\u201cThe sooner the better,\u201d he said. \u201cThe political leadership understands it, but it takes the American people to talk to their representatives, saying, \u2018We need you guys to focus on this.\u2019 It\u2019s a big political issue, and it should be resolved, because we need all the legal talent in the country we can possibly have.\u201d<\/p>\n
The economic demand for talent could prompt change as industries need legal labor, he said.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\u201cStill, $380,000 is a hell of a lot better than California, but it\u2019s not what we should have here,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re working on that question of how do we get a more affordable home and more affordable neighborhoods? Maybe you\u2019ll redesign the home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Technologies, such as 3D printed homes, do make construction less expensive but only by about 5%, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI told the team: we want 50% cheaper,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\u201cNew York\u2019s got the Atlantic. LA\u2019s got the Pacific. We don\u2019t have any barriers. We\u2019re at 8 million now. We\u2019ll be 12 million by 2050, then by 2100, we think there will be 24 million to 25 million in Dallas-Fort Worth because we can grow.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\u201cThe U.S. Western models are, for sure, going to dominate the Chinese model,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you want your information to come from the Chinese Communist Party, then you want to hang out over there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Texas should be a big player in data center and AI growth, he said. The state is No. 2 behind Virginia in data center expansion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Power is key in that area.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c<\/strong>We\u2019re everything. We\u2019re an all-the-above state. So wind, solar, nuclear. The Army just rolled out that small nuclear program yesterday, Janus, little nuclear reactors that are going by military bases. You take those little mini nukes and put them next to the AI data centers, you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re seeing more and more of the big AI go off the grid. They\u2019re generating their own power, a lot of them right now with Texas natural gas. And so natural gas will be their bridge. And then you\u2019ll see small nukes end up, like at a Stargate in Abilene, you\u2019ll have a small nuke out there probably before you know it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Stargate is part of a partnership between OpenAI, Oracle, MGX and SoftBank that plans a network of data center campuses across the United States. To meet these demands, Stargate has filed permits to operate natural gas turbines at its Abilene site. The company also is considering generating power there with solar and wind projects as well as small nuclear reactors. Another site is under development in nearby Shackelford County.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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