Texas poised to overtake Northern Virginia as world's largest data center market by 2030: JLL

Texas is positioned to surpass Northern Virginia as the world's largest data center market by 2030, driven by abundant land and energy resources, according to a JLL report. The state currently has 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of capacity under construction, with 92% of new builds precommitted. ERCOT forecasts data center power demand in Texas could surge to 77 GW by 2030, significantly higher than previous estimates. CenterPoint Energy increased its 2026-2035 capital expenditure plan to $65.5 billion to accommodate an expected 10 GW of new load. Despite growth, developers face grid connection delays averaging four years and water usage projections reaching up to 161 billion gallons annually by 2030.