New Era Energy & Digital Partners with Primary Digital Infrastructure to Co-Develop Up to 1+ Gigawatt Hyperscale Data Center Campus in Texas

Key Terms

hyperscale technical

Hyperscale describes the ability of a system or operation to grow rapidly and handle extremely large amounts of work or data. It’s like a massive factory that can quickly expand its production capacity to meet soaring demand. For investors, hyperscale indicates a business’s potential to scale efficiently, often leading to increased growth and profitability.

behind-the-meter technical

Equipment or systems located on a customer’s side of the electricity meter—such as rooftop solar panels, battery storage, electric vehicle chargers, or energy controls—that generate, store, or manage power for use on-site rather than being supplied through the utility’s grid. Investors care because behind-the-meter assets change how much power a customer buys, can create new revenue or savings streams, affect demand patterns, and shift regulatory or business models in the energy market, much like a homeowner installing their own water tank reduces municipal supply needs.

anchor tenant financial

An anchor tenant is a large, well-known retailer or business that rents a prominent space in a shopping center or mixed-use property and draws steady customer traffic. For investors, an anchor tenant matters because their presence stabilizes rental income, attracts smaller tenants, and increases property value much like a popular headliner fills a venue and helps side acts sell tickets — reducing vacancy risk and supporting long-term returns.

joint venture financial

A joint venture is when two or more companies team up to work on a specific project or business idea, sharing both the risks and the rewards. It’s like friends starting a lemonade stand together—each contributes resources and they split the profits, making it easier to succeed than going alone.

debt and equity financing financial

Debt and equity financing are the two main ways a company raises money: debt financing is borrowing funds that must be repaid with interest, like taking out a loan, while equity financing means selling ownership stakes to investors in exchange for cash. Investors care because borrowing increases a company’s fixed payment obligations and financial risk, while selling equity reduces existing owners’ share and can change future profits and control—both affect potential returns and the company’s stability.

AI technical

Artificial intelligence (AI) is technology that enables machines to mimic human thinking and learning, allowing them to analyze information, recognize patterns, and make decisions. For investors, AI matters because it can improve how businesses operate, create new products, or identify opportunities faster and more accurately than humans alone, potentially impacting company success and market trends.

MIDLAND, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- New Era Energy & Digital, Inc. (Nasdaq: NUAI) (“New Era” or the “Company”), a developer and operator of next-generation digital infrastructure and integrated power assets in the Permian Basin, today announced it has partnered with Primary Digital Infrastructure, an independent data center investment platform, to co-develop Texas Critical Data Centers (“TCDC”). The parties will co-sponsor the project and jointly bring deep institutional expertise in energy, data center development, and institutional asset management to the approximately one-gigawatt-plus hyperscale campus. Located in Ector County, TCDC is being engineered specifically to support the next generation of hyperscale compute needs. The campus will feature both grid and behind-the-meter power generation solutions with significant future expansion potential.

E. Will Gray II, CEO of New Era Energy & Digital, commented: “The formation of our partnership with Primary Digital is a watershed moment for New Era Energy & Digital and a powerful validation of our vision. Their team’s unparalleled track record, from developing global data center portfolios to financing multi-billion dollar projects, provides the critical expertise required to execute a development of this scale. This partnership is instrumental in bringing the TCDC project to its final completion. We remain on track to sign a hyperscale anchor tenant in line with our previous guidance, and we believe this development will deliver significant and durable value to our NUAI shareholders and project stakeholders.”

As lead capital partner and co-sponsor, Primary Digital Infrastructure brings a comprehensive execution strategy to the TCDC hyperscale campus. Leveraging deep relationships with the world’s leading cloud and AI companies, the firm is well positioned to secure a hyperscaler anchor tenant for the project’s initial phase, located near Odessa, Texas. Simultaneously, Primary Digital Infrastructure’s capital-markets expertise will be instrumental in structuring and arranging the complex financing required for a project of this magnitude. This financial stewardship, combined with the team’s proven experience in delivering mission-critical data center facilities, provides a clear roadmap for the timely and on-budget completion of the campus, systematically de-risking the development from conception to commercial operation.

“The next wave of hyperscale and AI infrastructure is being built where power is abundant, flexible, and economically advantaged. This tactical co-development project exemplifies that shift while aligning with our strategy of building portfolios of high quality, risk-mitigated data center assets that are critical to tomorrow’s digital economy,” said Bill Stein, executive managing director and chief investment officer at Primary Digital Infrastructure. “With an experienced, well-capitalized partner like New Era, together we will deliver a strategically located, hyperscale-ready campus that is designed to meet the demands of investment grade tenants seeking reliable solutions for their advanced computing needs.”

Today’s news builds upon Primary Digital Infrastructure’s continued capital strategy and deal momentum, including its previously announced flagship initiative within the Stargate program, a $15 billion joint venture with Crusoe Energy Systems and Blue Owl Capital Corporation (NYSE: OWL) to develop a 1.2-gigawatt AI data center campus in Abilene, Texas. Among the largest AI-focused data center developments in the United States, the campus has secured more than $11.6 billion in combined debt and equity financing, underscoring the firm’s ability to attract and deploy institutional capital at scale.

About New Era Energy & Digital, Inc.
New Era Energy & Digital, Inc. (Nasdaq: NUAI) is a developer and operator of next-generation digital infrastructure and integrated power assets. With a growing portfolio of strategically located, vertically integrated resources including powered land and powered shells, the Company delivers turnkey solutions that enable hyperscale, enterprise, and edge operators to accelerate data center deployment, optimize total cost of ownership, and future-proof its infrastructure investments. For more information, visit: www.newerainfra.ai, and follow New Era Energy & Digital on LinkedIn and X.

About Primary Digital Infrastructure
Primary Digital Infrastructure is an investment platform that accelerates the growth of hyperscaler and AI-driven data centers. Founded by industry pioneers Bill Stein, David Ferdman, Peter Hopper, and John Sheputis, Primary Digital Infrastructure provides flexible capital solutions to premier data center owners and operators—including recapitalizations, outright acquisitions, and forward takeouts. The firm empowers operators to unlock capital, fuel expansion, and meet the rising demand for next-generation digital infrastructure. To learn more, visit https://primaryinfra.com/ and follow Primary Digital Infrastructure on LinkedIn.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements reflect the current view about future events. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “intend,” “plan” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, identify forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements contained in this press release relating to our business strategy, our future operating results and liquidity and capital resources outlook. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees of assurance of future performance. We caution you therefore against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation: (a) our ability to effectively operate our business segments; (b) our ability to manage our research, development, expansion, growth and operating expenses; (c) our ability to evaluate and measure our business, prospects and performance metrics; (d) our ability to compete, directly and indirectly, and succeed in a highly competitive and evolving industry; (e) our ability to respond and adapt to changes in technology and customer behavior; (f) our ability to protect our intellectual property and to develop, maintain and enhance a strong brand; and (g) other factors (including the risks contained in the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024). Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ significantly from those anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, intended or planned. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States, we do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to actual results.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260116994614/en/

New Era Energy & Digital, Inc. Investor and Media Contact:

Investor Relations

Jonathan.Paterson@harbor-access.com

Tel +1 475 477 9401



Primary Digital Infrastructure Media Contact:

Carol Hickins

Public Relations

press@primaryinfra.com

Source: New Era Energy & Digital, Inc.