Midland-based New Era Energy & Digital, Inc. has announced a significant advancement in its plans to develop a large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) data center and power campus in Ector County near Odessa. This development aims to position West Texas as an emerging hub for digital infrastructure.
According to a news release, the company’s joint venture, Texas Critical Data Centers LLC (TCDC)—a 50/50 partnership with Sharon AI—has entered into a strategic engineering and design agreement with EYP Mission Critical Facilities, part of Denmark-based Ramboll Group A/S. The partnership will bring EYP MCF’s expertise in mission-critical infrastructure to the 438-acre project, which will feature up to 1 gigawatt (GW) of combined on-site and grid-connected power capacity. Plans include 400 megawatts of natural gas generation, with potential future expansion to 1 GW. The facility will integrate high-density AI compute systems and advanced power designs to achieve one of the industry’s lowest Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratings—a key benchmark for sustainability and energy efficiency.
The project’s design will incorporate powered shell structures, advanced electrical systems, and flexible, modular layouts aimed at attracting hyperscale tenants—large cloud and AI companies seeking scalable, energy-resilient infrastructure. This vertically integrated approach combines both power generation and data center operations on a single campus, allowing tenants to accelerate deployment timelines while benefiting from stable, locally sourced power.
Will Gray, CEO of New Era Energy & Digital, said the collaboration represents “a key milestone” for the company’s flagship project. “By combining world-class engineering with our integrated energy assets, we’re powering the future of AI computing in a sustainable and cost-effective way,” he said. Kevin Sanders from EYP MCF added that the firm’s focus on sustainable, high-performance design “will help realize TCDC’s vision for a 1 GW-scale AI ecosystem leveraging West Texas’s natural gas resources for reliable, low-carbon power.”