TL;DR: A huge AI data center campus is going up in Hubbard, Texas. It is operated by Nexus Data Centers and reportedly leased by Anthropic. State filings show building construction scheduled from January 2026 into early 2028, so electricians, MEP trades, construction managers and safety managers have a multi-year window to get in. Below is what’s confirmed, what’s only reported, and how to position yourself.
Over the past year, more of my construction candidates have asked me the same thing: “Are data centers worth chasing?” Most of them built their careers on battery plants, chip fabs and auto plants. Now they see AI data center projects popping up across Texas and want to know whether the work is real, how long it lasts, and what it takes to get hired.
The Hubbard project is a good test case. It’s big, it has public filings, and the schedule is long enough to plan around. Here’s how I’d read it if I were looking for my next site.
What was announced, and what is only reported
Start with the official part. On November 12, 2025, Anthropic announced a $50 billion investment in American computing infrastructure with Fluidstack. The plan covers data centers in Texas and New York, with more sites to come. Anthropic said sites would come online throughout 2026 and would create about 800 permanent jobs and 2,400 construction jobs.
The Hubbard details come mostly from media reports. In March 2026, DCD, citing the Financial Times, reported that Google was planning financial backing, possibly construction loans to Nexus, for an Anthropic data center campus in Hubbard. According to that report, Anthropic signed the lease in March 2026. A bank consortium was also said to be competing to provide up to $5 billion in financing.
In July 2026, Octus reported that Nexus was lining up roughly $15 billion in bridge financing from a group of banks it did not name. Keep in mind that the Google backing and the financing numbers are media reports, not company announcements. A June 2026 Hoodline article also noted that the ties to Anthropic and Google were reported, not confirmed by the companies in that piece.
The Hubbard campus at a glance
Hubbard is a small town in Hill County, south of Dallas-Fort Worth and northeast of Waco. Here are the numbers, with each source named, because they don’t always match.
| Item | What’s reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | Nexus Data Centers | DCD |
| Site size | About 2,800 acres (DCD) / 2,900 acres (Octus) | DCD, Octus |
| First phase | About 500MW, targeted later in 2026; reportedly over $5 billion | DCD, Octus |
| Potential expansion | Up to about 7.7GW | DCD |
| Building 1 construction | Jan 2026 to Oct 2027 (Texas TDLR filing) | Octus |
| Building 2 construction | Jun 2026 to Jan 2028 (Texas TDLR filing) | Octus |
| First building | About $400 million, about 491,378 sq ft (state filing) | Hoodline |
| On-site power permits | About 612.93 MW natural gas, about 152.75 MW emergency diesel (filed by a related entity) | Hoodline |
| Local approval | Hill County approved a reinvestment zone in February | Hoodline |
For a job seeker, the line that matters most is the schedule. Two buildings with overlapping construction windows from early 2026 into early 2028 means the work isn’t a short sprint. Crews will be needed for building, energizing and commissioning for well over a year.
Which trades and roles a project like this needs
I don’t have a staffing plan for this specific site, and nobody outside the project does. But data center campuses tend to follow the same pattern. The building shell goes up fast. The real labor goes into power, cooling and systems. Typical scopes include:
- Electrical infrastructure: medium-voltage distribution, switchgear, transformers, busway and miles of conduit and cable. This is usually the biggest trade on site.
- Generator yards: setting, wiring and testing backup and on-site generation. The permits filed here for gas and diesel generation point in this direction.
- UPS and battery rooms: installing and testing uninterruptible power systems.
- Cooling plants: chillers, piping, cooling distribution and controls. This is pipefitter, HVAC and controls tech territory.
- Fiber and low voltage: structured cabling, fiber backbone and building automation.
- Security systems: access control, cameras and perimeter systems.
- Commissioning: testing every system before it goes live. Engineers and techs with commissioning experience are always hard to find.
On the management side, you’ll see project and construction managers, MEP coordinators, superintendents, schedulers, QA/QC inspectors and safety managers. Electricians come first on almost every data center list I see. If you’re a journeyman or foreman with industrial or mission-critical experience, you’re in the strongest spot.
