Exclusive: A look inside construction on DataBank's Red Oak AI data center campus
DataBank is actively constructing a multi-billion dollar AI data center campus in Red Oak, Texas, featuring eight two-story buildings and a 400-megawatt substation. The campus, with a planned completion in 2030, is creating thousands of construction jobs and utilizes both air-cooled and liquid-cooled systems. This development occurs amidst growing regional opposition concerning water supplies and power grid reliability.
DataBank's nearly 300-acre, multi-billion-dollar AI data center campus in Red Oak, Texas, is currently under extensive construction. Located approximately 20 miles south of Dallas, the facility is designed to house eight two-story buildings, each offering 200,000 square feet of data center space and an additional 225,000 square feet for office and amenity space.
The project emphasizes advanced infrastructure, including both air-cooled and closed-loop liquid-cooled data halls. DataBank is collaborating with general contractors Rogers-O'Brien Construction and Yates Construction, with a workforce of 1,500 to 2,000 employees on site daily. The first phase, encompassing buildings DFW9 through DFW12 and a 400-megawatt substation, is expected to bring the first data center online in August, with subsequent buildings following every few months. The entire 1.6 million-square-foot campus, poised to deliver 480 megawatts of critical power, is slated for completion in 2030. Jenny Gerson, DataBank's senior director of sustainability, highlighted Red Oak as an ideal location due to ample land, power, and fiber connectivity.
The significant construction activity underscores North Texas's emergence as a premier data center market, driven by land availability, a strong workforce, and relatively affordable electricity. However, data center development in Texas, including Red Oak, has recently faced growing opposition. Critics raise concerns about water supplies, power grid reliability, and potential health impacts on nearby residents and animals, even as proponents emphasize the advanced, resource-efficient technologies used in modern data centers and the economic benefits provided through job creation and infrastructure investment.