Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Aug 19
Oracle Launches PR Blitz for 2.45-Gigawatt New Mexico Data Center as Local Backlash Grows
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Aug 19

Oracle Launches PR Blitz for 2.45-Gigawatt New Mexico Data Center as Local Backlash Grows

2 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Aug 19

Summary

  • Oracle has rolled out one of its most aggressive public-relations campaigns to build support in Doña Ana County for Project Jupiter, a 2.45-gigawatt data center tied to its AI expansion.
  • Mailers proclaiming “A NEW DAY FOR NEW MEXICO,” donations to groups including the Boys & Girls Club and a food pantry, and branding at a local Dino Dig park are central to the outreach.
  • The charm offensive follows sharp local resistance, fueled partly by secrecy around the project when it first surfaced.
  • Project Jupiter is a centerpiece of Oracle’s $300 billion computing deal with OpenAI signed last year, underscoring how community opposition could complicate a broader trillion-dollar AI infrastructure buildout.

Insights

Can a corporate PR blitz and millions in donations truly buy local approval for a massive AI data center in a drought-stricken desert?
Behind the millions in local donations, what hidden environmental costs will rural residents ultimately pay for the global AI infrastructure boom?