Texas halts new data center grid connections amid demand surge

Texas has paused new data center connections to its power grid, citing overwhelming demand. The move follows the state's earlier order to audit all data centers seeking grid power.

Why it matters: This escalates Texas's response from auditing data center power requests to actively blocking new grid connections, showing the state's "AI epicenter" ambitions colliding with real grid capacity limits — a tension already playing out around Oregon's data center pushback.