Texas leaders position state to become next global hub for brain health

event recap

This month's Brain Capital event aimed to position Houston and Texas as global leaders in the brain economy space. Photo via Getty Images

Brain Capital: The New Competitive Edge in a Shifting Economy, a two-day meeting held at the TMC3 Collaborative Building on May 21-22, brought together global business and policy leaders to advance brain health initiatives. The event concluded with the announcement of Texas-focused strategies that will be presented at the G7 Summit in Calgary this June, aiming to position the state as a leading hub for brain health research.

According to an analysis by the McKinsey Health Institute, investing in brain health interventions has the potential to generate a $260 billion boost to Texas’ GDP. Brain health conditions are responsible for more than $1 trillion in lost productivity globally, and the costs are expected to increase to nearly $16 trillion by 2030, according to organizers of the event.

The Texas Legislature recently passed legislation to establish the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), which includes a $3 billion investment over 10 years. Leaders at the Brain Capital event announced the launch of an advocacy campaign to foster support for DPRIT, which will appear as a November 2025 ballot measure.

“Our work to deliver better brain health to Texas and the world is only just beginning,” Dr. Jochen Reiser, president of The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and CEO of the UTMB Health System, said in a news release. “Investing in brain capital means protecting our cognitive health, boosting economic growth and securing a future-ready workforce – goals that we believe Texans will rally behind.”

Additionally, the Center for Houston’s Future also announced its goal to make the brain economy a key part of its new plan for the Houston region, called Vision 2050. The Center for Houston’s Future’s goal is to position Houston to become the global leader in the brain economy space, which will serve as a blueprint for other cities

“Houston has a clear track record leading the transition of industry sectors,” David Gow, CEO of the Center for Houston’s Future, said in a news release. “By launching a focused Brain Economy transition plan, Houston can integrate neuroscience, prevention, workforce resilience and cognitive innovation across sectors – preparing businesses and communities for an AI-driven future. Houston has the talent, infrastructure and vision to lead the nation in the next great economic transformation.”

Gow is the founder and chairman of Gow Media, InnovationMap's parent company.

Speakers at the event included executives from Shell Oil Co., scientists from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, professors from Rice University, representatives from D.C.-based UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, and others. Learn more here.

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Don't miss these February events — from talks with the hall-of-fame beauty business founders to AI summits. Photo courtesy of Rice University

10+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for February

WHERE TO BE

From talks with the hall-of-fame beauty business founders to agtech and AI summits, Houston will host a number of events focused on innovation and innovators in February.

Here’s what not to miss and how to register.

Note: This post might be updated to add more events.

Feb. 7 – SheSpace Offsite: Coffee & Connection

Get out of the office and head over to Midtown network with fellow SheSpace members and working women via coffee and conversation.

This event is Friday, Feb. 7, from 2-4 p.m. at Kefita Coffee. RSVP here.

Feb. 11 – Texas Business Hall of Fame x Ion: Creators Series with Founders Janet Gurwitch (Laura Mercier) and Tiffany Masterson (Drunk Elephant)

Take part in Texas Business Hall of Fame’s launch of its Creators 2025 speaker series. Janet Gurwitch, founder of Laura Mercier, and Tiffany Masterson, founder of Drunk Elephant, will discuss lessons learned while building their global retail brands and their successful exits.

This event is Tuesday, Feb. 11, from 8–10 a.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Feb. 11 – How to Start a Startup

Gain insight from Mercury Fund’s Heath Butler and stick around for a happy hour afterward. This session, originally scheduled for Jan. 21, is geared toward entrepreneurs, small business owners, investors and academic partners

This event is Tuesday, Feb. 11, from 5:30–7 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Feb. 15 – Ion Family Tech Day: Youth Entrepreneurship with Lemonade Day University

Bring the whole family out to the Ion for a family-friendly entrepreneurial workshop with Lemonade Day. Kids can compete in a pitch competition to win free supplies, and trained instructors will coach kids on how to set goals, develop a business or marketing plan and budget, create a brand, save and invest money, and more.

This event is Saturday, Feb. 15, from 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Feb. 18 — Female Founders and Friends

Connect with like-minded female founders, funders, and allies at this recurring event. Female Founders & Friends is open to all industries and coffee is provided.

This event is Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 9 a.m. at Sesh Coworking. Register here.

Feb. 20 — Diaspora Africa Conference

Come together to hear inspiring speakers, participate in interactive workshops and network with others who are passionate about African heritage and the contributions of the African diaspora. This event will showcase African innovation and allow attendees to connect with funding sources actively seeking high-growth opportunities in Africa.

