Demonstrate To Operators How Your Solution Integrates Into The Wider Water-Power Equation

The diagram above highlights the solution categories that emerged as mission-critical during our consultation phase. These represent the concrete levers that operators, utilities, and vendors believe must be acted on immediately to resolve power and water bottlenecks. 

In developing this event, we conducted direct consultations with approximately 15 hyperscalers—primarily based in Texas, but also including operators in Arizona and Virginia. We extended this dialogue to 12 co-location providers and two enterprise AI operators rooted in Texas’s oil and gas sector. 

Expanding The Definition Of “End User” To Include Utilities And Water Infrastructure Operators

Beyond data center operators, we consulted grid operators, Permian and Eagle Ford natural gas suppliers, pipeline companies, microgrid innovators, and solution vendors across cooling and modular deployment. In total, 50 operators and vendors contributed. This reinforced a key insight: the “end user” community extends beyond hyperscalers and co-locators. Grid providers, ERCOT, and water utilities are effectively secondary end users—their infrastructure dictates the success of every data center project. For this reason, solution vendors with the ability to unlock grid capacity, optimize water cycles, or deliver hybrid generation must be part of the dialogue.

Looking toward December, the market’s priorities crystallize. Operators want clarity on how to integrate storage into grid markets—understanding trade-offs between batteries and thermal solutions, compliance with safety codes, and mitigation of permitting risks. Natural gas remains front of mind, from pipeline timelines to the metering and monitoring standards that will govern integration. 

On-site generation is shifting: diesel remains the fallback, but natural gas turbines and engines are gaining traction as operators weigh resilience against carbon risk. The future lies in microgrids—hybrid platforms that combine multiple assets seamlessly. Across all sectors, financing models are a shared concern: what structures enable projects to scale under real market conditions?