Plans for a proposed large-scale data center campus in Presidio County continue to evolve, with new details indicating the project would extend well beyond artificial intelligence computing and include renewable energy generation and green ammonia production, according to information released by the developer, Open Origin.
As previously reported by the Big Bend Sentinel, Open Origin has been in discussions with Presidio County and City of Marfa officials regarding a potential development on approximately 80,000 acres southeast of Marfa, encompassing the historic MacGuire Ranch and Antelope Springs Ranch along U.S. Highway 67. The land is currently owned by Texas Mountain Cattle Company, an entity controlled by billionaire Brad Kelley, and a sale has not yet been finalized.
A hybrid energy, industrial, and computing campus
According to Open Origin’s project descriptions, the Presidio County site is envisioned as a multi-use campus combining:
- Off-grid AI data centers
- Large-scale solar energy generation
- Hydrogen production
- Green ammonia manufacturing
The company says each planned facility would feature more than 3 gigawatts of new solar arrays and 3 gigawatts of advanced hydrolyzers, producing an estimated 350 metric tons of hydrogen per day. That hydrogen would be converted into green ammonia, which Open Origin describes as intended for energy storage, marine fuel, hydrogen transport, and carbon-free fertilizer.
The data center component would be co-located with the energy facilities and powered entirely by on-site renewable energy, according to the company.
Supercomputing ambitions
Open Origin also says it is developing a supercomputing platform called Ziastra, which it describes as a next-generation commercial supercomputer designed to support AI workloads and immersive virtual environments.
Company materials state that each campus would deploy 10 custom-built supercomputing modules supplied by Eviden (formerly Atos), totaling more than 800 petaflops of computing power per site. Ziastra is projected to utilize approximately 20,000 NVIDIA B200 GPUs and, according to Open Origin, would rely on solar power and zero-water cooling.
The company has indicated its first Ziastra system is targeted to come online in early 2025, though no construction timeline has been publicly confirmed for the Presidio County site.
Water, land use, and local review remain central issues
County officials previously told the Sentinel that Open Origin estimated it would need to pump approximately 800 acre-feet of groundwater annually, or about 714,000 gallons per day, for operations — a figure that has raised questions in a region already facing long-term water constraints.
For comparison, the City of Marfa uses about 550 acre-feet per year, while Village Farms, the county’s largest groundwater permit holder, pumps roughly 400 acre-feet annually.
Open Origin has pointed to alternative cooling approaches used at other Texas data centers, including closed-loop systems designed to minimize water loss. However, local officials have emphasized that no permits have been approved, and discussions remain preliminary.
Presidio County Precinct 1 Commissioner Deirdre Hisler previously said Open Origin has met intermittently with her, Precinct 4 Commissioner David Beebe, and Trey Gerfers, general manager of the Presidio County Underground Water Conservation District, as officials seek more detailed information. An additional update from the company is expected later this month.
Part of a broader AI and energy push in Texas
The proposal comes amid a rapid expansion of AI and energy infrastructure across Texas. Open Origin is one of several firms responding to a Request for Proposals issued by the Stargate Project, a joint venture led by OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, which aims to invest $500 billion nationwide in AI infrastructure over the next four years.
Gov. Greg Abbott has promoted Texas as a destination for large-scale data centers, citing the state’s access to solar, wind, natural gas, and nuclear power. While state leaders have emphasized economic opportunity, rural communities have raised questions about water use, land conversion, grid impacts, and long-term oversight.
No approvals yet
At present, no zoning changes, groundwater permits, or development agreements have been approved for the Presidio County site. County and city officials say discussions remain exploratory, and any future proposal would be subject to regulatory review and public scrutiny.
Big Bend Times will continue tracking the proposal as more concrete details emerge.
