This Month's Latest Tech News in Round Rock, TX - Saturday May 31st 2025 Edition

The AI and technology surge in Round Rock and Austin continues in 2025, defined by rapid data center expansion and the arrival of industry leaders. Sabey Data Centers has launched its first 430,000-square-foot building in Round Rock, with plans for an 84MW campus optimized for high-density AI and liquid-cooled deployments, supporting groundbreaking projects like the Texas Advanced Computing Center's new “Horizon” supercomputer, designed to multiply scientific AI capacity by 100 times over current capabilities Sabey completes first data center at Round Rock campus.

Austin's magnetic pull for tech giants - Tesla, Google, Oracle, and Apple among them - continues to deliver impressive job creation and investment, cementing the area's status as a national innovation leader Companies Expanding or Moving to Austin.

Yet, UT Austin researchers caution that booming data infrastructure may outpace Texas' energy and water resources unless growth is carefully managed; they propose sustainable strategies and highlight Texas' unique standing as the top U.S. power generator and a global tech destination Sustainable Data Center Growth in Texas.

“This effort is to help policy makers and industry leaders align data center expansion with Texas' energy strengths...create a model for responsible, innovative, and high-value data infrastructure development.”

The convergence of AI, investment, and infrastructure ensures Round Rock and Austin remain at the forefront of America's tech momentum.

Nvidia is making a transformative $7.5 billion investment in Texas, launching over 1 million square feet of manufacturing space in Houston and Dallas in partnership with Foxconn and Wistron to mass-produce next-generation AI supercomputers.

This expansion, part of a U.S. plan to build up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure over the next four years, comes amid a wave of protectionist trade policies and stiff tariffs on overseas tech, aiming to localize high-stakes AI manufacturing and shield supply chains from global volatility.

Notably, the Dallas-Fort Worth area is poised for over $687 million in direct investment from Wistron, with tax incentives on the table, underlining Texas' rise as a semiconductor powerhouse.

The new facilities will incorporate advanced robotics, digital twin technology using NVIDIA Omniverse, and NVIDIA Isaac GR00T robots to automate manufacturing.

Production is on track to ramp up within 12 to 15 months and is projected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs, fueling both regional and national tech growth.

As CEO Jensen Huang stated,

“The engines of the world's AI infrastructure are being built in the United States for the first time. Adding American manufacturing helps us better meet the incredible and growing demand for AI chips and supercomputers, strengthens our supply chain and boosts our resiliency.”

For more on this historic reshoring initiative, explore the official Nvidia announcement on U.S. supercomputer manufacturing, a deep-dive on Nvidia's Texas AI factory plans and tariff context from CNBC, and details on Wistron's $687 million supercomputer partnership with Nvidia in Fort Worth.

Dell has unveiled its latest wave of AI-ready data center solutions, positioning Round Rock as a cornerstone of enterprise infrastructure innovation. The newly released PowerEdge R470, R570, R670, and R770 servers leverage Intel Xeon 6 processors - delivering up to 67% higher performance, 50% greater core density per processor, and up to 80% rack consolidation for significant space and energy savings.

These platforms are designed with future-forward Data Center Modular Hardware System (DC-MHS) architecture compliant with Open Compute Project (OCP) standards, enhancing both sustainability and manageability.

Coupled with advancements in PowerStore and ObjectScale storage, organizations benefit from AI-powered analytics, real-time performance monitoring, and robust zero-trust security, while the PowerScale line delivers massive high-speed, scale-out storage optimized for AI workloads with up to 6PB on a single 2U node.

The comprehensive portfolio is further strengthened by the PowerProtect suite, supporting unprecedented restore speeds and deduplication for data protection. Availability highlights are summarized in the table below.

Read a full technical overview of Dell's new launches and see how platform efficiency enables AI scale at lower cost.

As Arthur Lewis, President of Dell's Infrastructure Solutions Group, notes,

“Modern applications require a new breed of infrastructure that will help customers keep pace with everchanging data center demands.”

For an in-depth breakdown of energy, scalability, and management enhancements, visit Dell's official announcement, “Dell Technologies Unveils Infrastructure Innovations Built to Power Modern AI-Ready Data Centers”.

