Developers Stopped Waiting for the Grid. Now They're Building Around It.

Texas datacenter developers are bypassing utility queues entirely, deploying behind-the-meter gas and batteries rather than wait five-plus years in ERCOT and PJM interconnection lines that already absorb 72% of committed large loads. With U.S. capacity additions down 50% quarter-over-quarter per Wood Mackenzie, grid independence has moved from contingency plan to first-line procurement strategy for every AI-scale build entering the market now.