In a significant step for American AI infrastructure, Crusoe, Blue Owl Capital, and Primary Digital Infrastructure have entered the second phase of their $15 billion joint venture to fund and build a 1.2-gigawatt AI data center in Abilene, Texas. This massive project positions Abilene as a global hub for AI compute, aiming to boost both the region’s economy and the United States’ AI leadership.
Scaling Up for the Future of AI
The joint venture will result in eight high-capacity buildings dedicated to AI training and inference. The first phase, initiated in June 2024, comprises two buildings delivering over 200 megawatts of power and is scheduled to come online in the first half of 2025. The second phase, now underway, will add six more buildings, ramping the site to 1.2 gigawatts and targeting mid-2026 for completion—a pace that sets new benchmarks for hyperscale digital infrastructure delivery.
Economic and Workforce Impact
At full scale, construction activity involves around 3,000 workers daily, projected to reach nearly 5,000 at peak. Early projections from the Development Corporation of Abilene estimate that the initial two buildings alone could generate $1 billion in direct and indirect economic impact over the next two decades, with the full campus poised to multiply this benefit significantly.
Advanced, Climate-Aligned Design
Each facility is engineered to house up to 50,000 NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 GPUs operating on a unified network fabric, making it one of the world’s most powerful AI compute clusters. The data center campus will use state-of-the-art liquid cooling technology featuring closed-loop, zero-water evaporation systems—supporting high-performance AI workloads with minimal environmental footprint. The selection of Abilene leverages its abundant, cost-effective wind energy, directly aligning with Crusoe’s climate-focused mission.
Strategic Partnerships for Innovation
Crusoe, known for its vertically integrated approach to AI infrastructure, leads the project alongside Blue Owl’s Real Assets platform and Primary Digital Infrastructure. Together, they bring capital strength, operational expertise, and a shared commitment to delivering sustainable, future-ready data infrastructure. The partnership reflects a broader industry trend: AI’s exponential demand for compute is creating new opportunities for large-scale, climate-conscious investment in digital infrastructure.
About the Partners
- Crusoe specializes in climate-aligned, AI-optimized data centers powered by clean energy, aiming to enable the next wave of AI innovation.
- Blue Owl Capital (NYSE: OWL) is a top-tier alternative asset manager with $273 billion in AUM, investing across credit, strategic capital, and real assets.
- Primary Digital Infrastructure is an investment platform founded by industry leaders, dedicated to accelerating the growth of next-generation data centers for hyperscale and AI workloads.
For further information, visit Crusoe, Blue Owl, or Primary Digital Infrastructure.
Contact Information:
- Crusoe: aschmitt@crusoe.ai
- Blue Owl: Nick.Theccanat@blueowl.com
- Primary Digital Infrastructure: press@primaryinfra.com
Summary:
This initiative marks a leap forward in building the AI backbone of tomorrow’s digital economy, blending innovation, sustainable energy, and significant regional economic impact. Abilene’s AI data center campus stands as a model for future infrastructure: large-scale, sustainable, and mission-critical for the age of artificial intelligence.