This event is Thursday, Feb. 20, from 9 a.m.–6 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Feb 20–21 — TMC AI Summit 2025

The TMC AI Summit aims to translate advanced AI innovations into practical solutions for real-world biomedical and health care challenges by bringing together researchers, clinicians, and industry leaders. The event features various workshops and tracks with keynote speakers from Rice University, UTHealth, Microsoft Health Futures and other organizations.

This event is Thursday, Feb. 20, from noon–7 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 21, from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. at TMC Helix Park in the TMC3 Collaborative Building. Register here.

Feb. 25 — Houston Methodist Leadership Speaker Series at Ion - Tesha Montgomery

Hear from Houston Methodist’s SVP of System Patient Access about how the health care system is approaching improvements to patient access and highlighting women in health care leadership. Audiences can participate in a 30-minute discussion following Montgomery’s remarks.

This event is Tuesday, Feb. 25, from 4:45–6 p.m. at the Houston Methodist Tech Hub at the Ion. Register here.

Feb. 26 — Inaugural HTX AgTech Rodeo Innovation Summit 2025

Network with farmers, founders, startups and investors at the first-ever HTX AgTech Rodeo Innovation Summit. The all-day event will feature panels, fireside chats, a Saddle Up Pitch Competition and reception with live music.

This event is Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 8:30 a.m.–8 p.m. Find more information and register here.

Feb. 27 — NASA Tech Talks

Every fourth Thursday of the month, NASA experts, including longtime engineer Montgomery Goforth, present on technology development challenges challenges NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the larger aerospace community are facing and how they can be leveraged by Houston’s innovation community. Stick around after for drinks and networking at Second Draught.


This event is Thursday, Feb. 27, from 6-7 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Feb. 27–28 – QVIDTVM x The Ion: Inaugural Hack Day Competition

Investment firm QVIDTVM and the Ion are calling all data scientists, analysts, developers and innovators to a new hack day. Participants will aim to find the total value of real estate platformed by Airbnb globally and can participate in a Fireside Chat on AI with Nick King, founder and CEO of Data Kinetic. Teams can include up to four people and prizes for first through third place will be awarded.

This event is Thursday, Feb. 27, at 9:30 a.m. until Friday, Feb. 28, at 5 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.


Portal Innovations announced that Monique Knighten as an executive director in Houston. Photo via LinkedIn

Chicago life science innovation firm names Houston leader

who's who

After announcing its expansion into Houston last summer and opening its office in a new Texas Medical Center building, Portal Innovations has named its Houston leader.

Portal Innovations announced that Monique Knighten as an executive director in Houston in a LinkedIn post this week. She has over 15 years of experience in supporting research scientists and clinicians working to develop therapeutics in labs and clinics. According to her LinkedIn, she's served in the position since November.

Prior to her new role at Portal, Knighten worked as a manager level at Sartorius Stedim in Houston for five years. Before that role, she served as a technical sales consultant in Texas at Miltenyi Biotec, primarily in the immuno-oncology therapeutic market in the TMC.

Portal first announced its expansion into Houston in June of last year.

“Houston is one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., and home to one of the world’s leading cancer research institutions, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center,” Portal’s Founder and CEO John Flavin said at the time. “It’s critical for us to open in Texas and leverage nearby pipelines from Rice University, UTHealth Houston, Texas A&M, University of Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, and others across Houston’s innovative life sciences ecosystem. We’re thrilled to work with TMC to help grow tomorrow’s biotech and medtech leaders.”

Portal's local office is in the Helix Park complex's Collaborative Building, which opened in October. Helix Park is a 37-acre mixed-use campus currently under construction. The institutional agnostic, 250,000-square-foot building will anchor Helix Park and house research initiatives from the four founding partners: Texas Medical Center, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Mayor Sylvester Turner, TMC CEO Bill McKeon, Governor Greg Abbott, and others gave their remarks at the TMC3 Collaborative Building opening. Photo by Natalie Harms

Texas Medical Center opens first building in massive Helix Park project

tmc3

For nearly a decade, the Texas Medical Center and its partners have been working on the plans for Helix Park, a 37-acre campus expansion of TMC. As of this week, the first building has opened its doors to the public.

