(Press-News.org) The rapid growth of AI is driving great interest in building large, power-hungry data centers across the state. The University of Texas at Austin has launched a new research consortium to help inform industry partners on options for more sustainable growth of this new industry.
The consortium – called Collaborative Optimization & Management of Power Allocation, Surface & Subsurface strategies (COMPASS) – was announced last week at a data center workshop for industry leaders and policy makers led by the UT Bureau of Economic Geology, which is part of the Jackson School of Geosciences.
“Our goal is to bring all the players to the table,” said Ning Lin, the principal investigator of COMPASS and chief economist at the bureau. “We will help everyone achieve a validated, robust level of knowledge and insights through data-driven research across the value chain.”
The bureau, which was established in 1909, also serves as the State Geological Survey of Texas. For over a century, the bureau has led geoscience research that serves Texas, including collaborating with industry partners through research consortia.
COMPASS is one of 15 research consortia at the bureau, and is part of UT’s Industrial Affiliates Programs. These consortia work by bringing together industry partners with scientific experts in a collaborative setting. Industry members contribute funding, data and questions that help guide experts in relevant research. Research findings are published in peer-reviewed journals, presented to consortia members, and are also available to the public.
“Collaboration with different stakeholders is key for creating impact and amplifying the critical role of digital infrastructure in our modern society and digital economy,” said Santiago Suinaga, the CEO of Infrastructure Masons, a nonprofit professional association for digital infrastructure. “We are thrilled to partner with the Bureau of Economic Geology and The University of Texas at Austin with the COMPASS research consortium. We have seen the increasing interest and strategic position for Texas in the Data Center industry for AI growth. Our collaboration will help tackle obstacles and streamline responsible deployment of data centers across the state.”
Lorena Moscardelli, the director of the bureau and the state geologist of Texas, said the bureau is well-poised to provide data and knowledge on surface and subsurface state resources as they relate to data centers and other large-load development projects, such as oil and gas production, advanced manufacturing, refining, and mining.
“Our researchers, including geoscientists, engineers and economists, are uniquely positioned to take on these challenges,” said Moscardelli. “We know Texas from the ground up — literally. Our research spans everything from water availability to oil and gas production forecasts, surface infrastructure and socioeconomic conditions, and countless topics in between. As the State Geological Survey of Texas, we are committed to delivering insights and tools that keep Texas ahead of the curve.”
Texas is a business-friendly, energy-rich state with abundant land and industrial infrastructure. These qualities have attracted an influx of data centers and other large-load development projects. However, there are a host of challenges facing data center growth. This includes energy supply, land and water use, community engagement, and workforce development.
Recently, the bureau and university researchers published a white paper, “Data Center Growth in Texas: Energy, Infrastructure, and Policy Pathways,” that outlines the challenges associated with data centers and large-load development projects, and some potential ways for managing them.
The white paper builds on bureau research conducted for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) on how oil and gas related activities impact the Texas electrical grid.
In addition to its industrial members, COMPASS is engaging directly with communities near data centers and large-load projects to provide independent expertise and help local leaders and residents understand the trade-offs around power, water, land, and jobs. This will enable communities to make informed decisions, weigh options, and shape development strategies that align with their priorities.
“We’re engaging with them to learn about their concerns, so we can find solutions and integrate them into our plan,” said Lin, who is the lead author on the white paper. “We’re also creating user guides to help these community members understand how data centers can impact the local economy, water resources, power supply, and other important issues.”
COMPASS is accepting applications from organizations to join the collaborative research consortium. Members will help identify challenges and contribute to solutions, while also gaining a professional network of researchers and experts. The annual membership fee of $50,000 grants members access to forecasting reports, a web-based interactive visualization and mapping database, policy briefs and recommendations, student research and pilot programs, and research findings before they’re published in peer-reviewed scientific publications.
“Texas is really well-positioned for these projects,” said Lin. “But these are fast-growing sectors, and there are many knowledge gaps. We are committed to shedding light on these issues and supporting the state’s ambition to become a leading hub for AI innovation.”
While the initial focus of COMPASS is on Texas, the research framework could be adapted to other regions facing similar challenges.
END
UT launches industrial affiliates program to research sustainable data center growth
2025-09-24
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Do CT scans increase childhood cancer risk? A UF researcher has the answer
2025-09-24
A recent study links exposure to radiation from medical imaging to a small-but-significant risk of blood cancers among children and adolescents.
But do not panic. The study concludes the benefits of medical imaging outweigh the minimal risks.
Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the study will help medical personnel make informed decisions about using imaging on children. The study concluded that while ionizing radiation is a carcinogen, the benefit-to-risk ratio favors CT imaging of children when imaging is justified and the technique minimizes adverse ...
uOttawa's Telfer School of Management and Canadian Centre for Cyber Security partner in strategic collaboration
2025-09-24
The Telfer School of Management has signed a new strategic partnership with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) to provide cutting-edge professional development to public sector and critical infrastructure leaders across the country.
Telfer Executive Programs, part of the Telfer School of Management, designed and delivered the immersive Leadership Crisis Simulation at the uOttawa-IBM Cyber Range. This initiative led to the establishment of a partnership between Telfer and the Cyber Centre to expand the offerings available at the uOttawa-Cyber Range, including new crisis ...
SwRI’s Glein selected to give AGU Carl Sagan Lecture
2025-09-24
SAN ANTONIO — September. 24, 2025 — The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has selected Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. Christopher Glein to present the Carl Sagan Lecture at its Fall meeting. He will present “Seafaring in Space: A Personal Voyage to Enceladus,” discussing the Saturn moon with a deep ocean beneath its frozen surface, offering some of the most compelling evidence of habitability in our solar system.
AGU, the world’s largest Earth and space science association, ...
Stem cells may offer new hope for end-stage kidney disease treatment
2025-09-24
ROCHESTER, Minn. — More than 4 million people worldwide have end-stage kidney disease that requires hemodialysis, a treatment in which a machine filters waste from the blood. Hemodialysis is a precursor to kidney transplant. To prepare for it, patients typically undergo surgery to connect an artery and a vein in the arm, creating an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) that allows blood to flow through the vein for treatment. However, AVF fails about 60 percent of the time due to vein narrowing. This is a major barrier to effective treatment.
Mayo Clinic researchers found that transplanting patients' own stem cells from fat cells into the ...
Rice sociologist’s journey from simple curiosity to NSF-backed research reveals how physical infrastructure shapes inequality
2025-09-24
As a graduate student living in New Haven, Connecticut, Elizabeth Roberto said she couldn’t stop wondering why certain neighborhoods seemed connected while others were quietly walled off.
“There were these places where the roads just stopped,” Roberto recalled. “Like they were meant to go somewhere — but didn’t.”
It was the kind of everyday thing the average person might drive past without a second thought. But for Roberto, it sparked a question that would stay with her for years: What happens when barriers separate people — not ...
Discontinuation of semaglutide among older adults with diabetes in the US and Japan
2025-09-24
About The Study: In this binational study of older adults with diabetes, nearly 6 in 10 U.S. adults and 3 in 10 Japanese adults discontinued glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) within 12 months of initiating injectable semaglutide. Patients with established cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease had higher discontinuation rates in both countries, which is troublesome given the substantial clinical benefit these high-risk individuals would be expected to derive from GLP-1RA therapy.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Dhruv S. Kazi, MD, MSc, MS, email dkazi@bidmc.harvard.edu.
To ...
Measles vaccination coverage after a post-elimination outbreak
2025-09-24
About The Study: In this repeated cross-sectional study of 149,000 children in a large central Ohio primary care network during the 20 months after outbreak onset, all measures of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) coverage remained well below the 93% herd immunity threshold. These persistent, population-wide immunity gaps suggest the need for sustained, equity-focused public health strategies to maintain measles elimination.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rosemary A. Martoma, ...
Hospital price markup and outcomes of major elective operations
2025-09-24
About The Study: This cross-sectional study found that considerable variation in price markup exists across hospitals and that high-markup hospitals demonstrated both lower quality and value of care. These findings underscore that high-markup hospitals represent a key initial target for national policy efforts targeting pricing regulation, transparency, and quality improvement.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Peyman Benharash, MD, email pbenharash@mednet.ucla.edu.
To access the embargoed study: Visit ...
Early changes during brain development may hold the key to autism and schizophrenia
2025-09-24
Researchers at the University of Exeter have created a detailed temporal map of chemical changes to DNA through development and aging of the human brain, offering new insights into how conditions such as autism and schizophrenia may arise.
The team studied epigenetic changes - chemical tags on our DNA that control how genes are switched on or off. These changes are crucial in regulating the expression of genes, guiding brain cells to develop and specialise correctly.
One important mechanism, called DNA methylation, ...
Genetic screening technique could enhance CAR-T therapies for multiple myeloma and other cancers
2025-09-24
Researchers from Mass General Brigham and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have identified genetic modifications that can improve the efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell treatment — an immunotherapy that uses modified patient T cells to target cancer. The study used CRISPR screening to pinpoint genes that influenced T cell function and survival in culture and in a preclinical model of multiple myeloma. Their results and technique, published in Nature, could lead to T cell-based immunotherapies for cancer.
“We ...