Fermi America Project Matador (HyperGrid) energy and data center campus
Also called: Project Matador, HyperGrid, Fermi America
Fermi America plans a giant energy and AI data center campus next to the Pantex plant near Amarillo, with gas, nuclear and solar power. It is the largest planned in Texas. It has had money and tenant problems, but signed its first tenant in August 2026.
Where things stand: Site work is underway but behind the company's first schedule. First binding tenant (TensorWave) signed in August 2026 for space starting in late 2027.
🕒 Latest update (Aug 10, 2026): Fermi signed a 15-year lease with TensorWave for 222 megawatts, starting in the second half of 2027.
What we know
- 📍 WhereAbout 5,800 acres of Texas Tech University System land next to the Pantex plant, northeast of Amarillo, Unincorporated Carson County, Carson County
- 🏢 CompanyFermi America (Fermi Inc.)
- 🏛️ Owned byFermi Inc. (public company, NASDAQ: FRMI)
- 👤 Built forTensorWave (first tenant, 222 MW); others not announced
- 🌳 Size5,800 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs11,000 megawatts (about as much as 8,800,000 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromOwn private power grid: gas plants first, then planned nuclear reactors, plus solar, batteries and a utility grid link. The company says up to 17 gigawatts; about 6 gigawatts already has permits.
- 💧 WaterCity of Amarillo water, under a deal the City Council approved: Fermi pays twice the residential rate, brings its own pipeline and gives infrastructure to the city. Also groundwater under Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District limits.
- ❄️ CoolingMostly air-cooled with hybrid cooling towers and water recycling (company testimony)
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- How much water will the campus use each day once data centers run? 🙋 I'll find out
- Has Carson County or any other local body given a tax break? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much air pollution will the gas plants release, and where can residents see the air permits? 🙋 I'll find out
- When will the first data center building actually open? 🙋 I'll find out
- How many gallons a day did Amarillo agree to sell Fermi, and when did the council vote? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- Oct 2025Fermi went public on the stock market, raising about $746 million.
- Dec 2025A possible first tenant walked away from a $150 million deal to help pay for building. The stock fell sharply.
- April 2026Satellite images showed little building above ground. The chief executive left the company.
- June 24, 2026Fermi told Texas lawmakers about its water plan.
- Aug 10, 2026Fermi signed a 15-year lease with TensorWave for 222 megawatts, starting in the second half of 2027.
Local votes and rules
🤝 Agreement with the company
The Panhandle school board voted unanimously for a deal with Fermi that protects the school district from money lost to a foreign trade zone tax break, and for a letter supporting a special trade zone in Carson County for the Fermi data center campus.
🤝 Agreement with the company
Carson County commissioners approved a tax break deal with Fermi America for its data center and power plant campus near Pantex. The county gets paid $3 per square foot of data center space and $2,500 to $2,750 per megawatt of power made. The deal covers up to 15 building phases over as long as 25 years, with a 10-year break for each phase, and yearly training for local first responders.
Drag the slider to compare the land before and now.
Where this comes from
- Fermi Announces Binding Lease Agreement with TensorWave · ACCESS Newswire (via Webull) · Aug 10, 2026
- Fermi America tells Texas lawmakers Project Matador will push the frontier of AI compute while setting a new standard for water stewardship · PR Newswire · June 24, 2026
- The world's largest planned data center is in trouble · Distilled · April 2026
- Amarillo leaders weigh 2-year moratorium on large-scale data centers amid resource concerns · ABC 7 Amarillo · May 29, 2026
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