Key Takeaways
- Data centers are the physical backbone of modern life, handling everything from emails and banking to 911 calls and personal data.
- Lack of secure, domestic data center capacity threatens national security through data breaches, critical‑infrastructure failures, and loss of AI competitiveness.
- Texas offers unique advantages for safe data‑center development: an independent grid, strong cyber‑security infrastructure, and laws barring adversarial‑nation control.
- Modern data‑center designs use closed‑loop cooling (minimal water use), liquid‑cooling (low noise), and are required to fund their own power infrastructure under state policy.
- Supporting responsible, locally built data centers protects American information, strengthens critical infrastructure, and maintains U.S. leadership in the AI arms race.
The Essential Role of Data Centers in Daily Life
Data centers are not futuristic novelties; they are the physical backbone of everyday activities. Every email sent, debit‑card swipe, streaming video, 911 call, and piece of personal information flows through these facilities. Their continuous operation underpins the convenience and safety that citizens rely on each day.
Data Protection Risks of Foreign or Insecure Facilities
When data is stored outside the United States or in centers that depend on adversarial hardware or operators, it becomes vulnerable to hostile nations and criminal groups. These actors target bank records, medical histories, Social Security numbers, and even children’s viewing habits for identity theft, fraud, extortion, and espionage. Domestic, secure data centers are therefore vital to safeguarding American information.
Critical Infrastructure Dependence on Data Centers
All critical‑infrastructure sectors—banking, hospitals, power grids, emergency communications—rely on data centers for operation and coordination. A successful cyber attack on a major data‑center hub could cascade nationwide, disabling 911 systems, disrupting financial transactions, and compromising public safety. Protecting these facilities is synonymous with protecting the nation’s essential services.
Texas’s Unique Advantages for Secure Data‑Center Development
Texas possesses several attributes that make it the safest location for data‑center placement in the United States. The state hosts the 16th Air Force cyber‑warfare hub, the newly established Texas Cyber Command at UTSA, robust university cybersecurity programs, and an independent electric grid. Additionally, the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act bars companies controlled by adversarial nations from accessing or controlling critical infrastructure, including data centers.
Addressing Water‑Usage Concerns with Modern Cooling Technology
Critics often raise worries about water consumption. Contemporary data‑center proposals in Texas employ closed‑loop cooling systems that dramatically reduce water use; once the system is filled, ongoing consumption is minimal. For example, the planned Tyler facility would not draw water from the City of Tyler’s supply, ensuring local residents and municipal systems remain unaffected.
Power‑Cost Responsibility and Ratepayer Protection
Electricity demand is another frequent point of contention. Senate Bill 6 and Governor Greg Abbott’s directives to the Public Utility Commission and ERCOT require data‑center projects to fully fund their own infrastructure costs and to avoid shifting expenses onto residential ratepayers. This policy ensures that the benefits of data‑center growth do not come at the expense of Texas households.
Noise Mitigation Through Advanced Cooling Designs
Noise complaints typically stem from older facilities equipped with thousands of noisy fans. Today’s liquid‑cooled data centers operate far more quietly—often at levels comparable to nearby highways or railroads. Ongoing legislative review continues to refine standards, but current technology already addresses most noise‑related concerns.
The AI Arms Race and the Need for Domestic Capacity
Sufficient, secure data‑center capacity is now a national‑security imperative because artificial intelligence drives future military, intelligence, cyber, and economic power. China’s declared aim to achieve AI supremacy by 2030, pursued through its “Three Warfares” strategy, heightens the stakes. Without robust domestic infrastructure, the United States risks ceding advantage to adversaries in the next generation‑coming AI‑driven era.
Choosing Between Texas and Foreign Lands for Data Storage
Data must reside somewhere; the decision is essentially between storing it in Texas or entrusting it to foreign jurisdictions. Denying responsible data‑center developers who have engaged with local officials and addressed community concerns effectively places American data at risk. Supporting local, compliant projects safeguards information, infrastructure, and technological leadership.
Conclusion: Building a Secure, Prosperous Future
By encouraging responsible data‑center development, Texas can strengthen national security, protect families’ personal information and critical services, and secure America’s leading role in the technologies that will define the next generation. Such investment ensures that Texas and the nation remain safe, prosperous, and dominant for children and grandchildren to come.
— Col. Steven C. McCraw served more than four decades in law enforcement and national security. He was Executive Director and Colonel of the Texas Department of Public Safety from 2009 to 2024, overseeing over 11,000 personnel, and previously held roles as Texas Homeland Security Director and an FBI agent for more than twenty years.