Another behind-the-meter gas-powered AI data center seems set for Abilene, Texas.

Newly established firm PowerPlay AI announced plans for a 400MW natural gas-powered data center near Abilene. The data center will reportedly be developed as part of a joint venture (JV) with neocloud Sharon AI.

PowerPlay said the JV's announcement followed the completion of what it described as comprehensive site feasibility work, infrastructure assessments, land assembly and acquisition. The company said the JV has now entered its execution phase and is working to secure natural gas service agreements and select an independent power producer. According to the release, the project is targeting delivery of 400MW of power by 2028.

Outside of the press release, a LinkedIn page, and a website, there is little information on PowerPlay AI.

The only individual disclosed by the company is Luke Velterop. An Australian energy executive currently based in the United States, Velterop’s background is primarily in junior energy and hydrogen exploration companies rather than traditional data-center or power-generation businesses. In addition to his role at PowerPlay, he serves as CEO of Top End Energy, an Australian micro-cap exploration company focused on natural hydrogen and gas projects, including a project in Kansas.

"Demand is accelerating faster than the grid can respond, interconnection queues now stretch into the 2030s, and competition for sites that can deliver scalable power at speed has never been greater. At the same time, federal policy is calling on industry to 'build, bring or buy' the energy this demand requires," said Velterop. "Against that backdrop, PowerPlay AI is advancing a strategically positioned development where pipelines, policy and people converge to drive rapid execution. Together with our joint venture partner, we're combining a power-first strategy with world-class AI infrastructure expertise to deliver the next wave of energized AI compute at speed."

Sharon AI is an Australian neocloud founded in 2024. It focuses on the development of AI data centers and HPC platforms. It has signed a handful of major contracts in recent months, including a $950m cloud agreement with an unnamed technology company, and a $1.25bn capacity agreement with ESDS Software Solutions.

The company dropped out of a proposed behind-the-meter development with Texas Critical Data Centers (TCDC) earlier this year.