Local data leaders and IT professionals can learn how to evolve business operations with these servers by exploring Dell's PowerEdge rack server transformation blog.

Austin is embarking on a transformative $20 billion mobility overhaul, integrating cutting-edge AI to modernize and coordinate a suite of major infrastructure projects spanning the I-35 corridor, light rail expansion, and a downtown revitalization effort known as "Cap and Stitch." By unifying technology platforms and regional agencies, the Central Texas Construction Partnership enables real-time traffic management, shared data for public communication, and AI-enhanced scenario planning to reduce disruption across 35 concurrent projects and a decade of construction (Tech Teams Aim to Keep Austin Moving in Austin Texas).

One landmark initiative, the I-35 Cap and Stitch, will reconnect downtown and East Austin with 30 acres of buildable land over a newly lowered freeway, new parks, and accessible bridges, as recently approved by the Austin City Council under innovative funding approaches (Our Future 35 Advocacy and Vision for Downtown Austin).

Simultaneously, Project Connect's $7 billion light rail has entered a critical legislative phase, as lawmakers challenge its voter-approved funding and threaten to slow Austin's momentum in mass transit and future AI-driven traffic solutions (Austin Council Members Debate I-35 Project Funding).

Together, these efforts highlight Austin's ambition to blend AI technology, bold infrastructure, and inclusive urban design to shape the next decade of growth.

The University of Texas at Austin is setting a benchmark for responsible artificial intelligence in education with its newly proposed Responsible Adoption of AI Tools for Teaching and Learning framework.

Announced in May and shaped by a six-month, cross-campus collaboration, the guidelines focus on core educational values - academic integrity, privacy, and critical thinking - and are open for public feedback until July 31 before their fall rollout.

Reflecting this community-driven approach, UT's framework offers eight guiding principles covering ethical, compliant, and transparent AI use for everyone on campus, from students to faculty and staff.

According to UT's AI governance and technology guidance, responsible AI use means safeguarding data, ensuring fairness, and fostering innovation while maintaining strict oversight and accountability.

The initiative includes interactive events, campuswide training, and a formal feedback process to continually refine best practices. As Julie Schell, Assistant Vice Provost, notes,

“We wanted to build something that aligned with our campus values - something created by and for our community.”

This leadership aligns UT Austin with global trends in higher ed AI, driven by urgency to adapt, close digital literacy gaps, and deploy human-centered, ethical AI systems.

As Prof. Rose Luckin reflected in a recent education round-up,

“AI won't replace teachers – but it will redefine what it means to teach and to learn.”

To participate, UT community members are encouraged to explore the framework and submit feedback, reinforcing UT's commitment to values-driven innovation and effective learning support.

Discover more details and the feedback portal through UT Austin's official community guidelines announcement.

The AI jobs surge across Round Rock and Austin is in full swing as global powerhouses like Dell Technologies, Nvidia, and Adastra fuel regional growth and innovation.

Dell's expanded collaboration with Nvidia has resulted in a $14.4 billion backlog for its next-generation AI-optimized servers, with record demand from enterprises seeking high-speed, energy-efficient systems built around NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs and the PowerEdge platform.

As Jeff Clarke, Dell vice chair and COO, explains,

"We experienced exceptionally strong demand for AI optimized servers, building on the momentum discussed in February and further demonstrating that our differentiation is winning in the marketplace."

Meanwhile, Adastra's new Austin office amplifies its advanced data analytics and AI services for industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and energy, tapping into Austin's deep talent pool and its status as the nation's fastest-growing tech city.

Dilraj Sehdev, SVP at Adastra US, highlights,

"Austin's dynamic and innovative ecosystem makes it an ideal location for Adastra's expansion. This new office will not only bring us closer to our partners and customers but also allows us to leverage the rich talent pool in the area."

The regional AI momentum - propelled by significant infrastructure investments and robust partnerships - positions Central Texas as a national hub for AI-driven employment.

To learn more, explore the details behind Dell's AI Factory collaboration with Nvidia, Adastra's strategic move into Austin's tech ecosystem, and how Dell is navigating record demand as reported by The Register's coverage of its $14.4B AI server backlog.

