Elmdale Outpost Targets Workers Building $25 Billion Frontier Data Center in Texas
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 29
Elmdale Outpost Targets Workers Building $25 Billion Frontier Data Center in Texas
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 29
Summary
A new convenience store on Abilene’s northeast edge is cashing in on the influx of temporary laborers building the $25 billion Frontier data center complex.
Six miles from the construction site, the Elmdale Outpost sits beside a new 148-acre RV park built to house thousands of workers drawn from across the U.S. and Mexico.
The shop stocks basics from toothpaste to produce, but its main draw is convenience for crews leaving the site, including a separate beer room with more than 60 brands.
The worker boom reflects the scale of Frontier, part of the broader Stargate initiative that President Donald Trump promoted last year as a $500 billion AI infrastructure push, with a flagship campus also rising elsewhere in Abilene.
Is the desperate race to build AI infrastructure hiding a dark reality of severe injuries and exploited labor on rural construction sites?
Why is a massive tech boom leaving rural residents trapped by skyrocketing housing costs and depleted community resources instead of bringing prosperity?
How are multibillion-dollar AI megaprojects bypassing strict environmental reviews to quietly build massive fossil-fuel power plants in rural backyards?