Microsoft and Chevron plan one of the largest gas-powered data center projects in US | TechCrunch

Last day to exhibit your breakthrough to 10,000+ tech leaders at Disrupt is on Oct 2. Book Exhibit Table Now. Disrupt doors open Oct. 13. Get your pass and bring someone with you at 50% off. REGISTER NOW. Microsoft and Chevron announced plans on Monday to develop a 2.67-gigawatt natural gas power plant in West Texas to serve the tech company’s AI and cloud data centers. Under the 20-year power purchase agreement, the plant will provide dedicated electricity to a Microsoft-operated data center. Two large GE Vernova turbines will generate most of the power, with a Caterpillar subsidiary Solar Turbines providing the rest. (The Solar Turbines name might sound familiar — xAI uses them in its unpermitted power plant near Memphis.) Microsoft will buy power from the power plant for 20 years. The project will be “among the largest co-located natural gas power and data center developments in the U.S.,” Chevron said in a press release. Though Microsoft has been telegraphing the move for months now, it’s still a significant shift for a company that has been vocal about its sustainability efforts. Microsoft has pledged to eliminate its carbon emissions by 2030, a goal that will be harder to rea