The Project Jupiter data center campus has topped out its first building, with three more to come. Clayco and Kiewit New Mexico Co. placed the final structural beam on the 855,000-square-foot first portion this week. Ground was broken in October 2025, so the frame took about a year.
Topping out means the skeleton is done, not the building. Mechanical, electrical and cooling kit still goes inside. The site’s power supply is also unsettled, and that is the bigger problem. ‘Project Tango ‘ is another data center that is also making headway despite being marred in controversies.
What the ‘Project Jupiter’ Data Center Campus will actually Contain
The plan covers 1,400 acres at Santa Teresa in Doña Ana County, near the Mexican border. Four data center buildings sit alongside microgrid facilities, natural gas plants, a battery storage centre and a desalination plant. Full build-out could draw up to 2.5GW.
Stack Infrastructure and BorderPlex Digital Assets are developing it. Oracle will occupy the campus and run AI infrastructure for OpenAI, part of the wider Stargate programme. Doña Ana County approved up to $165 billion in industrial revenue bonds in September 2025 on a 4-1 vote. That is a 30-year investment ceiling, not the construction bill. A separate $18 billion loan package is financing the build.
The company statements were heavy on polished quotes. One useful detail sat inside them: no public drinking water will be used for cooling or the fuel cells. Four closed-loop, non-evaporative cooling systems get a one-time fill of non-potable well water, bought under contract from an existing New Mexico water-rights holder. After that the loops recirculate. In a state in a long drought, that matters.
The Power Problem behind the Steel
The campus is designed to run on Bloom Energy fuel cells in an on-site microgrid, up to 2.45GW of them. Those cells need natural gas, and the gas needs a pipeline. The proposed 17-mile Green Chile pipeline has been rejected twice by the New Mexico state land office. Its in-service date slipped from August 2026 to February 2027.
In September, Oracle sent a force majeure notice to the Blue Owl unit developing the site. That does not mean Oracle is leaving. It protects the company if power commitments slip, and could delay rent by up to three years. Oracle says the project remains on schedule. An air permit hearing is set for December. Oracle has proposed a 35% cut in the microgrid’s permitted emissions, from about 8.8 million to 5.7 million tonnes a year.
Local opposition has not gone away. Residents have raised water use, air quality and the speed of the county’s original vote. In return for the tax breaks, the county gets roughly $12 million a year over 30 years. Oracle has also put $50 million toward local water system repairs.
What Happens Next
Phase 1 covers about 400 acres and is targeted for the third quarter of 2028. Clayco says the project is more than 25% complete. Around 4,400 workers are on site, with more than 3.7 million labour hours logged. Oracle says it has awarded nearly $1 billion in contracts to 30 New Mexico firms.
The first frame is real progress. But a data center without firm power is an expensive warehouse. The pipeline and the permit will decide more than the steel.
Project Overview: ‘Project Jupiter’ Data Center Campus
- Project Value: $165B (30-year ceiling)
- Location: Santa Teresa, Doña Ana County, NM
- Developer: Stack / BorderPlex Digital Assets
- Tenant: Oracle, for OpenAI
Scope
- 1,400-acre campus, four buildings
- First phase 855,000 square feet
- Up to 2.5GW at full build-out
- Microgrid, battery storage, desalination
Project Highlights
- Closed-loop, non-evaporative cooling
- No public drinking water used
- Bloom Energy fuel-cell microgrid
- Also part of OpenAI Stargate programme
Key Developments
- Ground broken October 2025
- Final beam placed October 2026
- $165B bonds approved Sept 2025
- Also force majeure notice Sept 2026
Key Challenges
- Gas pipeline rejected twice
- Air permit hearing in December
- Power supply still unresolved
- Local water and also emissions concerns
Outlook
- Phase 1 targeted Q3 2028
- Pipeline in-service Feb 2027
- Also three more buildings to go
- 7,000 peak construction jobs
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