As Texas cements its status as a major hub for generative AI and data infrastructure, concerns are mounting about the environmental impact of this rapid digital expansion.

Massive AI data centers, projected to help nearly double the state's electricity demand by 2030, are drawing scrutiny for their substantial and growing appetite for both power and water - a reality examined in detail by MIT's analysis of generative AI's environmental impact.

For every kilowatt-hour consumed, roughly two liters of water are used for cooling, with the training of models like GPT-3 producing CO₂ emissions equivalent to powering 120 homes for a year.

Texas data centers, as highlighted by CBS Austin's coverage of the AI water footprint, can consume water volumes comparable to tens of thousands of households - posing a challenge for a state already prone to drought.

Local responses include innovative water-saving approaches like shifting workloads to cooler hours and installing rainwater harvesting, but municipal leaders and researchers stress that broader, more systematic solutions are needed.

The University of Texas at Austin recently launched a new initiative to study sustainable data center growth, seeking to balance economic opportunity with resource stewardship through collaborative research on energy and environmental policy.

As Professor Elsa Olivetti of MIT aptly states:

“When we think about the environmental impact of generative AI, it is not just the electricity you consume when you plug the computer in. There are much broader consequences that go out to a system level and persist based on actions that we take.”

The challenge for Texas is clear: to innovate not just in AI technology, but in ways to reconcile its resource demands with long-term environmental sustainability.

Austin is taking a groundbreaking approach to shield workers from AI-driven job displacement by enacting robust citywide safeguards. In May 2025, the Austin City Council - collaborating closely with AFSCME Local 1624, which represents nearly 5,000 municipal employees - passed a comprehensive policy that mandates human oversight for all city AI implementations, prohibits continuous employee surveillance, and prevents AI-only decisions affecting jobs.

As Local 1624 President Brydan Summers explained,

"This resolution ensures AI is used to support - not replace - public workers. By requiring human oversight, banning continuous surveillance, and protecting workers from AI-only decisions, Item 55 puts the safety and dignity of the workforce first."

The resolution's key measures, summarized in the table below, codify Austin's commitment to ethical AI:

City officials have also ordered regular reporting on the environmental impacts of AI, forbidden biometric surveillance, and launched public engagement campaigns.

As reported by the USA Works Union News and the KXAN Austin newsroom, Austin's forward-thinking guidelines could serve as a model for cities nationwide, demonstrating how AI integration can prioritize workers' rights and community transparency.

To read more about Austin's ongoing efforts and future steps in balancing innovation with workforce security, see this in-depth coverage from The Austin Monitor.

Texas is moving to the forefront of artificial intelligence oversight, with lawmakers recently passing a landmark bill aiming to both curtail AI misuse and foster responsible innovation.

The Texas Responsible AI Governance Act bans government agencies from using AI for “social scoring” or biometrics-based identification without consent, and imposes new limits on harmful or discriminatory applications in the private sector.

The legislation, which mirrors aspects of Colorado's 2024 AI Act but now focuses on public sector usage following feedback from business and free-market advocates, includes a regulatory sandbox to encourage safe development, hefty penalties for violations, and the creation of the Texas Artificial Intelligence Council.

Transparency advocates call it “an important first step balancing society's needs with safer, more responsible AI,” while critics, such as Adam Thierer of the R Street Institute, warn it could invite federal preemption and legal battles.

El Paso lawmakers also championed targeted bills criminalizing the creation of AI-generated explicit content involving minors, reflecting urgent concerns after recent community incidents.

As one lawmaker put it,

“We did hear about that unfortunate story that happened in our local community. And that's exactly why we're working on this, these pieces of legislation and working really hard to get them across the finish line.”

Texas joins a wave of state-level activity: in 2025, 48 states and Puerto Rico introduced AI legislation, with 26 adopting more than 75 measures on issues from content ownership to workforce protection.

For an in-depth look at the Texas bill's passage and its national ripple effects, read the detailed analysis from Pluribus News on Texas lawmakers approving a sweeping AI bill; explore reactions and specifics in the Texas Tribune's coverage of proposed AI legislation; and see comparative efforts nationwide at the NCSL summary of 2025 AI state legislation.

