Who Controls the AI Power Plants of Tomorrow?
BlackRock, Nvidia, Microsoft, and others are buying Plano-based Aligned Data Centers for $40 Billion.
Hi friends,
I recently learned that a giant consortium led by BlackRock, with tech heavyweights Nvidia and Microsoft, will acquire Aligned Data Centers — one of the largest builders/operators of hyperscale data-center campuses — for around $40 billion. (Reuters)
As a conservative community volunteer living in North Texas, I believe we must ask not just “Is this good business?” but “What does this mean for our water, our community sovereignty, our competition, and our local infrastructure?”
Of course, it’s happening all over the U.S., not just Texas.
This $40 billion deal isn’t just corporate finance—it’s about who controls the infrastructure of the AI era, and that includes power, water, land, and location. In north Texas, with our growing footprint of data-centers, you have the opportunity to ensure the public interest is protected: that resources aren’t captured solely by global firms, that competition remains open, and that your community stays fully informed and involved.
If one group controls too much of the infrastructure, they can, and will, shape regional development, what kind of businesses get built, and determine where our water and power systems are prioritized. That’s why transparency, accountability, and community voice matter more now than ever.
Stay alert. Stay engaged. Ask the questions. Because when infrastructure becomes power, our freedom depends on proactive vigilance.
Here’s what’s going on, some concerns, and effective actions to take.
North Texas Spotlight: What to know
Key Local Facts
Aligned Data Centers (headquartered in Plano) operates a campus at 2800 Summit Ave, Plano, TX 75074 (19-acre campus) with multiple buildings: DFW-01 (375,000 sq ft / ~60 MW) and DFW-02 (~220,000 sq ft / ~36 MW) on that site. (Data Center Map)
MW is megawatt:
A typical U.S. home might use electricity at an average rate of about 1–2 kilowatts (kW) at any given moment (1 kW = 1,000 watts).
1 MW can power roughly 750 average homes at once (though it varies by region and usage).
Data centers often operate in the tens to hundreds of MW range. For example, a 60 MW data center can draw as much power as a medium-sized city.
The company has filed for new expansion in the DFW region: for example, DFW-03 at 3801 Britton Rd (Tarrant County) which will be ~429,600 sq ft when built. (Baxtel)
The consortium deal (with BlackRock, Nvidia, Microsoft, etc.) acquiring Aligned for ~$40 billion puts a very large AI-infrastructure operator with strong presence in DFW under one ownership umbrella. Monopoly basically, so extremely powerful. (Reuters)
Potential Local Impacts & Questions
Water & utilities: In the DFW region, large campuses mean large power and cooling demands. For example, Aligned claims its Plano site uses advanced cooling to reduce water use (company says a typical similar facility uses ~51 million gallons/year; Aligned’s new site proposes to “use less”). (Aligned Data Centers)
Question for local officials: What is the actual expected annual potable water withdrawal for the new site (or expansion)?
Is the campus using non-potable / recycled water or relying on municipal tap (potable) water?
Will the operator reserve the right to switch to higher-water consumptive cooling if conditions change? (Citizens must get priority water rights.)
Land & zoning: Expansion filings (e.g., Mansfield site) show considerable footprint (429,600 sq ft + new substation). (DatacenterDynamics)
Does the expansion require rezoning, tax incentives, special use permits or utility hookups?
Are local residents/municipalities informed and is required public input addressed?
Power grid & load: With large MW loads, strain on power infrastructure and associated secondary water loads (additional plants or cooling required) can be critical.
Competition & control: Because Aligned already has local campuses, a change in ownership to a major AI-infrastructure consortium may give it favored access—so local cloud or regional firms may face higher barriers or fewer options.
Community oversight & benefit: With a big player moving in, citizens, municipalities, and organizations in the region must ask for community benefit agreements, disclosure of all utility/incentive deals, and environmental/resource impact assessments.
Actions to protect freedoms
Attend upcoming city/county planning meetings for any Aligned expansions or new data-center campuses. Request a stand-alone agenda item on “data-center / high-density compute campus” rather than treating it as generic industrial or office development.
Submit queries to local water utility or municipal water board for the projected water use of the facility: “annual use (gallons), peak-day use (gallons), source of water (aquifer/municipal/reclaimed)”.
Ask for an infrastructure analysis: new substation, new cooling plant, new water supply lines, and whether there are contingency plans for drought or high-demand periods.
Insist on a vendor transparency clause: ask that the local permit include a requirement that the campus is vendor-neutral (hardware, cooling, connectivity) to prevent monopolistic “preferred customer” or “preferred vendor” arrangements.
Form a local stakeholder group of residents + activists + PTA + water board to monitor upcoming data-center builds and ensure cumulative impacts (lots of data-centers together) are not ignored.
