Samuel Knight are expanding across Texas!
Samuel Knight Expands Texas Presence into Abilene as Data Center Investment Accelerates
Samuel Knight Energy & Digital Infrastructure has expanded its presence in Texas with a new location in Abilene, strengthening our ability to support clients and specialist talent across one of the most significant emerging data center markets in the United States.
The expansion builds on our established presence in Dallas-Fort Worth and reflects the continued growth of Samuel Knight's Digital Infrastructure division across the US.
Texas has established itself as one of the world's most important markets for digital infrastructure, driven by the rapid growth of cloud computing, artificial intelligence and hyperscale development. Abilene is emerging as a major centre for next-generation AI infrastructure.
For Samuel Knight, establishing a presence in Abilene is about being closer to that growth — and to the clients, projects and skilled professionals responsible for delivering it.
Why Abilene?
The scale of development underway in Abilene represents huge opportunity for those looking to enter or grow throughout the industry.
At the centre of this growth is the Lancium Clean Campus, where Crusoe began construction of its initial AI data center development in 2024.
What began with two buildings and more than 200MW of capacity has since expanded significantly. Six additional buildings were brought into development, taking the planned campus to approximately four million square feet across eight buildings and 1.2GW of capacity.
The scale of investment behind the development is equally significant, with Crusoe, Blue Owl Capital and Primary Digital Infrastructure announcing a joint venture of up to $15 billion to fund development of the 1.2GW campus.
And Abilene's growth is continuing.
In March 2026, Crusoe announced plans for a further 900MW AI factory campus in Abilene to support Microsoft's AI infrastructure.
Located adjacent to its existing development, the new campus is planned to include two additional data center buildings alongside dedicated on-site power generation. Once developed, Crusoe expects its combined Abilene infrastructure to represent approximately 2.1GW of capacity.
The first building on the new campus is currently expected to be energised in 2027.
These developments are transforming Abilene into a major destination for AI and hyperscale infrastructure and creating substantial demand across construction, engineering, electrical and mission-critical disciplines.
The people behind the infrastructure
Investment and capacity tell only part of the story.
Delivering infrastructure of this scale requires thousands of highly skilled people across every stage of construction, commissioning and operation.
Samuel Knight is already playing a part in supporting that demand.
Our Texas operations currently employ and support more than 135 W2 electrical specialists working across new-build data center projects, providing the skills required to help our partners deliver complex, schedule-driven infrastructure.
As development continues across Abilene and the wider Texas market, competition for specialist talent will remain a critical consideration for developers, general contractors, subcontractors and operators.
Electrical professionals, commissioning specialists, superintendents, project managers, construction managers, MEP specialists and other mission-critical professionals will continue to play an essential role in turning planned capacity into operational infrastructure.
Getting closer to our clients and our people
Our expansion into Abilene strengthens Samuel Knight's ability to support this rapidly developing market.
Alongside our established DFW presence, Abilene gives us a stronger connection to West Texas and the growing concentration of data center construction taking place in the region.
For our clients, that means access to a recruitment and workforce partner with an established network of specialist professionals already working across the Texas data center market.
For our candidates and contractors, it means closer alignment with the projects, opportunities and organisations driving the next generation of US digital infrastructure.
And for Samuel Knight, it allows us to continue developing the market knowledge, talent networks and relationships required to support projects at scale.
Supporting Data Center projects at scale
As data center developments become larger, more technically complex and increasingly concentrated in emerging markets, access to specialist talent can become one of the defining factors in successful project delivery.
Our approach goes beyond filling individual vacancies.
Samuel Knight works with organisations throughout the project lifecycle to build workforce solutions around their specific delivery requirements — from individual specialist appointments through to high-volume project staffing and W2 workforce solutions.
With 135+ W2 electrical specialists already deployed across Texas, we have first-hand experience of the speed and scale at which the state's digital infrastructure workforce is developing.
Expanding our presence into Abilene allows us to build on that capability as investment moves further into West Texas.
Building for the next phase of Data Center growth
The opportunity across Texas extends well beyond a single development or city.
The state has attracted extraordinary levels of proposed data center investment as developers, hyperscalers and AI infrastructure companies seek the land, power and connectivity required for increasingly large computing environments.
That growth also brings challenges. Grid capacity, power generation, water availability, community impact and access to skilled labour are becoming increasingly important considerations as the market develops.
For the workforce supporting these projects, the implications are clear: delivering the next generation of digital infrastructure will require deep pools of specialist engineering, electrical, construction and commissioning talent.
Samuel Knight intends to be part of that journey.
Our Abilene expansion represents the next stage of our US growth strategy, strengthening our ability to support the organisations building critical digital infrastructure across Texas and throughout the United States.
And our expansion isn't finished.
With another US launch targeted for Q4 2026, Samuel Knight Energy & Digital Infrastructure continues to invest in the people, markets and locations shaping the future of the industry.
Samuel Knight Energy & Digital Infrastructure
Abilene, TX | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | Newcastle, UK
Looking for specialist talent to support your next data center project? Speak to the team about our recruitment, W2 and project workforce solutions.