The TMC3 Collaborative Building officially opened today to a crowd of media, public officials, and health care executives. The institutional agnostic, 250,000-square-foot building will anchor Helix Park and house research initiatives from the four founding partners: Texas Medical Center, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

“Today, we lay the cornerstone of a new campus fully dedicated to streamlining the commercialization of life-changing innovations in medicine and technologies,” William McKeon, president and CEO of TMC, says at the event. “We are incredibly excited to both welcome our founding institutions and industry partners to the Collaborative Building and to invite the community to experience the Helix Park campus and its beautiful parks with a series of special events in the months ahead."

Established to be a place for academic institution collaboration, the building — designed by Boston-based Elkus Manfredi Architects — will have wet laboratories, office space, and event facilities. Two venture groups — Portal Innovations and the TMC Venture Fund — will also move into the building.

Each institution will bring in select programs and initiatives. MD Anderson will house two institutions within the new building, including the James P. Allison Institute focused on immunotherapy and the Institute for Data Science in Oncology.

"The future of life sciences in Houston is brighter than ever before as we come together to officially open the TMC3 Collaborative Building,” Dr. Peter WT Pisters, president of MD Anderson, says. “Our clinicians and scientists work daily to advance innovations in cancer research and care – all of which will be amplified in this new environment within Helix Park that further cultivates collaboration, connectivity, and creativity.”

UTHealth will move its Texas Therapeutics Institute into the facility.

“With a shared commitment to improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities, we are bringing together academics and industry to accelerate discovery and medical breakthroughs,” Dr. Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, president and Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair at UTHealth Houston, says. “Through the Texas Therapeutics Institute — already a signature collaborative enterprise at UTHealth Houston — our world-renowned leaders in therapeutic antibody development will have the opportunity to work closely with other leading researchers in the Texas Medical Center, greatly enhancing our collective ability to translate discoveries and ideas into effective treatments.”

Texas A&M, which has worked with Houston Methodist to develop its engineering medical program, will operate its Texas A&M Health’s Institute of Biosciences and Technology in the new space.

“As we open this state-of-the-art facility, we’re opening the door to a new era of collaboration. This building signifies the dismantling of silos to deliver game-changing therapies for the toughest diseases impacting Texans and citizens worldwide,” said John Sharp, Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “Texas A&M Health’s Institute of Biosciences and Technology has long been a trailblazer in drug discovery, and now, in the heart of this resource-rich ecosystem of the Texas Medical Center, we’re taking it up a notch. By positioning our scientists near their peers and esteemed clinicians, we’re igniting a spark that will fuel innovation and forge dynamic research programs.”

The next aspect of Helix Park to deliver will be the Dynamic One, a 700,000-square-foot industry research facility. Several other buildings, including a hotel, residential tower, and mixed-use building, are expected to deliver over the next few years. The "spine" of the project is six linked green spaces, designed by landscape architect Mikyoung Kim, that form an 18.7-acre campus, which is shaped like a DNA helix, hence the project's name.

At the opening event, leaders discussed the annual impact of over $5.4 billion expected after the campus is completed, and the 23,000 permanent new jobs and 19,000 construction jobs anticipated from Helix Park.

"Texas truly is the home of innovation. Our energy innovations are legendary, as are our innovations in space," says Texas Governor Greg Abbott, naming several of the state's innovative accomplishments. "Long before all of this innovation we're seeing now, Texas was the home of the Texas Medical Center."

Mayor Sylvester Turner spoke to the importance of collaboration.

"Individually, you can do things very well. Collectively, you can be transformational," he says. "One thing about this city, collaboration is the key. When we play well together, and when we build an integrated, robust ecosystem, everyone wins. That's Houston, and that's the way we operate."

The Dynamic One building in TMC Helix Park is expected to deliver later this year. Rendering via TMC.edu

Rising TMC development names Houston health care institution as anchor tenant

coming soon

TMC Helix Park, formerly known as TMC3, has announced its first anchor tenant.

The Texas Medical Center and Beacon Capital Partners announced that Baylor College of Medicine will be the anchor tenant of the Dynamic One building at TMC Helix Park. The facility is will be the first to deliver of the four TMC Helix Park industry buildings. The Topped off in December, the Dynamic One building is being developed by Beacon in collaboration with Zoë Life Science and is scheduled to open before the end of the year.

“Beacon is excited that Dynamic One will be our first entry into the fast-growing Houston Life Science market,” says Fred Seigel, president and CEO of Beacon, in a news release. “This state-of-the-art environment is designed to enable and encourage collaboration and will greatly accelerate the innovative lifesaving discoveries that emerge when industry and academic research work side-by-side.”

