US to launch world’s largest power project using nuclear, solar, gas
Fermi America, a Texas-based company co-founded by former U.S. Energy Secretary and Texas Governor Rick Perry, has announced an ambitious project to build the largest energy and data campus of its kind in the U.S.
The company revealed on Thursday that the “Hypergrid” project will launch on July 4 in partnership with the Texas Tech University (TTU) System.
According to Fermi, this next-generation facility will be located near the Pantex nuclear weapons plant in Amarillo. It will combine multiple sources of energy, including nuclear, natural gas, solar, and wind.
The energy will be used to power 18 million square feet of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
The facility is expected to generate up to 11 gigawatts (GW) of IT capacity—enough to power more than 8.2 million homes.
“The Texas Tech University System is proud to partner with Fermi America on this historic endeavor,” said TTU Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D.
“Texas is the energy capital of the world, and this campus will not only be the largest energy and data complex of its kind, but also a testament to the unshakable spirit of our system, the Texas Panhandle and this great state.”
A strategic push into AI and national security
Fermi America’s Hypergrid project is being framed as a response to both global energy competition and America’s rising demand for AI infrastructure.
Perry highlighted the growing gap between the U.S. and other nations in terms of nuclear energy development. China is currently constructing 22 nuclear reactors, while the U.S. isn’t building any, he highlighted.
The former U.S. Energy Secretary also referenced a recent executive order from former President Donald Trump, which designates AI data centers located at or in coordination with Department of Energy (DOE) facilities as critical defense infrastructure.
The order also classifies nuclear reactors powering those centers as part of the country’s defense-critical electric grid.
“We’re behind—and it’s all hands on deck,” he said. “We need to be doing everything in our power to win this race, because this is the race that really matters.”
Project backers say the site’s location near Pantex highlights its strategic value. In addition to its proximity to the DOE site, the nearly 5,800-acre plot sits above one of the country’s largest natural gas fields and near key U.S. gas pipelines.
In its official statement, the energy company described the Hypergrid as “the only site with the potential to include safe, clean, new nuclear power, the nation’s biggest combined-cycle natural gas project, utility grid power, solar power, and battery energy storage at unprecedented scale.”
Nuclear power resurgence and public oversight
The Texas-based startup claims the project will become the largest nuclear power complex in the U.S., but no specific timeline for full completion has been given.
While the company expects to bring 1 GW online by late 2026, questions remain about how the rest of the project will be funded or scheduled.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) confirmed it is reviewing Fermi’s applications, which will be made public soon. According to The Washington Post, the company has applied for four 1-GW nuclear reactors, although the company has not yet confirmed that number.
The proposed nuclear expansion comes at a time of renewed interest in atomic energy in the U.S., following executive actions to accelerate reactor approvals and reform the NRC’s regulatory process.
However, not all feedback has been positive. Critics—including some nuclear advocates—warn that pushing reforms too quickly could jeopardize safety and weaken public trust.
Earlier this month, President Trump fired Democratic NRC commissioner Chris Hanson, a move that further stirred debate over the future of nuclear policy and regulation in the country.
Meanwhile, cost concerns continue to loom large. The two most recently completed reactors in Vogtle, Georgia, came online after years of delays and cost overruns that brought the total price tag above $30 billion.
Still, Perry and TTU officials say the time for delay is over. Fermi America is positioning the Amarillo Hypergrid as a national security priority and a major step toward American energy independence.