New Mexico is emerging as a major destination for large-scale data center development, with AI and hyperscale infrastructure driving significant investment. Blackridge Research tracks 7 upcoming data center projects in the state, representing approximately 8.3 GW of planned capacity and USD 247.7 billion in construction expenditure.

The New Era Energy Lea County AI Data Center Hub, Project Jupiter (Stargate), Zenith Volts Roswell/Chaves County Data Center, Meta Los Lunas Campus AI Expansion, and Google Data Center in Lea County are among the major data center developments shaping New Mexico's pipeline. These projects span southern and southeastern New Mexico and include large AI-focused campuses, hyperscale expansion, and emerging digital infrastructure hubs.

This article examines the top 5 new data center projects in New Mexico, comparing their capacity, location, developer, investment, development stage, and expected timelines.

List of New Upcoming Data Center Projects New Mexico 2026 

New Era Energy Lea County AI Data Center Hub

New Era Energy & Digital plans to develop a 7 GW AI data center campus across approximately 3,500 acres in Lea County, New Mexico. The project is planned as a multi-phase hyperscale AI hub powered primarily by more than 2 GW of natural gas generation and more than 5 GW of nuclear generation. Initial power delivery is targeted for 2028, making it one of the larger proposed AI infrastructure developments in the region.

Capacity and Power Infrastructure

The campus is planned to support up to 7 GW of power capacity across approximately 3,500 acres of private land near Caprock in Lea County. New Era intends to develop the site as a self-powered AI data center hub rather than relying solely on the regional grid.

The planned energy mix includes more than 2 GW of natural gas generation and 5 GW or more of nuclear generation. New Era has said that natural gas availability for the project has been confirmed, while the technology for the nuclear component is still being evaluated. The company has not publicly confirmed whether the nuclear facility will use small modular reactors or conventional reactors.

The site was selected for its proximity to major natural gas transmission lines, existing power infrastructure, local water resources, skilled energy-sector labor, and high-speed fiber connectivity. New Era also plans to offer powered shell buildings and powered land leases to AI customers as part of its development model.

The project represents New Era Energy & Digital's first wholly owned data center development. It is separate from the company's Texas Critical Data Centers joint venture in Ector County, Texas.

Development Status and Timeline

• November 2025: New Era Energy & Digital announced a land option purchase agreement covering approximately 3,500 acres in Lea County.

• Late 2025 / Early 2026: Site evaluation, master planning, and engineering work were planned to begin.

• 2026: The company continued evaluating the technology and development approach for the nuclear generation component.

• 2028: Initial power delivery is targeted.

• Current status: Proposed/pre-development stage, with the campus planned for phased development.

Key Contractors and Partners

Project Jupiter (Stargate)

Source: DCD

Project Jupiter is a proposed USD 165 billion artificial intelligence data center campus in Santa Teresa, Doña Ana County, New Mexico. The development forms part of OpenAI's broader Stargate initiative and is planned across approximately 1,400 acres with four large data center buildings. Oracle is the primary tenant and infrastructure operator, while STACK Infrastructure and BorderPlex Digital Assets are involved in the campus development.

Capacity and Power Infrastructure

Project Jupiter is planned as a large-scale AI compute campus with an estimated 2.45 GW of on-site power generation capacity. The revised power architecture uses Bloom Energy solid-oxide fuel cells running on natural gas, replacing earlier plans centered on conventional gas turbines and diesel generation.

Natural gas for the microgrid is expected to be supplied through the Green Chile Natural Gas Pipeline. The pipeline's revised in-service date is February 1, 2027.

The campus is planned to use a closed-loop, non-evaporative cooling system designed to limit local water consumption. Oracle has also committed to developing or matching up to 2 GW of renewable energy associated with the project's energy footprint.

The approximately 1,400-acre site is planned to contain four major data center buildings. Construction activity includes site grading, building pads and structural work, while the overall physical buildout remains underway.

Development Status and Timeline

• September 2025: Project Jupiter was announced as a major campus under the broader Stargate initiative involving OpenAI, Oracle and infrastructure partners.

• Early 2026: The project's energy design shifted toward a natural-gas-powered Bloom Energy fuel-cell microgrid.

• August 2026: Energy Transfer delayed the expected in-service date for the Green Chile natural gas pipeline supporting the project.

• September 17, 2026: The New Mexico Supreme Court lifted administrative stays affecting air-quality and construction water-permit proceedings, allowing regulatory processes to resume.

• First Half of 2027: Oracle has targeted initial customer compute delivery.

