This Month's Latest Tech News in Plano, TX - Sunday August 31st 2025 Edition

Weekly Commentary: Plano at the Center of an AI Infrastructure and Talent Surge - Plano's skyline is quietly being rewritten by AI: Nvidia‑backed Lambda is set to occupy a 425,000‑square‑foot, liquid‑cooled data center at 601 N. Star Road in a nearly $700M build that began in 2024 and is expected to finish in 2026, a project detailed by the Dallas News: Nvidia-backed $700M Plano data center; that GPU‑native capacity is arriving alongside high‑density deployments and connectivity moves such as FiberLight's relocation to Plano, turning the city into a hub where compute, fiber, and talent converge.

The result: strong local demand for practical AI skills and cybersecurity know‑how - a timely moment to consider focused upskilling like Nucamp's AI Essentials for Work bootcamp syllabus or entrepreneurial training to build and run AI products.

Bootcamp	Length	Courses Included	Early Bird Cost	Register
AI Essentials for Work	15 Weeks	AI at Work: Foundations; Writing AI Prompts; Job Based Practical AI Skills	$3,582	Register for Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp

“We're proud to partner with Lambda to support the buildout of its GPU cloud infrastructure, accelerated by NVIDIA, for AI deployments, which is transforming how AI developers innovate and businesses utilizing AI models operate.” - Andrew Schaap, CEO, Aligned Data Centers

Lambda & Aligned: $700M, 425k sq ft AI‑Ready Data Center (601 N. Star Road) - Plano's DFW-04 is shaping up as a GPU‑native behemoth: locally reported as a nearly $700M, 425,000‑square‑foot build at 601 N. Star Road that began construction in 2024 and is expected to be ready in 2026, the project will house Lambda's AI Cloud inside an Aligned facility engineered for liquid‑cooled, high‑density GPU clusters (including NVIDIA Blackwell‑class accelerators), a move chronicled in the Dallas Morning News and Aligned's announcement.

Filings and industry briefings add texture - some documents list a $161M building value and an Oct 2025–Oct 2026 construction window - but all sources agree on the same market signal: purpose‑built cooling, an onsite substation and campus proximity that let Lambda scale GPU capacity fast for AI labs and startups.

For Plano, the site is more than square feet and capex; it's a visible pivot toward compute, connectivity and the practical talent pipeline those operations will demand - think liquid‑cooled racks quietly shuttling away megawatts of heat so researchers can run model experiments at scale.

Property	Value
Name	Aligned DFW-04 (Lambda occupant)
Address	601 N. Star Rd, Plano, TX
Floor area	~425,000 sq ft (reported)
Expected completion	2026 (reported); filings cite Oct 2025–Oct 2026
Investment	~$700M (local reporting); $161M (facility filings)
Primary occupant	Lambda (AI Cloud)
Cooling	Liquid‑cooled / high‑density GPU support

“We're proud to partner with Lambda to support the buildout of its GPU cloud infrastructure, accelerated by NVIDIA, for AI deployments, which is transforming how AI developers innovate and businesses utilizing AI models operate.”

Nvidia U.S. Manufacturing and Texas Supercomputer Buildout - Nvidia's move to manufacture Blackwell-powered AI supercomputers on American soil is reshaping the region's tech map: Blackwell chip pilot production has already begun in Phoenix and the company has commissioned more than a million square feet for packaging, assembly and test, while new Texas plants with Foxconn in Houston and Wistron in Dallas are expected to ramp mass production in roughly 12–15 months, a push described in Nvidia's own newsroom and covered by outlets like CNBC report on Nvidia's plan to mass-produce AI supercomputers in Texas.

The scale is striking - plans call for up to $500 billion of U.S. AI infrastructure over the coming years, an industrial bet that pairs domestic fabs with digital twins and robots (NVIDIA Omniverse and Isaac GR00T) to speed throughput - and it promises thousands of direct manufacturing jobs and many more indirect roles as supply chains localize.

For Plano and North Texas, Nvidia's factory play amplifies local demand for data‑center skills, hardware logistics, and systems engineers who can keep “gigawatt AI factories” humming.

