New Mexico is emerging as a major destination for large-scale data center development, with AI and hyperscale infrastructure driving significant investment. Blackridge Research tracks 7 upcoming data center projects in the state, representing approximately 8.3 GW of planned capacity and USD 247.7 billion in construction expenditure.
The New Era Energy Lea County AI Data Center Hub, Project Jupiter (Stargate), Zenith Volts Roswell/Chaves County Data Center, Meta Los Lunas Campus AI Expansion, and Google Data Center in Lea County are among the major data center developments shaping New Mexico's pipeline. These projects span southern and southeastern New Mexico and include large AI-focused campuses, hyperscale expansion, and emerging digital infrastructure hubs.
This article examines the top 5 new data center projects in New Mexico, comparing their capacity, location, developer, investment, development stage, and expected timelines.
List of New Upcoming Data Center Projects New Mexico 2026
New Era Energy Lea County AI Data Center Hub
New Era Energy & Digital plans to develop a 7 GW AI data center campus across approximately 3,500 acres in Lea County, New Mexico. The project is planned as a multi-phase hyperscale AI hub powered primarily by more than 2 GW of natural gas generation and more than 5 GW of nuclear generation. Initial power delivery is targeted for 2028, making it one of the larger proposed AI infrastructure developments in the region.
Project Jupiter (Stargate)
Project Jupiter is a proposed USD 165 billion artificial intelligence data center campus in Santa Teresa, Doña Ana County, New Mexico. The development forms part of OpenAI's broader Stargate initiative and is planned across approximately 1,400 acres with four large data center buildings. Oracle is the primary tenant and infrastructure operator, while STACK Infrastructure and BorderPlex Digital Assets are involved in the campus development.
Zenith Volts Roswell / Chaves County Data Center
The Zenith Volts Corp. Data Center is a planned 1.25 GW or larger AI data center campus located about 20 miles south of Roswell in Chaves County, New Mexico. The project covers a 300-acre core data center footprint within an 8,500-acre site and is designed for AI, cloud computing, and high-performance computing workloads.
Zenith Volts plans to develop the campus around an off-grid power model combining solar generation, battery storage, natural gas backup generation, solar-thermal systems, and geothermal cooling.
Meta Los Lunas Campus - AI Expansion (Phase 3)
Meta is developing Phase 3 of its Los Lunas, New Mexico data center campus, adding two new AI-focused buildings through an USD 800 million investment. The expansion is expected to increase the campus to nearly 3.8 million square feet across its 750-acre site. The broader Los Lunas campus has received more than USD 2.2 billion in cumulative investment, although some sources report a potential total investment of up to USD 3.3 billion depending on the projects included.
Google Data Center - Lea County
Google is exploring a potential data center in Lea County, New Mexico, approximately five miles west of Hobbs. Announced in September 2026, the project remains in the exploratory stage and does not yet have a final construction decision. Google is evaluating the site alongside local officials and the community, while land approval, energy infrastructure, water requirements, and other development conditions remain under review.
New Mexico Data Center Market Overview
New Mexico is emerging as a major destination for large-scale data center development, with AI infrastructure and hyperscale computing driving a significant wave of new investment.
Blackridge Research tracks 7 upcoming data center projects in the state, representing approximately 8.3 GW of planned capacity and USD 247.7 billion in construction expenditure. Average investment stands at approximately USD 35.4 billion per project, reflecting the exceptionally large scale of several proposed AI-focused campuses.
The state's pipeline includes projects across multiple development stages.
Four projects are in planning, representing 8.3 GW of capacity and USD 82.3 billion in construction expenditure. One project is announced with USD 300 million in investment, while another is under construction with 10 MW of capacity and USD 70 million in expenditure. A further project is in the pre-construction stage, with investment of approximately USD 165 billion.
New Mexico's major data center activity is concentrated in Doña Ana, Lea, Chaves, and Valencia counties. Project Jupiter in Doña Ana County, New Era Energy & Digital's proposed Lea County development, Zenith Volts' Chaves County project, and Meta's Los Lunas expansion represent some of the state's largest developments. Google's exploratory project in Lea County adds another potential hyperscale development to the pipeline.
The rapid growth of the market has also brought greater attention to electricity demand, water availability, land use, and local permitting. Several New Mexico counties have introduced temporary data center moratoriums or development restrictions as officials develop rules for large-scale facilities.
New Mexico Data Center Moratorium
New Mexico does not currently have a statewide data center moratorium, but several counties have introduced local restrictions on new data center development. Santa Fe, Socorro, and Sierra counties have enacted temporary moratoriums, while Colfax County has also been reported to have adopted a temporary restriction in parts of the county.
These measures have emerged as the state's data center pipeline expands rapidly. Concerns cited by local officials and communities include water consumption, electricity demand, grid infrastructure, land use, noise, environmental impacts, and the need for clearer zoning standards.
The issue has become particularly prominent around large AI-focused projects such as Project Jupiter in Doña Ana County, where questions surrounding power generation, water use, air-quality permitting, and the scale of the proposed development have generated significant public debate.
At the state level, legislation proposing a broader data center moratorium has been discussed for the 2027 legislative session, but no statewide moratorium had been enacted as of September 2026. The current regulatory environment therefore remains primarily county-specific, with different jurisdictions taking different approaches to data center development.
Conclusion
New Mexico's data center pipeline is expanding rapidly, led by large AI and hyperscale developments across Lea, Chaves, Doña Ana, and Valencia counties. The New Era Energy Lea County AI Data Center Hub, Project Jupiter, Zenith Volts Roswell, Meta Los Lunas expansion, and Google Lea County project represent different stages of this emerging market.
The scale of these projects also highlights key challenges around power availability, water resources, grid infrastructure, permitting, and local development controls. As these projects progress, their development timelines will depend on securing the necessary infrastructure and regulatory approvals.
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