuring onsite substations.
A 292-acre campus in Red Oak from DataBank, with plans for eight buildings totaling over 3.4 million square feet.
A 1,500-acre acquisition by Tract in Uhland, near Austin, to serve the growing AI and cloud market.
Serverfarm’s expansion in Houston with two new facilities totaling more than 1 million square feet.
Dallas-Fort Worth now hosts over 140 operational data centers, while the Austin-San Antonio corridor is surging in demand. West Texas, bolstered by Stargate and other initiatives, is becoming a new focal point.
Nuclear energy is also gaining traction in powering data centers. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has announced plans to integrate small modular nuclear reactors into data center designs. Roxanne Marquis adds, “Ellison’s nuclear strategy represents a bold step toward sustainability. Texas’s nuclear infrastructure offers an excellent platform for innovation.”
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, through their TerraPower initiative, are deploying the Natrium reactor to replace a retiring coal plant in Wyoming. Elon Musk has publicly endorsed nuclear energy as a cornerstone of sustainable infrastructure.
This site, with power in queue, batteries in design, and land priced below the Permian premium, delivers a speed-to-market advantage for developers building LLM training clusters, crypto mines, or edge AI deployments.
“We’ve done the waiting so builders can start wiring,” — Roxanne Marquis, Texas Broker and Data Center Land Specialist
With AI, blockchain, and data gravity reshaping the global economy, this property is positioned as one of the most strategically viable sites in the ERCOT grid. Roxanne Marquis, with deep experience in data center real estate and energy infrastructure, offers unmatched insight into capitalizing on this window of opportunity.
Roxanne Marquis, founder of 8888CRE.com, is a global authority in commercial real estate investments with over two decades of hands-on experience. She has orchestrated high-stakes transactions with clients from across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America, shaping the future of AI-driven data centers and digital infrastructure.
Renowned for her expertise in zoning analysis, cross-border partnerships, and strategic market forecasting, Roxanne has helped both private equity and corporate clients capture lucrative opportunities in the fast-evolving technology sector. Her latest book, Unlocking Profits in AI Data Center Real Estate, provides actionable insights on site selection, utility negotiations, and sustainability strategies—empowering developers, investors, and landowners to thrive in this competitive arena.
Whether you’re exploring large-scale data center expansions or seeking innovative ways to future-proof your property, Roxanne’s proven track record and global perspective make her the go-to expert for navigating complex deals. Connect with her today to discover how you can harness AI, energy solutions, and cutting-edge design to maximize returns and shape tomorrow’s digital landscape.