BIG COUNTRY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – John Boyd, Corporate Location Consultant, and Site Selection Expert at the Boyd Company, recently weighed in on Abilene as it steps into the spotlight with the announcement of the largest artificial intelligence infrastructure project in history. Boyd, who advises large companies on site selection, sees this move as a major boost for Abilene, positioning it as a key player in the U.S. AI and data center industries.MORE DETAILS: Abilene announced for largest AI infrastructure project with $500 billion+ investment
President Donald Trump recently announced the largest AI infrastructure project in history, with Abilene, Texas, as the site for its first phase. This initiative aligns with Lancium, a clean energy computing company that began building its energy-powered data center in Abilene in 2022.
Boyd, whose firm advises major corporations on site selection across the U.S., highlighted Texas as a longtime hotspot for development. He emphasized that this project positions the Key City as the “launching pad” for a groundbreaking advancement in artificial intelligence.
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“Clients of ours with major operations in Texas include Dell, Boeing, UPS, and a number of other companies. We’ve also helped cite some of the nation’s largest data center projects. This is a very significant, historic project for West Central Texas,” Boyd shared. “This is a big deal. Abilene is now the launching pad for this historic investment in artificial intelligence. AI really is the new global arms race. It’s critical for the US to promote its AI infrastructure to keep our competitiveness on the global stage. It reminds me of another Texas city, Houston, being the launching pad for the space race back in the 60s with Russia.”What is DeepSeek, the AI model taking the internet by storm?
In the global race for AI dominance, the Chinese-developed artificial intelligence app DeepSeek has made waves in the stock market since its release. Boyd noted that this underscores just how critical — and “geopolitically” significant — artificial intelligence has become.
“China wants to maintain its competitive advantages to make goods and services quicker and less costly. With respect to DeepSeek, there’s a lot of conflicting information about what we truly know about that,” Boyd shared. “But overall, the overall trajectory and U.S. commitment to investing in artificial intelligence are certainly there. You look at this partnership with Oracle and Softbank, Open AI, and other players in this space, such as Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Elon Musk, who are major advocates for artificial intelligence. Clearly this is an industry that you want to have growing and flourishing. Abilene, of course, is now a global center of excellence because of Stargate.”Trump highlights partnership investing $500 billion in AI
Boyd emphasized that AI has transformed every aspect of the economy, from healthcare and transportation to banking and finance, making it crucial for the U.S. to maintain a competitive edge in this evolving field.
“It’s really the new critical infrastructure and it aligns with other industries that rely on cybersecurity and energy, and attracting projects like Stargate really enhances the overall tech ecosystem,” Boyd explained. “It makes the region more attractive for other companies because of the processing capability and connectivity that exists now. So think about all the health care and transportation and banking and finance and even service industry jobs that can tap into this new connectivity and processing asset in Abilene.”
Boyd noted that this project will strengthen America’s position in AI while also giving the Abilene economy a boost by creating a variety of new job opportunities.
“Potentially hundreds of data center technician jobs, natural gas turbine jobs, maintenance jobs, and construction. Construction is going to be a major area of growth,” Boyd shared.
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But this growth isn’t limited to the data center itself — it will have a ripple effect across the region, creating even more opportunities, according to Boyd.
“It also represents potentially billions of dollars of new real estate development. New housing, new commercial space, new retail restaurants, hotels, all of that means jobs. This is a real catalyst for exciting new real estate development activity… It also becomes a new economic development recruiting tool for the region to attract other types of high-tech industry because of the increased information processing and connectivity that this data center brings.” Boyd said. “These data centers are less vulnerable to swings in the national economy versus many other types of traditional private sector employers… attracting a data center investment like this will pay off and create real jobs and sustainable economic development for decades to come.”
When asked why Stargate — a project with a $500 billion investment — chose this region, Boyd pointed to several factors, starting with power. These data centers demand hundreds of megawatts, and Texas’ pro-business stance, along with resources like natural gas turbines, makes it an ideal location to meet those energy needs.
“The other part of all of this is just the sheer size and connectivity of the state of Texas. We’re often asked, ‘Why is Texas a leader in job creation and in global economic development success?’ It really comes down to connectivity. You think about DFW with nonstop flights to major global markets. You think about the port in Houston. You think about the spaceport in Boca Chica. You think about the new Texas Stock Exchange in Dallas. You can add this new Stargate in Abilene to Texas’s connectivity narrative and theme. So it’s very significant,” Boyd explained. “The other part of this is just the influence that Texas has on Capitol Hill, the second most members of Congress. That’s the type of asset you want in the data center industry. It’s an industry that touches upon so many highly regulated industries in banking and finance and healthcare, national defense, security, transportation, etc.”Locals weigh in: How Stargate benefits Abilene and Taylor County
Diving deeper into energy, Boyd noted that Texas is one of just three states that allow on-site natural gas turbines. He added that major players in the gas industry, like Chevron, have already announced initiatives to supply data centers with on-site natural gas, further enhancing the state’s appeal for AI infrastructure.
“You’re going to see a number of announcements with major players in the natural gas industry getting into this sector,” Boyd said. “There’s a lot of exciting new technological developments happening in the energy sector because of the rise of data centers. Our nation’s demand for electricity is projected to double over the next 10 years because of artificial intelligence. You think about the nuclear industry, some of the SMR startups that will take years to really develop. Really, the quickest to market solution here is on-site natural gas, and Texas is a leader on that front.”
Comparing Abilene to other areas influenced by the data center industry, Boyd said the city is now positioned to become a “leading cluster of data center activity.”
“You think about some of the new Wall Streets. You think about South Florida attracting new banking and FinTech industry. Dallas, of course, is one of the new Wall Streets, a leader in financial services with respect to the data center industry. You think about Central Washington state, which has one of the largest clusters of data center activity,” Boyd shared. “Abilene is now positioned to be really a global cluster, a leading cluster of data center activity. There are projections of potentially 10 new data centers on that campus. So that’s going to be a tremendous engine of new economic development activity.”
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With Stargate underway in Abilene, Boyd is confident the city is already on the radar of more corporations eager to get involved in this growing venture.
“They’re on their way, and you’re off to a great start here with Softbank, open AI, Oracle, Softbank, and OpenAI. I promise you that major tech companies have Abilene on the radar screen,” Boyd said. “You’re also serviced by a great regional economic development office, which does a terrific job. And, of course, the state economic development team does a terrific job promoting the state’s economic development assets.”