What’s going on
The acquired company, Aligned Data Centers, is based right here in Plano and operates large campuses in DFW already — e.g., at 2800 Summit Avenue in Plano (19-acre campus) with multiple buildings. (Data Center Map)
The deal signals that control of major AI-compute and data-center infrastructure is becoming concentrated under big players. That means the hardware, cooling, power, water and connectivity that enable “AI” are becoming strategic assets.
In our region that matters because any expansions will draw heavily on local resources (land, power, water), impose demands on local infrastructure, and may come with incentives/tax deals.
Concerns
Water & resource stress: Data-centers consume large volumes of water (cooling, support systems). Even if some use advanced “low-water” cooling, those claims often depend on future performance and may shift to higher-water modes if cheaper. Example: Aligned claims its Plano site uses far less than typical 51 million gallons/year for similarly sized facility. (Aligned Data Centers)
Community impact & transparency: Big-footprint campuses can affect traffic, noise (generators), utility rates, land use. Yet often the public hearing process is limited.
Competition & monopoly risk: If the “owners” are also major users (e.g., tech/AI firms) and now control the infrastructure, they may favor themselves or insiders, making it harder for smaller firms or local business to compete.
Local sovereignty: When major decisions (site selection, utility hookups, water sourcing, vendor deals) are made by large global firms, local residents lose influence over how projects are built or governed.
Cumulative load risk: It’s not just one data-center — many are being built in North Texas and across the U.S. Together these load pressures (water, power, land) could stress systems and give the infrastructure owners more leverage. (e.g., other large projects in Texas: new data centers, nuclear micro-reactors to power them.) (Houston Chronicle)
Questions that community groups, city councils, water boards, and residents should raise:
Water & utilities:
What is the annual potable water use projected (in gallons) for the full build-out of the campus?
What is the peak-day water demand (in gallons or million gallons/day) and will it coincide with municipal peak demand?
What is the source of the water (municipal supply / aquifer discharge / reclaimed water)?
Are there contractual caps or restrictions on water use (especially during drought or summer peak seasons)?
Will the facility switch to higher-water-consumption cooling in future transfer-mode (e.g., evaporative cooling) and is that limited by permit?
Is the facility using non-potable or recycled water for cooling? If so, how much and what quality?
What is the power draw (megawatts) and associated cooling system load? What is the grid impact?
Competition & vendor bias:
Will the data-center operator give preferred access or preferential pricing to consortium members/insiders (e.g., Nvidia, Microsoft) compared to outside firms?
Is vendor/hardware neutrality guaranteed (so local/regional firms can lease space without being forced into specific hardware or service providers)?
Will local firms/cloud providers have fair access to capacity (rack space, power, connectivity) or is the facility primarily for the “in-group”?
Local community & transparency:
What zoning or special land-use approvals have been granted, and was there a public hearing?
Are all utility/incentive agreements (tax abatements, land/utility discounts) fully public and subject to oversight?
Has the municipality or county required a community benefit agreement (jobs, tax revenue, local training, environmental stewardship)?
What are the backup/contingency plans (e.g., if a major user leaves)? Will there be stranded land/utility infrastructure risk for the community?
Are cumulative impacts considered (multiple data-centers in DFW) rather than treating each individually?
Actions we can take
Form or join a local watchdog group: Gather with neighbors, activists, city council members to stay alert to upcoming data-center proposals, especially for the DFW/Plano/Collin/Tarrant corridor.
Submit FOIA or public records requests: For municipal utilities, ask about power/water commitments to data-center campuses and whether there are exclusive deals.
Attend P&Z/county meetings: Make sure the agenda includes full disclosure of data-center developments; ask for “data-center impact” rather than “industrial building” only.
Write to your local officials: Express concerns around resource use, competition, and community oversight. Request that any permit include the questions above.
Educate your community: Write a local newsletter, hold a town-hall, distribute flyers explaining how big data-centers impact water/utilities and competition.
Monitor data-center buildouts: Watch for filings (e.g., at 3801 Britton Rd site in Tarrant County) and check for expansions, new utilities hookups, water permits. (Baxtel)
Remember
Once property, water, and energy are controlled by corporate or governmental entities, freedom is diminished.
Stay alert. Stay engaged. Ask the questions. Because when infrastructure becomes power, our local freedom and resilience depend on vigilance.
United we stand. Divided we fall. We must not let America fall.
VoteTexas.gov, https://www.votetexas.gov/get-involved/index.html
Disclaimer:
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Hey, great read as always! You're so spot on with these vital questions about AI infrastructure. Your focus on local impact and community sovereignty is incredably important. I also wonder about the global implications for fair AI development and ethical frameworks when so much power consolidates.