Another large technology development is headed to Kaufman County, adding to a growing collection of data center projects proposed for the rapidly expanding area east of Dallas.
Flexential, a Denver-based data center operator, has purchased 110 acres near Talty for a campus that could eventually contain three large buildings and provide 108 megawatts of computing capacity.
The company announced the land acquisition Tuesday, July 28.
Construction Expected to Begin in 2027
Flexential plans to begin preparing the property in early 2027.
The first phase is expected to include a 375,000-square-foot data center with 36 megawatts of capacity. The company anticipates making the building available to its first customers in late 2028.
Two additional 36-megawatt buildings could be added during later phases. A schedule for constructing those buildings has not been announced.
Flexential did not disclose an estimated construction cost, the number of permanent employees expected at the campus or whether it will seek local economic-development incentives.
Largest Flexential Campus in North Texas
The Talty development would become Flexential’s fourth and largest data center property in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The company currently operates North Texas facilities in downtown Dallas, Plano and Richardson. Together, those locations provide more than 459,000 square feet of space and 28.4 megawatts of capacity.
The proposed Kaufman County campus would substantially increase the company’s regional footprint while giving it room to expand during the next decade.
Flexential provides space, power, network connections, cloud access and data-protection services for businesses that need secure computing infrastructure. Such facilities support everything from corporate databases and online services to cloud computing and artificial-intelligence applications.
Company Promises Water-Efficient Cooling
Large data centers have faced growing scrutiny because of the electricity and water required to operate thousands of computer servers.
Flexential said the Talty campus will use closed-loop cooling technology designed to limit water consumption. The project is being designed with a target water-usage effectiveness rating of zero.
Electrical service is also expected to be introduced in stages rather than bringing the campus’ entire potential demand onto the system at once.
Company officials said the property was selected because it offers access to electrical capacity, fiber-optic infrastructure and enough land for long-term expansion.
More Than 600 Acres of Projects Near Talty
Flexential is not the only data center company exploring Kaufman County.
Prometheus Hyperscale has disclosed plans for a separate campus on approximately 500 acres between Talty and Post Oak Bend City.
That project could include four liquid-cooled buildings with as much as 200 megawatts of computing capacity. Plans call for on-site natural-gas generation connected to a nearby battery-storage system.
Combined, the Flexential and Prometheus proposals represent more than 600 acres of potential data center development near Talty.
The projects remain separate developments involving different companies, properties and construction schedules.
Forney Moves Toward Prohibiting Data Centers
While investors are targeting Kaufman County, some nearby cities are becoming more cautious about allowing the facilities within municipal limits.
The Forney City Council recently directed city employees to begin amending the city’s zoning ordinance to prohibit new data centers in every zoning district.
That direction goes beyond regulations considered earlier this year that would have required data centers to receive conditional-use permits and remain at least 5,000 feet from residential property.
The proposed prohibition must still go through the city’s formal zoning and public-hearing process before becoming final.
A separate request to rezone 5.4 acres east of FM 1641 for a data center was denied by the Forney Planning and Zoning Commission in June. The applicant later withdrew the proposal.
Texas Leaders Consider Statewide Requirements
Data center development has also become a statewide political issue.
Gov. Greg Abbott has directed Texas regulators to ensure that new projects pay for their electrical infrastructure rather than shifting those expenses to residential customers.
Abbott has also called for data centers to add generating capacity, use water-efficient cooling systems, reduce noise near neighborhoods and report their annual electricity and water consumption.
The governor has said he will seek legislation addressing those requirements during the 2027 legislative session. He has also proposed eliminating certain sales-tax exemptions and other incentives available to data center operators.
Kaufman County’s Growth Continues to Attract Investment
The projects come as Kaufman County experiences some of the fastest population growth in the country.
The county’s estimated population reached 209,235 in 2025, compared with 145,310 residents counted during the 2020 census—an increase of nearly 44 percent in five years.
At the same time, Dallas-Fort Worth has become one of the world’s most active data center markets. A 2026 Cushman & Wakefield report ranked Dallas first among primary global markets based on development conditions, infrastructure, available land and investment potential.
That demand is pushing developers farther beyond established technology corridors in Dallas, Plano and Richardson and into growing counties where larger properties remain available.
For Kaufman County residents, the Flexential announcement signals that discussions involving electricity, water, land use, tax incentives and neighborhood protections are likely to become increasingly important as more technology companies consider the area.
