The Abilene AI Data Center Campus Project is a large-scale artificial intelligence data infrastructure development planned in Abilene, Texas. Crusoe has secured an additional US$11.6 billion in debt and equity financing to accelerate construction of the campus, bringing total committed capital for the project to approximately US$15 billion. The Abilene site is designated as the flagship location of the Stargate program involving OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank.
Originally announced with two buildings, the project has been expanded to include eight high-performance data halls. Each data hall is planned to accommodate up to 50,000 NVIDIA GB200 (Blackwell) GPU server nodes intended for large-scale AI model training. The campus forms a central component of the Stargate initiative and is designed to support advanced AI computing requirements.
The development is located on the Lancium Clean Campus south of Abilene and covers approximately 800 acres. The site is planned to support an electrical capacity of up to 1.2 gigawatts. Other than the Crusoe AI Data Center Campus in Abilene, the Microsoft data center in Grand Rapids is also making commendable strides.
Microsoft has confirmed it is planning to develop a data center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Microsoft has submitted a rezoning request for land at 7174 Patterson Avenue in Gaines Township. The land was purchased by Microsoft in October 2024. The rezoning applies to a 40.5-acre parcel, part of the 316 acres owned by Microsoft.
Furthermore, it seeks to change its designation from large-scale planned unit development to light industrial to match the southern parcel. Both will then be used for data center development. The application is expected to be discussed at a meeting on December 18. “Project plans, including construction timelines, are yet to be finalized. We continue to work with our local partners and are committed to sharing information when we have it,” noted Microsoft spokesperson.
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Crusoe AI Data Center Campus in Abilene: Project Overview
Phase 1 (Initial Build): Two custom-designed data center buildings totaling approximately 980,000 square feet and 200 MW. Starting from undeveloped land in June 2024, the first 206MW phase is positioned for activation by mid-2025. This unprecedented pace for a greenfield project of this scale stems from Crusoe’s integrated manufacturing capabilities and a workforce of nearly 3,000 personnel operating on-site each day.
DevelopAbilene projects that just the first phase (Buildings 1 and 2) will generate approximately $1 billion in economic impact for Abilene across two decades, while the complete project will establish more than 400 permanent American AI positions.
Phase 2 (Newly Funded): Six additional buildings adding. Full buildout is projected for mid-2026.
Cooling Infrastructure: Direct-to-chip liquid cooling with closed-loop, zero-water-evaporation systems.
Per Building Capacity: Up to 50,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs.
Recent $11.6 billion infusion
The recent $11.6 billion infusion represents part of a broader capital strategy that a multibillion-dollar joint venture between Crusoe, Blue Owl Capital, and Primary Digital Infrastructure backs. Blue Owl—whose Real Assets platform manages approximately $192 billion in AUM—is a lead investor, alongside Primary Digital, which focuses on data center real estate. In October 2024, the group announced a $3.4 billion build-to-suit agreement for Phase 1.
Earlier construction financing included a reported $2.3 billion loan from JPMorgan, part of a targeted $3.5 billion investment in the initial development.
While the data center is being built to support OpenAI’s computing needs, Crusoe’s direct customer is Oracle. As Crusoe CEO Chase Lochmiller clarified: “Our customer is Oracle. OpenAI is Oracle’s customer.” Oracle is reportedly under a long-term lease agreement—believed to span 15 years—for the facility’s initial capacity.
Securing sustainable and abundant power supply served as a foundational driver for this project’s development.
OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank on September 24, 2025 announced the expansion of the Stargate initiative with five new AI data center sites across the United States. The additions bring the program’s planned capacity to nearly seven gigawatts and more than $400 billion in investment, putting Stargate ahead of schedule to secure its full $500 billion, 10-gigawatt commitment by the end of 2025. The $500 billion Stargate commitment was first announced in January at the White House alongside President Trump.
Read also: Microsoft forced to Delay Major US$1 billion Data Center Expansion in Ohio
Crusoe Abilene AI Data Center Campus: Project Factsheet
Location: Lancium Clean Campus, south of Abilene, Texas
Total Site Area: ~800 acres
Primary Use Case: Large-scale AI model training and generative AI workloads
Total Facility Size: ~4 million square feet (upon completion)
Development Phases
Phase 1 – Initial Build
Timeline: Operations expected early 2025
Capacity: 200 MW electrical capacity
Facility Size: ~980,000 square feet across two buildings
GPU Deployment: Up to 100,000 NVIDIA GB200 (Blackwell) GPU server nodes
Phase 2 – Expansion
Timeline: Full buildout projected mid-2026
Facility Addition: Six additional data halls
GPU Deployment: Up to 300,000 additional NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs
Total Campus: Eight high-performance data halls
Crusoe AI Data Center Campus in Abilene Technical Specifications
Cooling System: Direct-to-chip liquid cooling with closed-loop, zero-water-evaporation technology
Per Building Capacity: Up to 50,000 NVIDIA GB200 GPU server nodes
Power Infrastructure: Designed for hyperscale AI workloads with advanced power distribution
Connectivity: High-bandwidth networking optimized for distributed AI training
Total Project Capital
Current Commitment (May): ~$15 billion
Recent Funding Round: $11.6 billion in debt and equity
Previous Funding: $3.4 billion (initial phases)
Timeline Milestones
October 2024: $3.4 billion build-to-suit agreement announced
Early 2025: Phase 1 operations commence
May 2025: $11.6 billion additional funding secured
Mid-2026: Full 8-building campus completion projected
Read also: Google Plans $10 Billion Data Center Campus in West Memphis, Arkansas
