The $3 Trillion AI boom’s “home” could be said to be Texas, with the state set to overtake Northern Virginia as the world’s largest data center market by 2030, with 6.5 GW of capacity currently under construction.

But, according to yesterday’s Texas Tribune, a “majority” of Texans are now opposed to data centers in their communities, a sentiment that is capturing the attention of the Republican Party of Texas. During a Legislative Priorities Committee in Houston, delegates to the party’s biennial statewide convention made AI and data center regulation part of its top-15 priorities for the 2027 Legislature.

Even Governor Greg Abbott, a staunch champion for data center development, agrees that more regulation is needed, which he backed up with a call for ERCOT and PUC to implement stricter regulations to protect local resources.

Will the backlash, especially in rural Texas, have a significant impact? The Data Center Coalition is actively defending the economic benefits of data center projects, and data center operators and tech partners are doing more to bring their own power and recirculate water in cooling systems. As grassroots movements drive state mandates for energy and water regulations, the industry will continue to accelerate its water mitigation, BYOP and BTM strategies.

For now, Texas boasts what other states can’t – huge tracts of land, abundant natural gas, and a still-welcoming economic development environment. 

Smart concrete in hyperscale DCs: Smart concrete, like AI-engineered low-carbon mixtures or IoT-connected sensor networks, are increasingly used by hyperscalers like Meta, and contractors like Turner, Pence Kelly, and Kiewit.

Satellite security concerns – As Jio expands its space ambitions, India’s Home Affairs Ministry is more closely scrutinizing foreign satellite providers, such as Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and SES – all seeking to launch services in the country.

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Dutch semi delegation in China: Dutch semiconductor giants ASML and NXP will join a delegation of 17 executives on a trip to China. Led by Dutch Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, they will discuss U.S. chip exports and other issues.

Advanced metrology & inspection: The European Commission approved €76 million ($87 million) ‌of German aid for QuantumDiamonds‘ cutting-edge semiconductor ​testing in ​Munich, to benefit ​SMBs, universities, & ⁠research firms.

Congress targets energy costs: Today, the House of Representatives is considering advancing the Ratepayer Protection Act, a bill backed by tech giants like Microsoft, which would force data center builders to cover the cost of grid upgrades.

Microsoft finishes ahead of schedule: Microsoft completed construction on its first datacenter in Mount Pleasant, WI. Construction of a 2nd Mount Pleasant facility is ongoing, with foundation, steel and underground utility placement underway.

CBRE DC report: CBRE published a new report on global data center trends, with supply at 16 GWs in Q1 across the world’s 16 largest data center markets, a 25% annual increase. Despite the capacity growth, vacancy dropped from 8.3% to 6.7%.

Labor shortage grows: Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Saint-Gobain CEO Benoit Bazin said data center activity remains strong, but cited labor as a huge bottleneck, with labor shortages affecting projects in North America and soon to be in Europe.

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