Austin-based Uplevyl is leading the charge in gender-inclusive technology with its AI-driven platform and newly launched Future Forward Accelerator, specifically designed to upskill women leaders for the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

As women represent just 22% of the global AI workforce and under 14% hold senior executive roles, Uplevyl's platform provides targeted leadership development, peer networking, and practical AI tools to help address this gap.

Their Future Forward Accelerator, guided by experts like CEO Shubhi Rao, delivers a comprehensive one-year curriculum covering AI fundamentals, digital leadership, ethical AI, and business transformation strategies, ensuring participants are equipped for senior roles and board positions.

The program includes modules such as AI 101, ethical leadership, advanced AI applications, and business model innovation. As Shubhi Rao explains,

“The Future Forward Accelerator represents a pivotal moment in workplace transformation. As AI reshapes every industry, we're creating an unprecedented opportunity for women leaders to step into their power and redefine leadership in the digital age. The time for women to claim their place in the AI revolution is now.”

In addition to professional development, Uplevyl's platform emphasizes privacy, belonging, and safety for its users, offering features like mentorship, exclusive community forums, and its original podcast, Women. Wisdom. Worth. For more details about the Future Forward Accelerator and its impact, visit the official program announcement, explore Uplevyl's female-forward technology platform, or read an in-depth analysis of their efforts to upskill 1,000 women leaders in the AI era on the EdTech Innovation Hub.

AI agents - autonomous systems designed to perceive, decide, and act with minimal human intervention - are rapidly transforming workplaces in Austin and beyond. Recent studies show that 88% of U.S. business leaders plan to increase AI-related budgets this year, with 79% reporting that AI agents are already adopted in some form, primarily boosting productivity and automating routine tasks across sectors from finance to customer service.

However, security remains a pressing challenge: 96% of tech professionals consider AI agents a growing risk, yet only 44% of organizations have strong policies to govern their use, highlighting the urgent need for robust identity management and oversight as these autonomous tools gain access to sensitive data.

According to recent surveys, 62% of companies expect AI agent deployments to deliver over 100% ROI, while adoption rates and anticipated workplace automation have climbed sharply across industries.

Despite enthusiasm and tangible business value, mindset and organizational readiness - not just the technology - are influencing how deeply AI agents reshape daily work.

As one Austin-based executive observes,

“Agentic AI is both a powerful force for innovation and a potential risk ... organizations must govern these agents as strictly as human users - with real-time permissions, least privilege, and full visibility into their actions.”

For a closer look at recent numbers and trends shaping adoption and challenges, the table below summarizes key survey findings:

For more insights, explore PwC's in-depth AI Agent Survey from PwC, SailPoint's security-focused research on AI agent adoption risk and governance by SailPoint, and PagerDuty's global analysis of AI agent ROI and impact in 2025 by PagerDuty.

Looking ahead, Round Rock and Austin are poised to solidify their status as premier tech hubs, spearheaded by major investments like the recently completed Sabey Data Centers campus in Round Rock, which offers a staggering 430,000 square feet of space and up to 84 megawatts of scalable power to support advanced AI and supercomputing demands - including as the new home base for UT Austin's Texas Advanced Computing Center's “Horizon” AI supercomputer Sabey Data Centers Round Rock project.

Austin's wider tech scene continues its rapid expansion, with more than 3,000 tech companies and startups, a robust 3.2% annual growth rate, and over 7,000 specialists in AI, leading to 2,160 new tech jobs each year AI jobs booming in Austin.

The region is a magnet for roles like machine learning engineers, full-stack developers, and enterprise sales positions, reflecting national trends where 85% of AI jobs are targeted at mid- to senior-level professionals but opportunities still exist for new grads willing to specialize Inside the AI Hiring Boom: 2025 trends.

With state-of-the-art infrastructure, a highly skilled and growing workforce, and the presence of top AI education centers, Round Rock and Austin are well-positioned to lead on both innovation and job creation, making advanced tech skills - like those offered in specialized programs such as Nucamp's Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur bootcamp - more valuable than ever for anyone hoping to seize new opportunities in the region.