Fermi America's Project Matador data center campus in the Texas Panhandle will use approximately 80 percent less water t

Chief Site Development Officer Charlie Hamilton testified before the Texas House Natural Resources Committee on June 24, 2026, detailing Fermi America's water stewardship strategy for Project Matador, a HyperGrid campus designed to support artificial intelligence and advanced computing while protecting regional water resources.

Hamilton, a sixth generation Texan whose family has worked the Panhandle for more than 130 years, framed water conservation as a personal and generational responsibility. He outlined Fermi America's four-pillar Water Strategy, which maximizes dry and hybrid cooling across the entire campus, maximizes water reuse through closed-loop systems, matches water quality to each specific use, and pursues innovative reductions in consumption.

The campus will employ air-cooled condensers and advanced hybrid cooling towers that cool primarily with air and move water through closed-loop systems, reducing water consumption by approximately 80 percent compared to conventional water-based methods. Water is cleaned and recycled on site rather than drawn fresh and discarded. Flush water from cooling systems is captured, treated, and returned to the loop. Wastewater from sinks and restrooms is treated and reused for industrial purposes, with none discharged off site. Industrial tasks operate on recycled, non-drinking grade water kept entirely separate from drinking water, and planned systems will capture rainwater from campus rooftops for reuse.

Beyond efficiency, Fermi America aims to become water positive and is studying technologies including absorption chilling, brackish desalination, and controlled environment agriculture for future integration.

Project Matador operates under the same water framework as every Panhandle irrigator, limited to one acre-foot of water per acre of land per year as set and enforced by the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District, with no special exemptions or waivers. Fermi America has agreed to pay the City of Amarillo twice the standard municipal water rate and will build water infrastructure for the city at the company's own cost.

Co-President Jacobo Ortiz stated that the project proves one need not choose between leading the world in AI compute and being a good environmental steward. Committee Chairman Cody Harris commended the approach as a good example for the state on how to handle such development responsibly.