MU leaders break ground on new Energy Innovation Center
The University of Missouri held a groundbreaking for its new Payne Energy Innovation Center in Columbia, Missouri. The center, funded by a $50 million donation from MU graduate David Payne, will research sustainable energy and water solutions, with a particular focus on improving the efficiency and cooling of data centers. While the Missouri General Assembly allocated $2 million, Gov. Mike Kehoe has frozen these funds.
The University of Missouri (MU) recently broke ground on its new Payne Energy Innovation Center in Columbia, Missouri, a state-of-the-art facility designed to foster multi-disciplinary research into sustainable energy solutions.
The center, named after MU graduate David Payne, who donated $50 million to the College of Engineering, aims to make technology that uses power and water more sustainable and efficient. Marisa Chrysochoou, dean of the College of Engineering, highlighted the growing urgency of finding sustainable ways to cool data centers without excessive water use, given the increasing energy consumption associated with artificial intelligence.
The 116,000-square-foot facility, approved by the UM System Board of Curators in June 2025 and expected to open in July 2028, will include various labs and communal spaces. UM System President Mun Choi expressed gratitude to Payne and state legislators for the project. However, despite a $2 million allocation in the fiscal year 2027 budget by the Missouri General Assembly, Gov. Mike Kehoe has frozen this funding, a decision he may later reverse.