What do I mean by the beast? It’s a descriptive term to describe the technology monster that will soon control the world. I’m referring to the all-knowing and all-seeing surveillance state, or machine, that will use satellite internet connections to connect every person to the data centers that will keep a record of everything you buy, sell, own, say, do, places you visit, who you talk to, your opinions, your shopping preferences, etc, etc, etc. The main purpose of the internet is not for you to be able to watch cute cat videos or shop on Amazon. The internet was created by and for the Dept of Defense.
You might say that we already live in a surveillance state and that is true, since 9/11. But new technology, like AI, offers new and more difficult to evade methods of control and greater and instant surveillance, as well as the ability to respond to public issues with “information” before they get out of hand. Remember the Covid apps they wanted us to download on our phones? They were already able to monitor the movement of people without those apps using pings from GPS from phones.
Some of the data being collected with every keystroke and click and eye gaze is simply used to sell you things that you don’t even know you want yet. Other data is used to control your next move, your desires, your emotions, and habits by using social media algorithms to promote or hide certain ideas, trends, and narratives.
So to demonstrate how Texas land, water, and electricity are being sold out to these technobeast developers, let’s take a look at some data provided by ChatGPT. If you click the Comptroller link it will take you to a more comprehensive list.
Data Center Development
- Texas is one of the most rapidly growing data center markets in the U.S. According to Baxtel (via Texas Public Radio), Texas is home to 448 data centers operated by 127 providers, collectively drawing around 9,402 megawatts (MW) of power—or roughly the energy use of 7.8 million homes TPR.
- Projections indicate a tenfold increase by 2030, which would require more than a doubling of ERCOT’s grid capacity—from 85 GW to ~218 GW TPR.
- Among the major national projects, Oracle’s “Stargate” AI data campus and Vantage Data Centers’ $25 billion “Frontier” campus in Texas rank among the largest developments in the U.S. Property Manager InsiderReuters.
Comparatively, traditional data centers are also expanding in other states such as Nebraska (Google), Wisconsin (Microsoft), Northern Virginia (AWS), and Kansas City (Meta) Property Manager Insider. Yet the volume and scale of developments underway in Texas currently outpace most regions.
Crypto Mining Facilities
- As of early 2024, about half of the U.S.’s 5.42 GW of bitcoin mining capacity—around 2.7 GW—is located in Texas, making the state a dominant center for mining operations TheMinerMag.
- The Texas Blockchain Council reports at least 27 mining operations in-state, including five of the nation’s top ten largest facilities, such as Riot Platforms in Rockdale (450 MW) and Cipher Mining in Odessa (207 MW) EarthjusticeOpportune.
- The EIA confirms that Texas leads among states, with the most mining sites and highest electricity use U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Other states with substantial crypto mining include Georgia and New York, but none approach Texas’s combined scale or growth rate.
Here’s a partial list of current and proposed data centers as well as crypto mining facilities in Texas—highlighting not just names and locations, but also whether they’re active or still in early stages:
Current & Registered Data Centers in Texas
According to the Texas Comptroller and other reliable sources, Texas hosts a wide range of operational data centers, including:
- Major campuses and facilities:
- Austin Data Center 2 LLC – Active as of 1/15/2025 (Texas Comptroller)
- C1 Richardson LLC Data Center – Active as of 5/8/2025 (Texas Comptroller)
- Switch AUS 4 – Active as of 6/26/2025 (Texas Comptroller)
- Giga Texas Datacenter (Tesla, Inc.) – Active as of 3/25/2024 (Texas Comptroller)
- Whinstone US Data Center – Active as of 6/30/2020 (Texas Comptroller)
- Projects classified as “Large Data Center Projects”:
- EdgeConneX AUS02 (Cedar Creek, Bastrop County)—$440M, two-story, 578,000 sq ft, part of a $1.44 B campus, construction from August 2025 to June 2026 (MySA, San Antonio Express-News)
- Vantage Data Centers “Frontier” (Shackelford County)—Massive 1,200-acre AI-focused campus, 1.4 GW capacity, over $25 B investment; first building operational in late 2026 (Reuters)
Proposed & Emerging Data Center Developments
- PowerCampus Austin by Skybox Datacenters in Hutto: A massive tech hub with six buildings planned (3.9M sq ft). A $125 M second building (Building 2) begins October 2025; full campus expected to generate $4–5 B economic impact (MySA)
- Dallas–Fort Worth area: Four major campus projects slated for Red Oak, Grand Prairie, Lancaster, and Garland, covering over 1,000 acres of development (racksolutions.com)
Crypto Mining and Crypto-to-AI Conversions
- Cipher Mining – Black Pearl Facility in Winkler County: A $7M facility (19,579 sq ft), with 250 MW air-cooled and 50 MW liquid-cooled cryptomining operations, expected operational mid-2025 (Midland Reporter-Telegram)
- Soluna – Project Rosa: Acquired 60 acres in Texas to build a 187 MW Bitcoin mining and AI data center, co-located with a 240 MW wind farm (renewable energy) (DataCenterDynamics)
- Core Scientific (Denton): Plans to convert an existing Bitcoin mining facility into AI-ready data centers with a $4 B investment—subject to city approvals (GovTech)
