Cummins Powers Texas Data Center Microgrid with Reliable Gas Generators

Cummins has announced an agreement with Circe Energy to provide a series of natural gas generator sets to support a scalable, behind-the-meter, prime power microgrid solution for Circe’s High-Performance Computing (HPC) data center located in Texas.

Deliveries are scheduled from 2026 through 2030 and will include Cummins’ HSK78 (C2000N6CD) and QSK60 (C1400N6) generator set platforms as the primary power source – without reliability on the grid.   

“Data center customers are navigating a new power reality where speed, reliability, and availability are just as critical as capacity—and downtime is not an option,” said Susan Cleaver, Executive Director of Cummins Global Power Generation business. “Cummins natural gas power solutions help customers meet unprecedented growth in data demand while closing utility power gaps with dependable on-site generation for large, power-intensive facilities.”

Circe Energy’s West Texas campus is designed as a modular deployment platform capable of phased energization beginning in 2027. The platform combines microgrid architecture with HPC-ready powered shell facilities designed for high-density AI compute, liquid cooling compatibility, and long-term scalability.

Cummins is providing the power generation equipment and technical validation support, while Circe and its engineer-of-record retain responsibility for final system design and implementation.

This specific project reflects a broader trend in the North American data center market: customers are seeking onsite power solutions as a primary source of electricity, rather than solely relying on the grid with onsite power as emergency backup.

The research firm Cleanview said earlier this year it identified 46 U.S. data center projects representing a combined 56 GW of planned behind-the-meter power capacity, which it estimated at roughly 30% of planned U.S. data center capacity in its tracker.

Cleanview also said 90% of the projects it identified were announced in 2025, indicating that “Bring Your Own Power” has shifted from a niche workaround to a more mainstream development path as grid interconnection timelines lengthen. The firm said many of the projects it identified are already under construction.

“A year ago, behind-the-meter data center power was a curiosity, embodied by xAI’s controversial decision to truck mobile generators into Memphis,” said Cleanview. “Now it’s an increasingly common development strategy.”

Cleanview’s report describes data center developers pursuing available equipment rather than waiting for traditional large combined-cycle configurations. Some of the options developers are turning to include: