Texas is tightening AI data center rules after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered regulators to make developers pay more of their grid connection costs while protecting residential customers from the AI boom’s infrastructure demands. Abbott wrote that “the rapid scale of data center development requires oversight to ensure everyday Texans are not burdened with the costs of infrastructure driven by data center expansion.” Related:Texas Powers Past Virginia in Global Data Center RankingsHe said the approach recognizes that AI-scale projects “can no longer be treated as isolated customer requests. An ERCOT spokesperson referred Data Center Knowledge to a previously published Batch Zero explainer but did not provide additional comment.