Massive AI Data Center Brings Jobs and Innovation to Nueces County

Energy and digital infrastructure company Hut 8 has announced a major investment in Nueces County, Texas, with its new Beacon Point artificial intelligence data center campus in Robstown. The company signed a 15-year, $9.8 billion lease, marking a significant shift for the Coastal Bend region towards advanced digital infrastructure. The initial two phases of Beacon Point are projected to involve a combined $17 billion capital investment. This development is expected to generate approximately 1,900 construction jobs and an estimated 230 permanent positions once the facility becomes fully operational. The campus will initially provide 352 megawatts of computing capacity, with plans to expand up to 1,000 megawatts to support large-scale AI systems. Hut 8 is collaborating with Tier 1 partners including American Electric Power, Vertiv, and Jacobs for the project's execution. Addressing potential concerns regarding water usage, Hut 8 confirmed that the data center will not draw from local water supplies for its cooling operations. Instead, it will utilize a closed-loop cooling system, requiring a one-time fill from outside Nueces County that is expected to last four to seven years. Municipal water will only be used for standard daily needs like restrooms, with an estimated usage of about 10,000 gallons per day per phase, comparable to a small commercial business. The facility is slated to go live in early 2027.