By Mia Petersen
New Mexico has for decades looked for ways to grow its economy and bring permanent, high-wage jobs into its communities. Today, that opportunity is staring us in the face in the form of artificial intelligence data centers.
It’s no secret that AI is rapidly transforming the global economy on a scale not seen since the rise of the Internet. Companies are currently investing billions in data centers and choosing where to put their home bases. The question is will New Mexico embrace this opportunity or allow it to pass by?
Unfortunately, a handful of New Mexico political officials are choosing the latter, considering moratoriums or restrictions on new data center development. They should be careful not to let fear get in the way of progress. Especially when considering that New Mexico has a disproportionate advantage to benefit from the current AI infrastructure boom due to its current assets.
The state is already a hub of scientific innovation thanks to Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. It is also home to world-class research institutions, growing engineering programs, and a workforce increasingly equipped to participate in advanced technology industries. The question is, why would we not encourage data centers to choose New Mexico as their home so we can build on this solid foundation?
The economic benefits of capitalizing on this technology will prove to be monumental.
Consider Project Jupiter in Doña Ana County. The initiative is expected to create thousands of construction jobs and support thousands more ongoing positions in broader economic activity. OpenAI, Oracle and their partners are investing in an ecosystem that can attract additional businesses, suppliers, contractors and technology workers.
The value of AI infrastructure extends beyond the facilities themselves. Technology companies tend to cluster around critical infrastructure, research institutions, and skilled workforces. When those ingredients come together, they create the conditions for startup formation, new university partnerships, increased venture investment and long-term innovation-driven growth. New Mexico’s longest-standing economic challenges: talent retention.
Every year, New Mexico universities produce talented engineers, software developers and scientists. Too many leave because the state’s technology sector remains smaller than those in neighboring states. Expanding AI infrastructure can help create the kind of technology ecosystem that gives those graduates a reason to stay.
Yes, communities deserve thoughtful planning and transparency, and companies should work with local stakeholders to address legitimate concerns about energy use, water resources and infrastructure needs.
But Project Jupiter and other existing state AI construction programs have already done just this. They handled such concerns from the community very seriously and came to terms with thoughtful solutions to ensure that the citizenry’s interests remained protected.
The unfortunate truth is that some activists in the state don’t want to have conversations on how to ensure these data centers are developed responsibly — they just don’t want them developed at all under any circumstances.
States across the Southwest understand what is at stake. Arizona, Texas, Nevada and Utah are aggressively competing for technology investment because they recognize that AI infrastructure will help shape the economic geography of the next several decades. New Mexico can compete for those opportunities as well or it can watch them go elsewhere.
For a state that has spent years searching for ways to strengthen its economy, create high-paying jobs, and retain its brightest minds, the choice seems obvious. New Mexico should welcome responsible AI infrastructure investment and position itself as a leader in the industries of the future.
Mia Petersen of Albuquerque is an AI and tech policy analyst. She served as the chief executive officer and executive director of the New Mexico Technology Council from 2022 to 2026.
The post Opinion: Why New Mexico cannot afford to turn away AI data center development appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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