Data center startup ECL claims that it will build a 1GW AI data center on a more than 600-acre site east of Houston, Texas, powered by hydrogen. The TerraSite-TX1 will initially have a capacity of 50MW, coming next summer, at a cost of around $450 million. AI cloud provider Lambda will be the first customer, but is not taking the whole 50MW.

ECL says it will build a 1 GW hydrogen-powered AI factory data center in Houston, Texas, with Lambda as its first tenant. The initial $450 million phase is scheduled for completion in summer 2025.

California-based data center developer ECL is incorporating hydrogen fuel cells and battery storage into its projects to enable a completely self-contained generating capacity, even to the point of being grid free.

Data Center-as-a-Service pioneer ECL, which unveiled the world’s first off-grid, sustainable, modular, built-to-suit data center on June 20, 2024, today announced that it will build the first fully sustainable 1GW AI Factory data center – ECL TerraSite-TX1 on a 600+ acre site east of Houston,

The increasing power demands of AI data centers are prompting operators to expand carbon-free energy initiatives and advance liquid cooling technologies to enhance energy efficiency and reduce consumption.

A California company is planning an $8 billion data center project that aims to circumvent a growing criticism of such facilities.