Oracle Switches Project Jupiter New Mexico Data Center

Oracle, BorderPlex Digital Assets, and Bloom Energy announced on April 27, 2026, a significant power source shift for the Project Jupiter artificial intelligence data center campus in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. The 1,400-acre facility, with a planned investment of up to $165 billion, will now rely on a single on-site Bloom Energy solid-oxide fuel cell microgrid, rated at up to 2.45 gigawatts (GW), replacing previously planned natural gas turbines and diesel generators. This redesign addresses local air-quality and water-use concerns that arose during 2025 permitting.

The Technology

The Bloom Energy microgrid will have a rated capacity of up to 2.45 GW. It operates primarily on natural gas, converting it to electricity through an electrochemical reaction, not combustion. This process yields power with approximately 92% lower nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions compared to the displaced natural gas turbines. Furthermore, the system employs a closed-loop, non-evaporative cooling method, consuming a negligible amount of water relative to the cooling demands of the original turbine design.

Why It Matters

For Oracle, the primary energy cost payer for Project Jupiter, this redesign consolidates the facility’s power under a single microgrid, simplifying operations compared to a parallel gas-turbine and diesel-generator setup. This move reflects a broader trend in the data center industry, particularly for AI campuses, to secure large-scale, reliable power while mitigating environmental impacts. The shift away from combustion-based generation addresses specific local opposition from Mesilla Valley environmental advocates and the New Mexico Environment Department, as reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican. Oracle also has an existing partnership with Bloom Energy, committing to procure up to 2.8 GW of Bloom fuel cells for its AI cloud expansion.

Critical Perspective

Key details regarding the Project Jupiter redesign remain undisclosed by Oracle, BorderPlex Digital Assets, and Bloom Energy. The per-megawatt installed cost of the Bloom fuel cell microgrid has not been released. Information on the construction schedule, including the phasing of the multiple deployments planned over the project’s life, is also absent. Furthermore, the specific method for sourcing natural gas for the fuel cells, whether via the El Paso Natural Gas Pipeline or other infrastructure, was not detailed. The announcement does not clarify how much of this power generation capacity is genuinely new versus repackaged from existing Bloom Energy offerings.

Related Coverage

• Bloom Energy Scales to 2 GW Annual Fuel Cell Production: Bloom Energy scales fuel cell production, relevant to Oracle’s fuel cell data center
• Bloom Energy’s 1 Gigawatt AEP Fuel Cell Deal and Why Solid-State Transformers Are the Natural Interface: Bloom Energy’s large fuel cell deal, relevant to Oracle’s fuel cell data center
• POWER Magazine: 27% of US Data Centers to Run on Onsite Generation: Data centers increasingly use onsite generation, like Oracle’s project
• State of Data Center Power: 27% of U.S. Facilities Shift to Onsite Generation by 2030 as Grid Integration Challenges Mount: Data centers shift to onsite generation, like Oracle’s project