Poolside’s Project Horizon in West Texas Tackles Data Center Challenges with Proactive Community-Centric Design

Schematic rendering of Project Horizon, located near Fort Stockton, Texas.

Poolside Infrastructure Company

As data centers multiply across the United States to support the AI revolution, they increasingly face backlash over energy consumption, water usage, and local disruption. Critics argue the industry consumes scarce resources while offering uncertain benefits to host communities. Against this backdrop, Poolside Infrastructure Company is taking a different approach with Project Horizon, a 1.2 GW AI campus under development in the Permian Basin near Fort Stockton, Texas.

Designing Around Community Concerns

Amid growing opposition to data centers in regions like Ohio and Pennsylvania, Poolside CEO Robert Bonar sees an opportunity in less densely populated areas. “Residents in those communities are experiencing real impacts—water usage, power rates, land prices,” Bonar explains. “We believed there was a better solution, one that respects both the environment and local communities.”

Project Horizon sits on a 559-acre site more than 25 miles from Fort Stockton, buffered by ranchland and designed to minimize impact on populated areas. The facility’s remote desert location means mechanical operations remain inaudible from towns, with access via low-traffic roads. Rather than imposing on existing communities, the project works with the Mitchell family, whose 500,000-acre Longfellow Ranch surrounds the site.

Water-Efficient Cooling Innovation

Water scarcity remains one of the most contentious issues for data centers in arid regions. Project Horizon addresses this through a closed-loop liquid cooling system that draws from non-potable groundwater within existing permitted allocations, avoiding strain on municipal supplies. The system circulates coolant directly over computer chips, transferring heat to an outdoor chiller plant for release into the air.

Unlike traditional evaporative cooling, this closed-loop approach reuses coolant continuously. Daily water consumption equals roughly the irrigation needs of just two acres of West Texas alfalfa—a minimal footprint for a facility of this scale. “We’ll use more water for Our toilets than for cooling the data centers,” Bonar notes. “By taking liquid all the way to the chip and removing heat at higher temperatures, we eliminate the need for water-based cooling entirely.”

Reliable On-Site Power Generation

Power reliability is critical for data centers requiring near-perfect uptime. Project Horizon meets this demand through on-site generation, initially powered by natural gas turbines with low emissions and future integration of solar and grid power. This self-sufficient approach prevents load fluctuations that could affect local utilities while providing backup redundancy through battery storage.

The campus can scale across eight development phases, with initial capacity for 1.2 GW and potential for an additional seven GW. Bonar emphasizes strategic partnerships with independent power producers to avoid supply chain delays, noting that securing financing early helps circumvent industry pitfalls.

Local Workforce Development

Project Horizon prioritizes local employment, partnering with Midland College’s Fort Stockton campus for training programs in electrical, mechanical, and facilities operations. To prevent housing market disruption, the project provides temporary construction accommodation and subsidized permanent housing for operations staff—transforming the facility into an economic catalyst rather than a transient burden.

Strategic Integration for Sustainable Growth

By combining energy production, compute infrastructure, and AI capabilities, Poolside maintains control over costs, power reliability, and scalability. The West Texas location leverages proximity to natural gas infrastructure and established water systems while avoiding overcrowded markets. This integrated approach converts traditional infrastructure bottlenecks into competitive advantages through phased, flexible development.

The project demonstrates that thoughtful data center development can minimize public resource demands while maximizing local benefits. With minimal water usage, emissions controls, and community-focused hiring practices, Project Horizon offers a model for responsible AI infrastructure.

A Blueprint for Responsible AI Development

Rather than opposing progress, policymakers and activists should distinguish between projects that impose on communities and those that proactively address concerns. Project Horizon shows this balance is achievable—powering technological advancement while respecting the landscapes and people who support it. If adopted more broadly, this collaborative model could transform data center development from a source of conflict into a driver of sustainable innovation.

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