• February 1, 2027: Revised target in-service date for the Green Chile natural gas pipeline.

• 2028: Full project completion and scaled operation have been projected.

• Current Status: Under construction and active development.

Key Contractors and Partners

Zenith Volts Roswell / Chaves County Data Center

The Zenith Volts Corp. Data Center is a planned 1.25 GW or larger AI data center campus located about 20 miles south of Roswell in Chaves County, New Mexico. The project covers a 300-acre core data center footprint within an 8,500-acre site and is designed for AI, cloud computing, and high-performance computing workloads. 

Zenith Volts plans to develop the campus around an off-grid power model combining solar generation, battery storage, natural gas backup generation, solar-thermal systems, and geothermal cooling.

Capacity and Power Infrastructure

The project is designed to support 1.25 GW or more of power capacity and more than 600 computing modules. The initial data center development will occupy approximately 300 acres, while the broader 8,500-acre site provides room for future expansion.

Zenith Volts plans to use on-site solar generation as a primary power source, supported by a 250-acre battery energy storage system (BESS) and modular solar-thermal hybrid systems designed to provide 24/7 thermal energy storage. Natural gas generators are planned as backup generation to improve power reliability.

The campus is also designed to use geothermal cooling, although the specific cooling capacity and technology configuration have not been publicly disclosed. The project is intended to operate independently from the conventional grid through its combination of on-site generation and energy storage, although detailed grid interconnection plans have not been disclosed.

The location was selected for access to local energy resources and infrastructure. Zenith Volts has also identified available land, regional solar potential, water resources, and access to skilled workers as factors supporting the development.

Development Status and Timeline

• August 2025: Zenith Volts secured approval from the Chaves County Commission for the 300-acre data center development within the larger 8,500-acre site.

• 2025–2026: The company began engaging technology companies, cloud service providers, and AI companies to identify potential anchor customers and partners.

• 2026: Detailed capacities for the solar generation, natural gas backup systems, BESS, and solar-thermal systems remained undisclosed.

• November 2027: Target date for full operational status.

• Current status: Approved/planned development, with partner and customer discussions ongoing.

Key Contractors and Partners

Meta Los Lunas Campus - AI Expansion (Phase 3)

Source: DCD

Meta is developing Phase 3 of its Los Lunas, New Mexico data center campus, adding two new AI-focused buildings through an USD 800 million investment. The expansion is expected to increase the campus to nearly 3.8 million square feet across its 750-acre site. The broader Los Lunas campus has received more than USD 2.2 billion in cumulative investment, although some sources report a potential total investment of up to USD 3.3 billion depending on the projects included.

Capacity and Power Infrastructure

Phase 3 adds approximately 246 MW of power capacity across the two new buildings. Including existing and planned facilities, the broader campus is reported to reach roughly 729 MW of total energy demand. Public sources do not establish a specific IT load for the Phase 3 buildings. The expansion is specifically designed for artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads, making the two buildings the first facilities at the Los Lunas campus identified as dedicated to AI infrastructure.

The campus occupies approximately 750 acres and is expanding toward 3.8 million square feet of total data center space. Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) provides utility service, while solar power supports Meta's renewable energy strategy. Meta has also maintained a goal of matching its electricity consumption with 100% renewable energy and restoring 200% of the water it consumes by 2030.

Reported campus water consumption is approximately 1.5 million gallons per day. Specific cooling technology for the Phase 3 buildings has not been publicly established.

Development Status and Timeline

• January 2016: Meta broke ground on the original Los Lunas data center campus.

• December 2024: The Village of Los Lunas approved Industrial Revenue Bond authorization for the Phase 3 AI expansion. Meta announced two new buildings dedicated to AI and machine learning workloads.

• January 2025: The Phase 3 development received approval, establishing a construction window of approximately three years.

• Spring 2025: Construction began on the expansion.

• 2025–2027: Construction of the two AI-focused facilities is expected to continue.

• Current status: Under construction, with completion expected within the announced three-year construction window.

Key Contractors and Partners

Google Data Center - Lea County

Google is exploring a potential data center in Lea County, New Mexico, approximately five miles west of Hobbs. Announced in September 2026, the project remains in the exploratory stage and does not yet have a final construction decision. Google is evaluating the site alongside local officials and the community, while land approval, energy infrastructure, water requirements, and other development conditions remain under review.

Capacity and Power Infrastructure

Google has not publicly disclosed the project's IT load, power capacity, building count, investment, or total site area. The prospective facility is expected to use a closed-loop, air-cooled system rather than evaporative cooling.

