LAS CRUCES — The $165 billion Project Jupiter data center campus will move forward in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, after the Doña Ana Board of County Commissioners on Friday voted 4-1 in favor of issuing industrial revenue bonds that will enable the project development.
Project Jupiter – a collection of four data centers meant for artificial intelligence training – will be among the biggest private investments ever made and could reshape the regional economy around El Paso and Las Cruces.
The vote followed hours of debate at the Doña Ana County Government Center that culminated in a raucous confrontation between opponents of the project and county commissioners, with opponents citing concerns over the site’s power, water usage and seemingly sudden nature of the project. Supporters said the campus would be a generational project that will improve the region’s economy and create promising job opportunities.
“Outside of New Mexico, it feels like we are known for green chile, ‘Breaking Bad’ and the atomic bomb,” said Cole Montgomery, a senior at Centennial High School in Las Cruces who plans to study engineering. “I want us to be known for more. This project and others like it can be our brand.”…