Fact	Detail
Blackwell chip production	Pilot lots started in Phoenix (TSMC)
Texas manufacturing partners	Foxconn (Houston), Wistron (Dallas)
Space commissioned	More than 1,000,000 sq ft (packaging/assembly/test)
Mass production timeline	Expected ramp in 12–15 months
Planned U.S. investment	Up to $500 billion of AI infrastructure (multi‑year)
Jobs (reported)	~70,000 direct; ~300,000 indirect (estimates reported)

“The engines of the world's AI infrastructure are being built in the United States for the first time.” - Jensen Huang, NVIDIA

Cognigy Moves U.S. Headquarters to Plano - German conversational AI company Cognigy is relocating its U.S. hub from San Francisco to Plano, signing a 5,000‑sq‑ft lease at the newly built Parkwood II just off the Dallas North Tollway as it scales after raising roughly $160–175 million (including a $100M round last year); the move is designed to tap North Texas talent and convenient DFW connectivity while the company builds out its AI agent platform that supports phone and chat in more than 100 languages for customers like Toyota, Nestlé, DHL and Frontier Airlines.

Local hiring is immediate - about 50 roles in the first 3–4 months with a target of 150–200 U.S. employees within three years - and the shift into Plano lands Cognigy in the same orbit as regional AI infrastructure expansion; within months of the HQ move the company drew acquisition attention, with a reported deal valuing Cognigy at roughly $955 million.

Read more in the Dallas Morning News and local coverage for hiring and real‑estate details.

Fact	Detail
U.S. HQ	Parkwood II, Plano (5,000 sq ft)
Funding	~$160–175M raised (includes $100M round)
Hiring plan	~50 in 3–4 months; 150–200 in 3 years
Customers	Toyota, Nestlé, DHL, Frontier, Bayer
Acquisition	Reported valuation ~ $955M (July 2025)

“perfect mix of innovation, energy and opportunity” - Cognigy CEO

LTTS Opens ITAR‑Compliant Engineering Design Center in Plano - L&T Technology Services has launched a state‑of‑the‑art, ITAR‑compliant Engineering Design Center in Plano designed to handle defense‑grade work while accelerating AI, digital manufacturing and advanced cybersecurity; the hub opens with capacity for about 100 engineers and plans to scale to more than 350 high‑skilled jobs, with an immediate focus on a Security Operations Center (SoC) for smart‑city solutions and Industry 4.0 delivery.

During the inauguration LTTS showcased practical demos - a “Factory of the Future,” TrackEI real‑time rail inspection, the LTTS iDriVe mobility stack, the Fusion AI platform and an AI‑powered Software Defined Imaging demo running on NVIDIA Jetson that aims to make endoscopic procedures more affordable - signaling Plano's growing role in near‑shore engineering and smart‑manufacturing talent.

Read LTTS's announcement and local coverage for full details: LTTS press release about Plano Engineering Design Center and LocalProfile report on LTTS Plano launch.

Fact	Detail
Location	Plano, Texas
Compliance	ITAR‑compliant (defense work)
Starting capacity	~100 engineers
Jobs targeted	350+ high‑skilled roles
Focus areas	AI, digital manufacturing, advanced cybersecurity, SoC, mobility
Notable demos	Factory of the Future, TrackEI, LTTS iDriVe, Fusion platform, NVIDIA Jetson imaging

“This center represents innovation at its finest … 100 professionals to start and plan to grow to over 350 engineering jobs … helping shape the future of advanced technology development and smart manufacturing.” - John B. Muns, Mayor of Plano

Collin County Growth Study: Data Centers and AI Drive Long‑Term Expansion - A new Texas Association of Business–backed analysis shows Collin County is on track to become an outsized engine of state growth by 2050, contributing roughly 10% of Texas' GDP, 7% of its workforce and about 6% of the population; the report, framed in the North Texas Technology and Economic Impact report, points squarely to AI, automation and an explosion of data centers as the multiplier.

Plano's emergence - including the high‑density, Nvidia‑backed Nvidia-backed $700M Lambda Plano data center plans, FiberLight's relocation, and semiconductor and manufacturing investments - is turning kilowatts of compute into local jobs for electricians, machinists and engineers; the upshot is stark and memorable: by mid‑century a single Texas county could rival the economy of an entire state, driven not by offices alone but by racks, fiber and skilled hands keeping GPUs cool and humming.

