AI is hungry for power, and most of the industry assumes that means more gas plants and longer transmission lines. In the New Mexico desert, a different answer is already running.
On episode 399 of the Awarepreneurs podcast, host Paul Zelizer opens with a challenge: “Google and other key leaders in the space said what you’re doing is impossible, that you can’t do a 100% renewable data center.” Our CFO, Tim Shaler, spends the next hour explaining how 639Solar and 639Cloud do exactly that in Lordsburg, New Mexico.
Ahead of New Mexico TechFest on October 28–29 in Albuquerque, here is what the conversation means for anyone building, funding or powering the next wave of computing in our state.
Tim Shaler spent 30 years in finance, including ESG investing and valuation work for major institutions. When he met the founders of 639Solar, he held them to the same investment standards he had applied his whole career. The low-cost power system passed, and he joined as CFO and investor.
It was Tim who pinned down data centers as the highest and best use of the technology. Today the business has two parts:
The system is engineered around December 21: about 10 hours of daylight and 14 hours of night. Batteries are sized to ride through five days of clouds or bad weather. As Tim puts it, “The entire system has to be engineered for that potentially bad weather day on the shortest day of the year.” Recycled diesel generators sit in reserve and run less than 1% of the time.
“Solar and wind are only available 40 to 60% of the time,” Tim explains. Building generation next to the load, and feeding it DC power directly, avoids costly transmission infrastructure. That is a big part of how 639Cloud competes on price.
Cars and phones need light batteries. A data center in the desert does not. “We went with the low cost battery system,” Tim says. “Ours didn’t have to be low weight… land is relatively inexpensive.” High altitude and strong sun help the panels produce about 60% more electricity than similar systems at the same latitude.
Node 1 uses almost no water. Node 2 uses small amounts, mostly for humidity control in the dry air. The team is also exploring local brackish water so future growth does not draw on scarce freshwater.
Node 1 has operated since December 2022 as proof that a fully renewable data center works. Node 2 followed in December 2023 and hosts 639Cloud’s products. The work is protected by six patents.
Tim is candid about the hurdle ahead: “The data center industry is very cutting edge. They’re willing to use any new technology as long as the technology is at least 10 years old.”
Lordsburg was not an accident. The 10,000 acres under the company’s control offer strong sun, high altitude, affordable land, fiber optic cable already running through the property, and access to power and gas infrastructure. Those are advantages much of New Mexico shares.
The benefits also reach the community. Building Node 2 employed 125 workers for six months, most from Deming, about 40 miles away, at wages well above the local prevailing rate. Crews learned skills that travel, from crane operation to solar installation and HVAC, opening doors to larger federal projects. Once running, each node supports a small team of well-paid professionals such as network engineers.
What comes next: monetizing more of the land through partnerships, licensing the patented technology to partners, and building new nodes to grow 639Cloud. That is a roadmap for clean-energy computing that starts here.
TechFest, the flagship event of New Mexico Tech Week, brings tracks in Software & AI, Climate & Advanced Energy, Entrepreneurship and Tech Accessibility to Albuquerque’s Innovation District on October 28–29. It is free and open to the public, and one registration covers every track.
If you care about where AI’s power will come from, come find the 639Solar team there. Before you go:
Used 639Cloud at HackUTD: Zero Day? We would love to hear how it helped power your project.