Texas became the nation’s data center battleground | TRENDS 01

From $26B in announcements to 205 GW in load requests, October set how Texas will power AI this decade.

B.L.U.F. Texas saw unprecedented AI infrastructure activity in October 2025.

The state attracted over $26 billion in announced data center investments, ERCOT’s grid connection requests quadrupled in one year to 205 gigawatts (70% from data centers), and Texas positioned itself as a national semiconductor hub through major federal partnerships and industry summits.

This matters because the infrastructure decisions made this month will shape Texas economic development for the next decade. Data centers are choosing Texas for its power availability, land, and business climate. But the grid now faces requests equal to twice its peak demand record, forcing urgent decisions about transmission, generation, and cost allocation.

Watch next: ERCOT’s new interconnection rules under Senate Bill 6, the first phase of nuclear-powered data centers going online in 2026-2027, and which Texas cities secure the next wave of hyperscaler announcements.

Texas became the nation’s data center battleground

October 2025 marked a turning point for Texas AI infrastructure.

The sheer scale of demand is driven by major new facilities choosing Texas, solidifying its status as the nation’s data center battleground.