Texas Tech professor doubts Lubbock will land a hyperscale data center
Texas Tech professor Kassandra McQuillen said she does not expect Lubbock to land a hyperscale data center, citing questions about water access, electricity, annexation and community impacts. Her students visited Fermi America’s Project Matador and the Crusoe campus being built for Google in Armstrong County to examine power, water, taxes and economic development.
Texas Tech assistant professor Kassandra McQuillen said Lubbock may not secure a hyperscale data center because any such project would need to address water access, annexation, power supply and broader effects on housing, roads and public services. She made the assessment during a radio interview while discussing a course in which students evaluate the infrastructure and economic consequences of large developments.
McQuillen’s students recently toured Fermi America’s Project Matador and the Crusoe campus under construction for Google in Armstrong County. The projects prompted discussion of electricity generation, cooling systems, tax agreements, permanent employment and the distinction between short-term construction work and long-term operating jobs.
The article also describes competing concerns about water and power availability. Google’s planned campus is expected to use closed-loop, non-evaporative liquid cooling, while Fermi has proposed hybrid dry-wet cooling for planned gas and nuclear generation. McQuillen said communities should assess whether infrastructure and water resources can support such developments before buildings are completed.