Microsoft is increasing its knowledge heart operations close to San Antonio with a latest $1.4 billion funding in Medina County. The Washington-based tech big is ready to assemble 4 new knowledge facilities within the county simply west of San Antonio, in response to state information.
Data with the Texas Division of Licensing and Regulation point out that Microsoft intends to assemble two knowledge facilities, making up a mixed 489,400 sq. ft at 2995 U.S. Freeway 90 W. Two further state filings element plans for an additional set of knowledge heart buildings to be constructed alongside County Highway 381, totaling one other 490,000 sq. ft. Information facilities are specialised services used to accommodate and handle a lot of laptop servers and different {hardware} that retailer, course of and handle knowledge.
The transfer practically doubles Microsoft’s investments in South and Central Texas, which embody round 1,112 acres close to Castroville and Hondo in Medina County and greater than 300 acres in Bexar County, the place the corporate has established a cluster of knowledge facilities on San Antonio’s far West Facet.
Microsoft declined the San Antonio Report’s request for touch upon the brand new knowledge facilities.
The corporate’s enlargement in Texas comes at a pivotal second, as state officers work to stability sustaining Texas as a data-center hub whereas making certain there’s sufficient electrical energy to energy each these facilities and the wants of residents and companies.
Information facilities are among the many most energy-intensive varieties of buildings and account for two% of whole vitality use in america, in response to the U.S. Division of Power. Texas ranks because the second-largest knowledge heart market within the nation by stock, trailing solely Virginia. They’re additionally extremely water intensive, though Microsoft promotes that it operates most of its knowledge facilities off recycled water in a closed circuit.
Considerations concerning the state grid’s reliability stay 4 years after the occasions of Winter Storm Uri, with the state’s progress pushing utilities throughout the state to increase their technology and transmission capabilities.
On Thursday, the Texas Senate’s Enterprise and Commerce Committee heard testimony on a invoice that would end in barely elevated prices for “massive load” clients comparable to knowledge facilities, as they might face new transmission prices and stricter interconnection necessities.
The invoice, launched by 4 Texas Republican senators together with Donna Campbell of New Braunfels, has 4 fundamental targets: make certain transmission prices are pretty shared throughout the state’s grid, set guidelines to maintain the Texas grid dependable, enhance how the state predicts vitality wants and defend residential clients from energy outages by requiring massive customers to assist cut back demand throughout shortages.
On common, every knowledge heart in Texas makes use of underneath 100 megawatts — the place one megawatt can energy round 250 houses on a scorching summer time day — though that would change sooner or later, stated Pablo Vegas, president and CEO of Texas’ grid operator, the Electrical Reliability Council of Texas.
The purpose of the invoice is to ensure the load progress introduced on by pro-growth state insurance policies is completed in a accountable means that ensures Texans are getting sufficient electrical energy to energy their houses and companies, stated state Sen. Phil King (R-Weatherford), one of many invoice’s co-sponsors.
“Please hear this — Texas is open for enterprise on these issues, we would like continued improvement of those massive masses, we’d like Texas to be within the forefront of cutting-edge applied sciences,” stated King. “The aim of this dialogue is that particularly … is that we would like that enterprise in Texas.”
San Antonio is ready for that progress and is working to remain forward of demand, stated CPS Power’s Ben Jordan, the utility’s interim senior director of built-in system planning. The publicly-owned utility performs an integral half in constructing out sufficient state-level infrastructure to help Texas’s continued progress.
“Texas needs to be a supplier to this kind of buyer,” Jordan stated. “We’re agnostic as a municipal utility — now we have an obligation to serve, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