How your factory experience carries over
Many of my candidates come from battery and chip plant sites. The good news is that much of that experience translates directly.
| Your background | Where it fits on a data center | What to highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial electrician | MV distribution, switchgear, generator and UPS work | Voltage levels, energization, lockout/tagout |
| Pipefitter / HVAC | Cooling plants, chilled water systems | Large-bore piping, pressure testing, clean installs |
| MEP coordinator / engineer | Coordination of power and cooling scopes | BIM coordination, submittals, clash resolution |
| Construction manager / superintendent | Phase or building lead | Fast-track schedules, multi-contractor sites |
| Safety manager / coordinator | Site safety, energized work oversight | OSHA 30 card, high-headcount sites, incident reduction |
| Commissioning tech | System testing before turnover | Functional testing, documentation |
If you’re in safety, data centers deserve attention. These sites mix heavy electrical work, lifts and a lot of contractors at once. My guides on building a construction safety manager career and safety jobs at battery and chip plants cover the skills that carry straight over.
The practical stuff: cards, travel and pay rules
Hubbard is a small town, so a lot of the workforce will travel in. Before you apply, get the basics in order.
- Have your OSHA card ready. Many large sites expect an OSHA 10 card for craft and an OSHA 30 card for supervisors. Here’s how OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 differ.
- Ask about per diem. Traveling crews often get a daily allowance for lodging and meals. Rules vary by contractor. Read my construction per diem guide before you compare offers.
- Understand overtime. Data center schedules are tight, and long weeks are common. Know whether you’re hourly or salaried and how overtime is calculated. My post on construction pay rules and overtime walks through it.
- Update your resume with specifics. List voltage levels, system types and project size in plain words. “Energized medium-voltage switchgear” beats “electrical work.”
Is there a bilingual or Korean-company angle?
I want to be straight here. Nothing I’ve seen ties any Korean company to the Hubbard project, and I won’t pretend otherwise. The companies named in the reports are Anthropic, Fluidstack, Nexus and Google.
Still, there’s a broader trend. Data center work in general is pulling in suppliers from many countries, including Korean firms in cooling and power equipment. I covered one example in my post on LG Electronics and data center cooling jobs. Texas also has a large Korean-affiliated industrial base, which I mapped out in Korean companies hiring in Texas. If you’re bilingual and build data center experience now, you’ll be able to move between both worlds later.
Questions to ask before you accept a data center role
- Who is my direct employer: the general contractor, a subcontractor or a staffing agency?
- Which building or phase am I assigned to, and how long is that scope expected to last?
- Is per diem included, and is it paid for every day or only workdays?
- What’s the typical weekly schedule, and how is overtime paid?
- Is there a path to the next phase or another site when this one wraps up?
FAQ
Is Anthropic building the Hubbard data center itself?
Reports name Nexus Data Centers as the operator, with Anthropic signing the lease in March 2026. Anthropic’s own announcement mentions working with Fluidstack on sites in Texas and New York.
How long will construction last?
Texas TDLR filings cited by Octus show Building 1 running January 2026 to October 2027 and Building 2 running June 2026 to January 2028. Schedules can change.
How many construction jobs will there be?
Anthropic said its overall $50 billion program would create about 2,400 construction jobs and 800 permanent jobs across its sites. I haven’t seen an official headcount for Hubbard alone.
Do I need data center experience to get hired?
Not always. Industrial electrical, mechanical and safety experience from factories transfers well. Commissioning and mission-critical experience give you an edge.
Is a Korean company involved in this project?
Not that I’ve seen in any public report. Treat any claim like that with caution unless it comes from the companies themselves.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Project details reflect public announcements and media reports as of October 2026, and some are unconfirmed by the companies. Sources: Anthropic, DCD, Octus, Hoodline.
Technician tools and references on Amazon
Ask what the employer provides before you buy. Many plants issue tools and PPE on day one.
- NEC (NFPA 70) code book
- Ugly’s Electrical References
- Insulated electrician hand tool set
- ASTM F2413 safety-toe work boots
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