Baylor College of Medicine will lease 114,000 square-feet of lab and office space in the 355,000-square-foot building. BCM's goal is to house lab space for novel diagnostics and therapeutics — and provide space to house startups.

The organization is expanding its presence in Houston after decades of residing in the region.

“Baylor College of Medicine moved to Houston in 1943 and was the first institution built in the Texas Medical Center," says Dr. Paul Klotman, president and CEO and executive dean of Baylor, in the release. "Our researchers and scientists will have the opportunity to access the uniquely concentrated research environment being developed at TMC Helix Park, facilitating the continuing advancement of innovation and compassionate care."

TMC Helix Park, which includes more than 5 million-square-feet of space across 37-acres, also expects to deliver its research facility, the TMC3 Collaborative Building, later this year.

“Baylor College of Medicine is a major force in life sciences discovery and commercialization at TMC," says Bill McKeon, president and CEO of TMC, in the release. "Their move to TMC Helix Park will serve as a catalyst for enhanced collaboration with TMC’s other esteemed Institutions, as well as with industry leaders from around the world."

BCM is the first anchor tenant announced for TMC Helix Park. Rendering via TMC.edu

A TMC construction update, a Q&A with UH's med school donor, and other top health tech stories of 2022. Image courtesy of Elkus Manfredi Architects

Here are Houston's top health tech innovation stories of the year

2022 in review

Editor's note: As 2022 comes to a close, InnovationMap is looking back at the year's top stories in Houston innovation. In Houston, home to the world's largest medical center, health tech and innovation news is abound — from startups being named among the most promising by investors to new details on the Texas Medical Center's expansion. Here are five Houston health tech-focused articles that stood out to readers this year — be sure to click through to read the full story.


Houston organizations announce 10 most promising life science startups

Houston's medical innovation community congregated to discuss breakthrough innovations in health care. Photo via Getty Images

What startups are creating the future of health care? A Houston conference this week gathered to discuss.

The 10th annual Texas Life Science Forum hosted by BioHouston and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship engaged thought leadership within the life science community with panels, discussions, and more. Additionally, 49 companies pitched their solutions across medical device, therapeutics, pharmaceuticals, and more to the crowd.

The event also named the 10 most promising life science companies selected by investors and presented by the Greater Houston Partnership. Read more.

Houston hospital system to open new innovative location

Houston Methodist broke ground on a 400-bed hospital in Cypress. Rendering courtesy of Houston Methodist

Houston Methodist will soon break ground on a “smart” hospital in Cypress that is poised to be the smartest of its nine hospitals.

The $650 million Cypress hospital will be modeled after Houston Methodist West and Houston Methodist The Woodlands hospitals. However, the Cypress location is on track to outdo them in terms of smart technology.

“Our commitment to innovation is one more way we set ourselves apart from other hospital systems, and we are committed to making this new hospital the most technologically advanced and innovative hospital ever,” Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, says in a note to employees. Read more.

Following $50M gift,Tilman Fertitta reveals goals for eponymous medical school at University of Houston

Fertitta and his family have gifted $50 million to UH's medical school. Photo courtesy

As Houston’s most high-profile billionaire and owner of the posh 5-star Post Oak Hotel and Houston Rockets, Tilman J. Fertitta has become synonymous with over-the-top opulence and big-time entertainment.

But the CEO of the massive Feritta Entertainment empire’s latest move has nothing to do with penthouses or point guards, but rather a legacy, game-changing appropriation meant to aid his home state’s health.

The longtime UH board member and former chairman and his family have just pledged $50 million to the University of Houston College of Medicine. In turn, the new medical school has been christened the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. Read more.

TMC unveils details of new bioport, Helix Park at annual Greater Houston Partnership event

TMC gave an update on TMC3 — now called TMC Helix Park — and introduced a new bioport project. Courtesy of Elkus Manfredi Architects

Within the next five to 10 years, the Texas Medical Center you know today will be double the size. That's what Bill McKeon, president and CEO of the TMC, said at yesterday's State of the Texas Medical Center event hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership.

The biggest project contributing to the TMC's growth is TMC3, a campus expansion that will bring 37 acres and 5 million square feet of space to the TMC, is now known as Helix Park. The name is a nod to the shape of the park and walkway design at the center of the campus. The TMC3 Collaborative Building — the first multi-institutional research facility in TMC’s history — will be the first of the project to deliver and is currently under construction and slated for completion in 2023.

