Co-Development partners Big Watt Digital (“Big Watt”), an integrated power and digital infrastructure platform that specializes in dedicated, behind-the-meter power generation, and PowerHouse Data Centers (“PowerHouse”), a leading real estate and digital infrastructure developer for next-generation hyperscale data centers and a division of American Real Estate Partners (AREP), today announced significant progress toward the development of a turnkey data center campus project in Taylor, Texas, with the potential to deliver up to one gigawatt of hyperscale data center capacity.

The Big Watt PowerHouse joint venture has secured approval of its development agreement for the Taylor Technology Campus project, an important milestone in the partnership’s strategy to develop AI-ready infrastructure in high-growth U.S. markets. This marks a significant inflection point for both companies, whose combined portfolio includes 12 gigawatts of capacity in active development, and a pipeline exceeding 24 gigawatts across the country.

The joint venture proposes developing Taylor Technology Campus on the approximately 664-acre site in Austin’s fast-growing technology corridor. The strategically located site offers exceptional connectivity and access to major transport and fiber infrastructure, nearby high-voltage transmission assets, and natural gas resources that can support large-scale, behind-the-meter power generation.

As demand for high-performance AI and cloud computing continues to accelerate, access to reliable power and deployable infrastructure has emerged as a primary constraint on data center development. Big Watt and PowerHouse’s integrated approach brings together site development, power generation, transmission access, natural gas infrastructure, and digital infrastructure development to create scalable campuses designed to accelerate deployment timelines and provide the reliability and certainty required by hyperscale and AI customers.

“The introduction of the Taylor site demonstrates Big Watt and PowerHouse’s immediate progress along with what the company was built to do: bring power and digital infrastructure together from the outset to deliver speed, scale and certainty for the AI economy,” said Alex Hern, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Big Watt Digital. “By pairing digital infrastructure with dedicated, behind-the-meter power, we are designing for and addressing one of the biggest constraints facing data center development today — access to reliable power — without relying solely on incremental grid capacity.”

Taylor Technology Campus is planned to utilize dedicated, behind-the-meter power generation, with infrastructure designed to serve the campus directly and provide the reliability and resiliency required for large-scale computing. The project is targeting first power availability in the first half of 2028, aligning power delivery with anticipated data center deployment schedules.

Driving Economic Opportunity in Taylor and the Broader Austin Region

Beyond its role in supporting the next generation of AI infrastructure, the campus project is expected to generate meaningful economic benefits for Taylor and the broader Austin region. The development will bring new private investment to the community, support construction and permanent employment opportunities, and expand the local economic activity associated with large-scale digital infrastructure. As the project progresses, the joint venture expects its development will create opportunities for local contractors, service providers, and other businesses while also contributing to the community’s long-term economic growth.

The project is also designed to strengthen the infrastructure supporting continued growth across the region. By bringing new digital infrastructure and dedicated power generation to the market, Taylor Technology Campus is positioned to support the expanding ecosystem of technology companies and businesses that depend on reliable, scalable infrastructure, while creating new opportunities for workers and communities across the Austin technology corridor.

Expected Economic Benefits to Taylor

  • Approximately $1.3 billion in cumulative gross tax revenue to the city of Taylor from 2027 through 2046, including approximately $1.1 billion in personal property tax revenue.

  • Approximately $4.8 billion in total economic output and approximately 19,000 construction-period, full-time-equivalent (“FTE”) jobs across Williamson County during the projected 2027-2029 construction period.

  • At stabilized buildout, approximately $235 million in recurring annual economic output and 500 FTE jobs across Williamson County, including 320 FTE jobs within the city of Taylor.

  • The on-site power plant is projected to generate approximately $116 million in annual economic output across Williamson County – approximately 49% of the project’s total recurring countywide output.

  • Approximately $28.2 million in direct community investments, including $13 million for quality-of-life improvements, $10.2 million for Taylor ISD educational programs, $1.5 million in student scholarships, $1 million for workforce development, $1 million for animal care, and additional nonprofit contributions. The developers also have committed to providing at least 20 Taylor ISD student internships each calendar year.

“Austin is one of the most dynamic technology markets in the country, and the Taylor Technology Campus project gives us a strategically positioned platform to support the next generation of AI and hyperscale computing while delivering meaningful economic benefits to Taylor and the broader region,” said Keith Meyer, President of Big Watt. “The project will bring new private investment, employment opportunities and economic activity to the community, while helping strengthen the infrastructure needed to support continued growth across the region.”

Responsible Development and Environmental Stewardship

Taylor Technology Campus is being planned with consideration for the surrounding community and local resources. The development agreement provides for project-specific standards governing water use, stormwater management, site design, landscaping, setbacks, lighting and noise, including enhanced standards in several areas as well as developer-funded improvements to the City’s reclaimed-water infrastructure. Together, these provisions reflect a broader approach to responsible development that considers both the project’s impacts and opportunities to support local infrastructure.

“Responsible infrastructure development means looking beyond performance and reliability to how a project fits into the community around it,” continued Alex Hern. “The local process in Taylor has helped inform our approach, and we have agreed to enhanced standards that reflect many of the considerations raised through that process. That includes being thoughtful about local resources, how the campus is designed to buffer neighboring properties, and how issues such as noise, lighting and stormwater are addressed as the project moves forward. We expect that dialogue to continue as the campus develops.”

About Big Watt

Big Watt provides integrated digital-infrastructure solutions to power the next generation of AI and high-performance computing. By combining on-site, grid independent power generation with sophisticated digital infrastructure-development capabilities, Big Watt delivers “speed to power” at scale, solving the single greatest constraint facing AI and cloud growth today: access to reliable, large-scale electricity. Big Watt’s end-to-end platform spans site sourcing, diligence, development, leasing, financing, and asset management. Backed by best-in-class co-development partners, Big Watt has commenced more than two gigawatts of data center development across Texas and South Dakota, with a 10 GW pipeline across major markets.

Big Watt believes the infrastructure it develops can serve as a catalyst for long-term growth in the communities where it operates. By investing in power, digital infrastructure, and the underlying systems needed to support next-generation computing, Big Watt helps create the foundation for new economic activity and opportunity. The company works with local leaders, utilities, landowners, and other stakeholders to advance projects that are thoughtfully planned, responsive to local priorities, and positioned to deliver lasting value to the communities they serve. Learn more here: https://bigwattdigital.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn.

About PowerHouse Data Centers

PowerHouse Data Centers, a wholly owned division of American Real Estate Partners (AREP), builds the infrastructure that powers the digital economy. As a full-service real estate and infrastructure development partner for hyperscalers nationwide, PowerHouse manages the entire development lifecycle, from land acquisition, entitlement, and power procurement to capital structuring and leasing. With a substantial national pipeline, PowerHouse develops and owns its assets for the long term. Today, the company represents nearly 10 gigawatts of completed and under-development capacity across 140 buildings in nine Tier 1 and Tier 2 U.S. markets, including multiple projects across Texas.

PowerHouse builds with a deep commitment to the communities it enters, working proactively with utilities, local governments, and community stakeholders to deliver digital infrastructure that balances growing demand with responsible development, environmental stewardship, and lasting community value. Visit our newsroom for more information, and follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube.

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