Projection / Metric	Detail (Source)
2050 GDP share	~10% of Texas GDP (TAB report)
Workforce & population	~7% of workforce; ~6% of population (TAB / Prestige Economics)
AI adoption	Generative AI use rose from ~20% (Apr 2024) to ~36% (May 2025) (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas)
Notable infrastructure	Lambda / Aligned 425,000 sq ft, ~$700M data center in Plano

“when you have a report that predicts that one of the 254 counties within the great state of Texas is going to by 2050 have a GDP that exceeds Missouri and will be several times that of a neighboring state, Oklahoma, it's important to take note as to as to why those trends are occurring.” - Glenn Hamer, TAB president and CEO

FiberLight Relocates Headquarters to Plano to Support Connectivity Needs - FiberLight has moved its corporate headquarters to Plano (7500 Dallas Parkway, Suite 450), consolidating a network of roughly 20,000 route miles of fiber and a nearly 11,000‑sq‑ft HQ with about 65 employees to better serve the region's booming AI and data‑center demand.

The relocation accompanies a strategic push - including a reported $20M network investment and work on a 10 Gbps build for the Region 16 Education Service Center - so FiberLight can deliver lower‑latency routes and stronger edge access for hyperscalers, schools and public projects; its SH‑130 smart‑corridor work alone powers over 240 Public Infrastructure Network Nodes at roughly 10 kilowatts each, a vivid reminder that connectivity is now physical infrastructure as much as code.

Read FiberLight's official announcement and a wide‑ranging conversation with CEO Bill Major for more on how the company plans to stitch Plano into the AI backbone.

Fact	Detail
New HQ	7500 Dallas Parkway, Suite 450, Plano, TX 75024
Space	~11,000 sq ft
Local staff	~65 employees
Network	~20,000 route miles of fiber
Recent investment	$20 million (network expansion)
Notable projects	Region 16 10 Gbps build; SH‑130 smart‑corridor (240+ PINNs ~10 kW each)

“Texas has always been central to FiberLight's identity, network, and success. By moving our headquarters to DFW, we're not just planting a flag - we're positioning ourselves at the epicenter of AI innovation, infrastructure, and growth. This region is a launchpad for what's next - not just for FiberLight, but for the businesses and communities we serve.” - Bill Major, CEO, FiberLight

Securonix Expands AI‑Reinforced Cybersecurity Offerings and Shows Strong ARR Growth - Plano‑based Securonix has turned product momentum into measurable business gains, reporting a roughly 40% year‑over‑year increase in new ARR bookings for fiscal 2024 while pushing a next wave of AI‑reinforced capabilities: Securonix EON's Data Pipeline Manager (which can improve cost efficiency by up to 30%) and a Noise Canceling SIEM that can suppress as much as 50% of alert volume, plus modular GenAI agents that aim to cut routine SOC workloads by up to half.

The result is concrete: fewer false positives, smarter data routing, and faster remediation that turns “alert avalanches” into focused investigations. For details on the growth and product rollout see the Business Wire report on Securonix ARR growth and the Securonix EON launch.

Metric / Item	Detail (Source)
Location	Plano, Texas (company announcements)
ARR growth	~40% YoY increase in new ARR (FY2024)
Key features launched	Data Pipeline Manager; Noise Canceling SIEM; GenAI agents (Securonix EON)
Alert reduction claim	Noise Canceling SIEM suppresses up to 50% of alerts
Cost / efficiency claim	Data Pipeline Manager can increase cost efficiency by up to 30%

“As cyber threats become more sophisticated and are delivered at greater speed and scale than ever before, organizations demand a comprehensive, future-proof integrated SIEM, SOAR, UEBA, and Data Pipeline Management solution.” - Kash Shaikh, President and CEO, Securonix

Ideas2IT has doubled down on Plano's rising AI ecosystem by turning employee ownership into strategy: the Dallas‑headquartered engineering firm made 33% of the company employee‑owned while rebuilding delivery around AI‑first workflows, a shift driven by a proprietary Agentic SDLC Studio and an 800+ person upskilling push that's aimed at faster ramps and deeper architecture reuse for clients like Meta, Bloomberg, Siemens and AWS - read the company announcement on Ideas2IT employee ownership and AI-powered engineering announcement on BusinessWire and the firm's official Ideas2IT newsroom and media page.

The move isn't symbolic: it pairs a stake‑based wealth sharing model (the company has previously rewarded teams with car awards) with an AI‑native delivery engine that promises lower attrition, quicker deployments and a real sense of ownership located now at 5717 Legacy Drive, Suite 250 in Plano.