However, the big news of the event was the TMC BioPort, the organization's upcoming biomanufacturing and medical supplies distribution engine. This new campus will span several hundred acres just down the road from TMC and will drive the much-needed repatriation of critical medical supplies and new cell and gene therapies, per a news release. Read more.

Overheard: Houston experts discuss women in med tech, insight from investors, and more

Health care innovators joined Houston Methodist and Texas A&M University's ENMED program to discuss women in health care innovation and venture capital investment. Photo courtesy of Houston Methodist

Houston's health innovation community is making strides every day toward greater quality of care and technology adoption — but what challenges is the industry facing these days?

Through a partnership between Houston Methodist and Texas A&M University's ENMED program at Houston Tech Rodeo, health innovators weighed in on topics surrounding the industry, including biases and investment opportunities.

Missed the conversation? Here are seven key moments from the panels that took place at A&M's new ENMED building in the Texas Medical Center on Thursday, March 3. Read more.

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Houston lab explores how AI bots can help the elderly

AI for aging

The University of Houston’s Empathetic Lifespan AI & Robotics for Aging (ELARA) Lab is currently conducting research into how AI bots may be able to help the elderly live more social and independent lives through several ongoing initiatives.

The lab officially launched last month as part of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture & Design under the leadership of Assistant Professor Chorong Park. Part of the lab’s mission is tackling ongoing problems with aging, such as dealing with disabilities and social isolation. Researchers’ current work is focused on designing a new AI companion bot specifically tailored to the needs of older people.

“We need to take all the needs of older adults seriously,” Park said in a news release. “They won't use the robot if they don't feel at ease or if they feel they are being constantly watched.”

The field testing of new AI bots in this population hopes to overcome several traditional obstacles in technology use among the elderly. A study by Park shows that many older people have a fear of overt surveillance when using advanced AI. There is also ageism to consider. Most new technologies are designed with younger and employed buyers in mind, not retirees who may need help remembering daily tasks or accessing important information.

“The more older adults are excluded from technology development, the worse those technology gaps will become,” Park said. “AI and the majority of technologies are created for younger people, so my research method integrates older adults directly into the design process.”

ELARA recently collaborated with the Mamie George Community Center in Richmond, Texas, to track seniors’ response to desktop AI bots like Emo and Cupboo. Researchers also had participants use air-dry modeling clay to create their ideal robotic companion.

While the eventual AI bot may be able to help the elderly feel less isolated and more supported, there are concerns to consider. A study published in the Asian Journal of Psychology charted the development of delusional thinking in a 72-year-old woman who became convinced the empathic-response bot was in love with her. The rise of “AI psychosis” has the potential to exacerbate mental health problems, particularly in socially isolated people, which a quarter of Americans over the age of 65 are.

ELARA’s research is focused on creating “pet-like” AI models with enhanced trust cues. If it can overcome the dangers of socially isolated people relying on AI for companionship, it could be a big step forward for independent aging.

SpaceX IPO set to be biggest ever and could make Elon Musk a trillionaire

IPO News

SpaceX says it plans to raise up to $75 billion when it goes public this month, setting the stage for the largest-ever stock market debut and putting Elon Musk on course to becoming the world's first trillionaire.

The company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., said Wednesday it will sell 555.6 million shares at $135 a piece in an initial public offering. The estimated proceeds would easily top the $26 billion raised by oil giant Saudi Aramco in 2019. The offering would also give SpaceX a market value of $1.77 trillion. Only six companies in the S&P 500 are currently worth more, with Nvidia tops at $5.2 trillion.

Besides the size of the offering and the expected proceeds, SpaceX's amended prospectus updates details about how much control of the company Musk will have. As SpaceX's CEO, chief technical officer and chairman, Musk's voting power will come primarily through his ownership of 5.22 billion Class B shares, which give the holder 10 votes for every share held. According to the filing, Musk would have 82.4% of the voting power in the company.

Forbes currently values Musk's net worth at $826 billion and his stake in SpaceX at $542 billion. The estimated value of his SpaceX holdings was based on an overall value for the company of $1.25 trillion. Based on those numbers, a $1.77 trillion valuation for SpaceX would boost Musk's net worth by $223 billion, making him a trillionaire. However, much of Musk's worth is in stock that he has yet to cash in.

Even as it makes a bid for a blockbuster market debut, SpaceX is currently losing billions of dollars a year. The filing shows that the company lost $2.6 billion from operations last year on $18.7 billion in revenue, and the losses kept piling up at the start of this year, too.