- College Station Midtown: Proposed 200-acre crypto mining facility by Priority Power Management, LLC—currently under public debate and city council consideration (25 News KXXV and KRHD, https://www.kbtx.com)
Summary Table
| Type | Example Location / Project | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operational Data Centers | Austin Data Center 2, Giga Texas, etc. | Active | Tax-exempt, registered facilities (Texas Comptroller, Data Centers) |
| Large New Campuses | EdgeConneX AUS02, Vantage Frontier | Under construction | Multi-building, high-power AI/data campuses (MySA, Reuters) |
| New Developments | PowerCampus Austin | Planned/underway | Hyperscale build in Hutto (MySA) |
| DFW Campus Buildouts | Red Oak, Grand Prairie, Lancaster, Garland | Proposed | Campus clusters in North Texas (racksolutions.com) |
| Crypto Mining Sites | Cipher Black Pearl, Soluna Rosa | Operational or early stage | Cryptomining + AI; renewable energy integration (Midland Reporter-Telegram, DataCenterDynamics) |
| Crypto-to-AI Conversion | Core Scientific in Denton | Proposed | Conversion to AI centers (GovTech) |
| Community-Proposed Mining | College Station Midtown | Under consideration | Community concerns over impact (25 News KXXV and KRHD, https://www.kbtx.com) |
Why is this rapid expansion of facilities concerning to many people? Because of the huge impact on water and energy resources, as well as the noise pollution and EMFs.
Energy Usage
Both hyperscale data centers and crypto mining facilities are huge electricity consumers. A single large data campus, like the Vantage “Frontier” project in Shackelford County, is planned for 1.4 gigawatts of capacity — roughly equal to the power use of hundreds of thousands of homes. Crypto mining sites, such as Cipher’s Black Pearl facility (300 MW combined), also run 24/7 at full load. This constant demand places significant strain on the Texas electric grid (ERCOT), especially during peak summer months when residential usage is already high. Industry advocates argue these centers can help stabilize the grid by voluntarily curtailing operations when supply is tight, but critics note they are still adding massive baseline demand that requires more power generation overall.
Water Usage
Water use is another major concern. Traditional data centers often rely on evaporative cooling systems, which can consume millions of gallons of water annually to keep servers from overheating. In dry or drought-prone parts of Texas, this raises sustainability concerns and potential conflicts with local agricultural or municipal needs. Some operators are experimenting with air cooling or liquid immersion cooling (used in Cipher’s Black Pearl site), which can reduce water consumption dramatically but often require more upfront capital. Crypto mining farms, because of their density and 24/7 operations, can have especially high cooling demands if not designed with efficient alternatives. As more campuses are proposed, local communities — like in College Station and Bastrop County — are asking hard questions about whether the promised economic benefits outweigh the pressure these facilities place on limited water and energy supplies.
EMFs (electromagnetic fields) are also part of the debate around large data centers and crypto mining operations, though they often get less media attention than water and energy.
What EMFs Are
- EMFs are invisible energy fields generated by high-voltage transmission lines, transformers, substations, and electrical equipment.
- Data centers and crypto mining facilities often require their own substations and heavy-duty power lines because of the sheer amount of electricity they consume.
- This can increase localized EMF exposure near the site.
Community Concerns
- Residents sometimes worry about long-term health effects of living close to high-voltage equipment, even though most scientific studies show low-level EMF exposure is not conclusively harmful.
- The World Health Organization and U.S. health agencies generally classify EMFs from power lines as a “possible carcinogen” — meaning evidence is limited and not definitive.
- What’s more immediate in community debates is quality of life issues: large substations and transmission lines alter the landscape, and constant electrical “hum” or vibration can be bothersome.
Industry Approach
- Modern data centers are usually designed to keep EMF exposure within regulatory safety limits (set by OSHA, IEEE, and FCC).
- Equipment is shielded, and substations are sited with buffer zones to limit exposure to nearby homes.
- Still, opponents sometimes use EMF concerns alongside water and noise issues to argue against siting new facilities near neighborhoods or schools.
In conclusion, Texas stands at the crossroads of technological progress and community sustainability. Massive data centers and crypto mining facilities promise jobs, tax revenue, and a foothold in the growing digital economy, but they also bring unprecedented demands on electricity, water, and land. Add to that the concerns over noise, EMFs, and quality-of-life impacts, and it becomes clear that each new project represents more than just a private business investment — it’s a community choice. For Texans, the central question is not whether these facilities will arrive, but how to ensure they do so in a way that balances economic opportunity with environmental responsibility and the long-term well-being of the people who live alongside them.
Note: Using ChatGPT uses more energy to provide answers than Google, although Google is also using AI, so I’m not sure how much different it will be in the future.
Cat Spring, Texas 
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