Fact	Detail
Employee ownership	33% of company allocated to staff
Team	800+ upskilled across design, development, and data
AI capability	Agentic SDLC Studio / AI‑first delivery model
Notable clients	Meta, Medtronic Labs, AWS, Bloomberg, Siemens, SLU
Plano office	5717 Legacy Drive, Suite 250, Plano, TX 75024

“This isn't about retention. It's about resilience. Most teams bolt AI onto legacy workflows. We do the opposite - rebuild the system around intelligence, from commit to deploy. We don't rent that capability. It's engineered into our DNA.” - Murali Vivekanandan, Founder, Ideas2IT

Alpha School Opens AI‑Powered K–8 Campus in Plano - Alpha School, the Austin‑founded private program that pairs AI‑driven, one‑to‑one adaptive lessons with hands‑on afternoons, launched its Plano campus on Independence Parkway this August with 30 founding families and plans to add additional grades next year, according to reporting in the Dallas Business Journal report on Alpha School Plano; the K–3 rollout starts with a compact model - just two hours a day on AI‑guided core academics and the balance of the day devoted to life and tech skills like public speaking, financial literacy and even bike‑riding - plus 60–90 minutes of outdoor play and access to nearby racquetball courts and fields at the CERA Center, per Alpha School Plano official site and enrollment details.

Tuition is listed around $50,000 in Plano (about $40,000 in nearby Fort Worth), student‑teacher ratios run roughly 1:6 in lower grades and 1:13 in upper, and the school positions itself as an alternative when families want personalized learning tied to practical skills rather than longer lecture blocks; read more from the Dallas Business Journal coverage of Alpha School Plano and the Alpha School Plano program and enrollment information.

Fact	Detail
Address	7220 Independence Pkwy, Plano, TX
Initial grades	K–3 (plans to expand)
Founding families / students	~30 families
Tuition (Plano)	~$50,000 / year
Core academic time	~2 hours per day (AI‑guided)
Student‑teacher ratios	~1:6 (lower); ~1:13 (upper)

“What's really incredible about artificial intelligence coming into the educational system is that it finally enables us to provide one‑to‑one personalized learning for each student that meets them exactly where they need to be met.” - MacKenzie Price, Alpha co‑founder

Missional AI 2025 Summit Puts Plano on Global Faith‑Tech Map - The fifth annual Missional AI Summit moved to Plano April 8–10 under the theme

AI Collision – Shaping the Future Together

, bringing AI researchers, product developers, funders and ministry leaders together to share faith‑oriented perspectives on cutting‑edge tech and responsible AI use; the conference, held at the Plano campus and detailed on the Missional AI Summit event page on AI & Faith, drew more than 500 individuals from 100+ organizations across 30+ countries and featured half a dozen AI&F experts and partner representatives, a turnout that literally put Plano on a global faith‑tech map and underscored how ethical AI conversations are following compute and connectivity into new civic and community spaces (full program at the Missional.ai official website and the AI & Faith event listing).

Fact	Detail
Event	Missional AI Summit event page on AI & Faith
Dates	April 8 – April 10, 2025
Location	Plano, TX (One Community Church campus)
Theme	AI Collision – Shaping the Future Together
Attendance	More than 500 individuals from 100+ organizations, 30+ countries
Website	Missional.ai official website

Conclusion: What These Developments Mean for Plano's Future - Plano's recent string of approvals and expansions makes the city more than a data‑center destination; it's becoming an industrial ecosystem where big capital and local jobs meet grid and water planning.

From the city's update on a “New $700M data center” to Delta Electronics' $452M expansion that will add roughly 1,500 jobs, the pattern is clear: racks, fiber and factories are translating into hiring and real estate activity, but not without tradeoffs - UT researchers warn that rapid data‑center growth must be aligned with sustainable energy and transmission planning to avoid stressing the grid.

That mix of opportunity and infrastructure risk creates demand for practical, job‑ready skills today; targeted upskilling such as Nucamp's AI Essentials for Work bootcamp - practical AI skills for the workplace can help local talent move into roles that keep GPUs cool, networks fast and SOCs secure as Plano grows into its new industrial footprint.

Bootcamp	Length	Early Bird Cost	Register
AI Essentials for Work	15 Weeks	$3,582	Register for Nucamp AI Essentials for Work (15-week bootcamp)