Fantastical plans

Time will tell how SpaceX fares on the market. Musk's plans for the company are as fantastical as the money he hopes raise in the sale.

Colorful, even frightening in parts, the IPO document strikes a contrast with the typically dry, technical prose in IPO documents, detailing plans to use proceeds from the sale to help put men on the moon again and perhaps even Mars. In one section, it talks of a need to build "a permanent human colony" on the red planet with "at least one million inhabitants" as existential threats loom that could consign man to "the same fate as the dinosaurs."

Musk has almost equally ambitious plans for his other publicly traded company, Tesla. His goal is to transform the maker of electric vehicles into a producer of robotaxis and humanoid robots. Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities wrote in a research note that he expects Tesla and SpaceX to merge next year.

AI plays a key role

Key to the success of both companies — and any merged entity — is artificial intelligence. In its IPO filing, SpaceX says it sees potential revenue from AI of up to $26.5 trillion. But that depends on another lofty Musk ambition — putting data centers in space, which is not technologically possible at the moment.

Transforming his space company into a primarily AI-focused company will be a challenge for Musk, who started xAI in 2023 with 11 other co-founders who have all since left. Some were recruited away by rivals.

Its main AI product, the chatbot Grok, is "less impressive than anything that we see from any other major player in the space, whether that's OpenAI, or Anthropic, or (Google's) Gemini," said IDC analyst Arnal Dayaratna.

Dayaratna said that doesn't mean SpaceX doesn't have potential as a major AI player, thanks in part to its computing partnership with Anthropic and Musk's recent deal that gave SpaceX the rights to buy AI coding tool Cursor for $60 billion later this year. Folding in Cursor's capabilities would give SpaceX access to the coveted business customers now using Anthropic's Claude or OpenAI's ChatGPT.

SpaceX plans to use the net proceeds from the IPO to fund the expansion of infrastructure for its AI and rocket businesses, and to beef up the constellation of satellites that power Starlink Mobile, among other investments.

The company plans to list on the Nasdaq under the symbol "SPCX" and could begin trading as soon as the end of next week.

And SpaceX isn't the only colossal market debut investors are now bracing for. Earlier this week, Anthropic submitted a confidential filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to officially start its own IPO clock.

OpenAI has not yet reported filing the initial SEC paperwork, but an IPO from the ChatGPT maker is widely expected.

"This listing represents the first major test for public markets after years of muted IPO activity with SpaceX paving the way for AI giants Anthropic and OpenAI to follow soon after," Ives wrote.

___

Associated Press Technology Writer Matt O'Brien contributed.

New UH survey reveals concerns over AI data center growth in Houston

data findings

A new report out of the University of Houston shows that area residents remain wary of the long-term effects of operating data centers.

The recent survey from the University of Houston’s latest SPACE City Panel, conducted by the Center for Public Policy at the Hobby School of Public Affairs, shows that while 85 percent of Houston-area residents use AI, nearly 63 percent oppose the construction of AI data centers within 1 mile of their homes.

Respondents’ concerns centered around data centers’ high energy demand and the area’s power grid reliability. According to the survey, 32 percent of residents who oppose local data center projects would be more likely to support the centers if they relied on renewable energy over fossil fuels.

“Respondents understand that AI can bring economic and educational benefits, but they are also concerned about the physical infrastructure needed to fuel AI, especially data centers,” Soran Mohtadi, post-doctoral fellow at the Hobby School and a researcher on the report, said in a news release. “This physical infrastructure demands more electricity and water, leading to environmental impacts.”

Experts estimate that 6.5 gigawatts of data center capacity will be added to the Texas grid by 2030. And Houston’s data center capacity is predicted to more than double by 2028.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas also projects electricity demand could reach 218 gigawatts by 2031, which would be more than double the record peak set in August 2023. Data centers are expected to account for 86 gigawatts of that new demand.

Survey respondents also said they are concerned about the state's future water supply, given the large amounts of water that data centers need to stay cool.

In terms of who’s responsible for that issue, 57.6 percent of respondents said they put the onus on Texas lawmakers, while 31.5 percent say tech companies should be responsible.

Additionally, more than 75 percent of respondents believed that data center developers and technology companies—not residents—should bear the cost of infrastructure upgrades to support data centers.

“Every decision legislators make has implications on residents’ everyday lives and local infrastructure now and in the future,” Maria P. Perez Arguelles, lead researcher on the report and research assistant professor at the Hobby School, added in the news release. “This issue is going to become more important in years to come, so this is just the beginning.”

Read the full report here.

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