New Era Energy & Digital, Inc. announced the successful completion of Phase One engineering for its flagship AI data center development project in the West Texas and southeastern New Mexico Permian Basin. The company made the announcement on September 24, 2025, from its Midland, Texas, location. The project, known as Texas Critical Data Centers LLC (TCDC), represents a 50/50 joint venture between New Era Energy & Digital and Sharon AI, Inc.

Phase One engineering included completion of environmental studies, which all passed review, data center feasibility assessments, and load study results.

Project Scale and Timeline

The TCDC campus is being designed to scale ultimately to 1 gigawatt (GW) of power capacity, positioning it as a premier site for AI-optimized data center complexes in North America. TCDC intends to follow up on the Phase One completion with a large load interconnection application, as the company believes these milestones validate the project's constructability and the pathway for intended power delivery, which is expected to begin in early 2027.

New Era is now advancing into Phase Two engineering, which will focus on detailed data center site planning and the integration of additional infrastructure. The company remains on track with its development schedule and continues to work closely with regulatory agencies, engineering partners, and key stakeholders as it advances into the subsequent phases of development.

Regulatory Compliance and Power Infrastructure

The project is underpinned by previously announced partnerships for behind-the-meter power islands to deliver reliable power and compliance with the new Texas Senate Bill 6 (SB6) regulations that impact large loads like data centers on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas power grid. The development incorporates powered land, powered shells, and secured energy supply as part of New Era's vertically integrated model.

This integrated approach is designed to lower tenant costs and shorten deployment timelines compared to traditional providers. The project's location in the Permian Basin offers abundant energy resources, direct fiber connectivity, and the ability to expand beyond 438 acres to support long-term growth.

Market Positioning and Development Strategy

TCDC is being developed at a scale and pace to partially meet the surging demand for GPU compute capacity, with AI infrastructure growth expected to accelerate exponentially over the next decade. New Era describes itself as a developer and operator of next-generation digital infrastructure and integrated power assets, with a growing portfolio of strategically located, vertically integrated resources.

The company delivers turnkey solutions that enable hyperscale, enterprise, and edge operators to accelerate data center deployment, optimize total cost of ownership, and future-proof their infrastructure investments. New Era's CEO E. Will Gray II commented on the milestone, stating they are “de-risking one of the most ambitious AI data center site developments in the United States.”

Corporate Structure and Joint Venture Details

Texas Critical Data Centers operates as a joint venture between New Era Helium and Sharon AI, Inc., dedicated to building and operating sustainable, state-of-the-art data centers and sites purpose-designed for AI and high-density computing workloads. The joint venture structure allows both companies to combine their expertise in developing the flagship campus.

New Era Energy & Digital trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol NUAI and maintains its corporate website at www.newerainfra.ai. The company also maintains a presence on LinkedIn and X social media platforms. For the TCDC project specifically, information is available at www.texascriticaldatacenters.com. Gray emphasized that the completion of Phase One engineering validates both the strength of their project and the discipline of their development approach.

With major feasibility milestones and load studies cleared, the company is accelerating toward Phase Two engineering and bringing their vision of energy-resilient, AI-native infrastructure closer to reality.

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