All Forum Posts by: Neil Narayan

Data centers are massive hubs for computer processing power — commonly called "the cloud" — that are used by many companies and industries. While they don't create many long-term jobs, they do add value to a city's tax rolls because of the large amount of investment at the sites. But the U.S. data center boom has drawn criticism based on a variety of factors, such as the amount of power and water the facilities use.

Regardless, Central Texas has become a target for the industry. Earlier this year, Caldwell County approved a $1.3 billion data center campus from Prime Data Centers, while Skybox Datacenters LLC and Prologis Inc. revealed they were planning another one in the Hutto Megasite to complement a billion-dollar data center they already are building. That adds to growing data center hubs in Pflugerville, Southeast Austin and in Round Rock.

The projects could help fill a demand for new data centers projects. CBRE found that the nationwide vacancy rate among primary data center markets was 3.7% in the second half of 2023, near an all-time low.

The Austin-San Antonio region's total inventory ranked No. 2 among secondary data markets across the country, trailing just Central Washington and ahead of regions like Southern California, Seattle, Houston, Denver and Minneapolis, according to the data. The Central Texas vacancy rate was 1.8% in the second half of last year.

Texas has awarded nearly $100 million in grants to date for private aerospace companies to grow, and the latest round includes a space payload and new developments at the Houston Spaceport.

“The projects awarded funding today will each play a critical role in ensuring Texas’ place as a leader in the emerging space economy while expanding our capabilities as a nation.”

The TSC awarded the following grants:

• - Aegis Aerospace Inc. of Houston received up to $10 million for an in-space materials platform.
• - Icon Technology Inc. of Austin received up to $694,350 to produce lunar soil, known as regolith.
• - Interlune Corp. of Seattle, performing work in Houston, received up to $4.8 million for a lunar regolith center at the Texas A&M University Space Institute near Johnson Space Center.
• - Kulr Technology Group Inc. of Webster received up to $6.7 million for improving battery performance in cold temperatures.
• Venus Aerospace Corp. of Houston received up to $3.9 million for a new engine testing range at Ellington Airport.

Based on the outlook for Austin (growth and investments) i would not sell it now at a loss. If it was me i would tighten the belt on the expense and look for ways to balance the equation (expenses vs income) i.e

Options for reducing expenses:

- get rid of koi pond (-$1680)

- do gardening yourself (-$2100)

- get rid of hot tub (-$2220)

- cleaning is the biggest expense for me, can you do it your self or find a cheaper alternative (-$4000-10000)

- your utility bill is really high at $7800 annual (try to see what is going on, removing koi pong and hot tub should help as well)

Increase income:

- list on VRBO as well, market the property on various sites and forums to increase visibility, switch to rent by room (house hacking)

If you are $6k negative, the above should help get you to cash flow even or positive. 

Nvidia (NVDA) on Monday said it will produce up to $500 billion of AI infrastructure in the US within the next four years as the tech industry looks to bolster its domestic manufacturing footprint in the face of Trump's approach to trade policy and desire to onshore more US heavy industry.

As part of this $500 billion commitment, Nvidia said it is building two new supercomputer manufacturing plants in Texas in partnership with contract manufacturers Foxconn (2354.TW) and Wistron (3231.TW).

A Minnesota-based developer is planning to build a five-megawatt data center in Temple across from Meta Platforms Inc.'s $800 million hyperscale data center campus.

Oppidan Investment Co.'s $31 million, 62,000-square-foot project at 2325 Eberhardt Road will break ground in July and finish in October 2026, according to a March 28 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Data center campuses are proliferating throughout Austin's outskirts. In fact, the Austin metro is among the fastest-growing data center markets in the country, according to August data from CBRE based on the first half of 2024. The Austin Business Journal has identified more than a dozen in various stages of completion, in cities ranging from Hutto and Georgetown to Taylor and Uhland, and in counties that include Caldwell, Bastrop and Williamson.

Construction of California-based Meta Platforms Inc's $800 million-plus hyper-scale data center campus "is progressing well". Actually Data center campuses are proliferating throughout Austin's outskirts. In fact, the Austin metro is among the fastest-growing data center markets in the country, according to August data from CBRE based on the first half of 2024.

Gov. Greg Abbott and his Texas Economic Development (EDP) & Tourism Office released a 155-page plan for the immediate future of the world’s eight-largest economy (excluding the U.S.).

The report also highlights Texas’ export growth, which has outpaced the overall United States’ from 2015 to 2021. Texas has led the country in exports every year since 2002

Texas is also spotlighted as a place Americans want to live, boasting the lowest rate of native-born Texans leaving the state and the highest rate of population growth.

Abbott also identified four goals to help new businesses grow: incentivize research, cultivate innovation, connect entrepreneurs to resources and promote Texas as a global destination for start-ups.

https://www.myhighplains.com/news/texas-politics/bigger-bett...

Texas notched another technology win this week when Apple said it is planning a new 250,000-square-foot factory in Houston to make servers for an artificial-intelligence system.

Tech investments are transforming the Texas economy, often via companies from California in search of lower taxes and fewer regulations on land use and labor.

https://www.wsj.com/business/texas-tech-industry-move-26f9e7...

“Texas is the most powerful economy in the nation, and now we will become the financial capital of America,” said Governor Abbott. “With the launch of NYSE Texas, we will expand our financial might in the United States and cement our great state as an economic powerhouse on the global stage. I thank the New York Stock Exchange for choosing Texas. Working together, we will continue to advance pro-growth economic policies that allow entrepreneurs and businesses to thrive and will make Texas stronger and more prosperous than ever in the history of our great state.”

Initially unveiled in June 2024, the Texas Stock Exchange aims to serve as an alternative to the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, particularly for companies in Texas and across the southeastern U.S. By creating the Texas Stock Exchange, Lee hopes to address the high costs of going and staying public.

TXSE closed its initial capital raise at $161 million, which the company claims makes it "the most well-capitalized exchange" to file a registration. More than four dozen investors pitched in, including some of the largest financial institutions and liquidity providers in the world, as well as prominent business leaders. They included BlackRock, Citadel Securities, Charles Schwab Corp. and Fortress Investment Group. The company also disclosed Dell Family Office Management, the family office of Dell Technologies Inc. founder and CEO Michael Dell, as a new investor.

"The composition of our founding ownership was intentional and deliberate," Lee said. "The market power of our investors reflects the depth of commitment to the success of this exchange, not just in the early years but over the next decade and beyond."

If successful, Lee believes the fully electronic Texas Stock Exchange will lead to more companies moving to Texas, more companies going public in Texas and to the formation of copycat exchanges.

“Texas is the birthplace of the chip that changed the world—and where the future of America’s semiconductor industry is already building. Today, Texas is the top state for semiconductor manufacturing, having led the nation for 13 years in the export of semiconductors and other electronic components. Significant industry investments announced in Texas in the last two years will further accelerate domestic semiconductor manufacturing, reducing reliance on foreign production and supply chains and further ensuring our nation’s security. Texas has the innovation, the infrastructure and the talent to continue to lead the American resurgence in critical semiconductor manufacturing and the technologies of tomorrow.”

— Governor Greg Abbott