Construction is expected to be the project's primary period of water consumption. Google estimates average construction water demand at slightly more than 900,000 gallons per day, with peak average demand of approximately 1 million gallons per day for around four months. Initial flushing and filling of the closed-loop cooling system is estimated to require approximately 9.5 million to 9.7 million gallons.

Once operational, Google expects water consumption to be primarily associated with domestic uses such as bathrooms and kitchens. Lea County's February 2026 data center resolution prohibits evaporative cooling and requires annual reporting of water consumption across categories including cooling, landscaping, on-site power generation, plumbing, and other uses.

The proposed energy strategy is expected to combine solar, wind, battery storage, and a moderate amount of natural gas generation to provide firming capacity when renewable generation varies. Google has stated that it will pay for 100% of electricity and infrastructure directly driven by its growth. The final power configuration has not been disclosed.

Development Status and Timeline

• February 2026: Lea County adopted a data center resolution establishing requirements including restrictions on evaporative cooling and water-use reporting.

• September 14, 2026: Google publicly announced that it was exploring a potential data center project in Lea County.

• September 16–21, 2026: Local reporting highlighted ongoing discussions over water use, electricity, land approval, and community participation.

• 2026: Lea County owns the land under consideration, which is subject to an option-to-purchase agreement involving Excelsior Hobbs Power LLC, Google's project partner.

• Upcoming: The New Mexico State Board of Finance must review the proposed land transaction before a county sale can be finalized.

• Current status: Exploratory/proposed, with no final construction decision announced.

Key Contractors and Partners

New Mexico Data Center Market Overview

New Mexico is emerging as a major destination for large-scale data center development, with AI infrastructure and hyperscale computing driving a significant wave of new investment. 

Blackridge Research tracks 7 upcoming data center projects in the state, representing approximately 8.3 GW of planned capacity and USD 247.7 billion in construction expenditure. Average investment stands at approximately USD 35.4 billion per project, reflecting the exceptionally large scale of several proposed AI-focused campuses.

The state's pipeline includes projects across multiple development stages. Four projects are in planning, representing 8.3 GW of capacity and USD 82.3 billion in construction expenditure. One project is announced with USD 300 million in investment, while another is under construction with 10 MW of capacity and USD 70 million in expenditure. A further project is in the pre-construction stage, with investment of approximately USD 165 billion.

New Mexico's major data center activity is concentrated in Doña Ana, Lea, Chaves, and Valencia counties. Project Jupiter in Doña Ana County, New Era Energy & Digital's proposed Lea County development, Zenith Volts' Chaves County project, and Meta's Los Lunas expansion represent some of the state's largest developments. Google's exploratory project in Lea County adds another potential hyperscale development to the pipeline.

The rapid growth of the market has also brought greater attention to electricity demand, water availability, land use, and local permitting. Several New Mexico counties have introduced temporary data center moratoriums or development restrictions as officials develop rules for large-scale facilities.

New Mexico Data Center Moratorium

New Mexico does not currently have a statewide data center moratorium, but several counties have introduced local restrictions on new data center development. Santa Fe, Socorro, and Sierra counties have enacted temporary moratoriums, while Colfax County has also been reported to have adopted a temporary restriction in parts of the county.

These measures have emerged as the state's data center pipeline expands rapidly. Concerns cited by local officials and communities include water consumption, electricity demand, grid infrastructure, land use, noise, environmental impacts, and the need for clearer zoning standards.

The issue has become particularly prominent around large AI-focused projects such as Project Jupiter in Doña Ana County, where questions surrounding power generation, water use, air-quality permitting, and the scale of the proposed development have generated significant public debate.

At the state level, legislation proposing a broader data center moratorium has been discussed for the 2027 legislative session, but no statewide moratorium had been enacted as of September 2026. The current regulatory environment therefore remains primarily county-specific, with different jurisdictions taking different approaches to data center development.

Conclusion

New Mexico's data center pipeline is expanding rapidly, led by large AI and hyperscale developments across Lea, Chaves, Doña Ana, and Valencia counties. The New Era Energy Lea County AI Data Center Hub, Project Jupiter, Zenith Volts Roswell, Meta Los Lunas expansion, and Google Lea County project represent different stages of this emerging market.

The scale of these projects also highlights key challenges around power availability, water resources, grid infrastructure, permitting, and local development controls. As these projects progress, their development timelines will depend on securing the necessary infrastructure and regulatory approvals.

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