Hello everyone! AITX Team here with more updates this week.
If you’re new here, welcome! 👋 At AITX, we aim to:
Connect you with like-minded peers passionate about AI.
Provide a space for sharing ideas and receiving feedback on AI projects you’re building.
Share helpful tools and invaluable resources.
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Before we jump into the regular news, a few housekeeping items:
Upcoming AITX Community Events:
Hack Fair: Sunday, Dec 14 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM | sign up here!
To stay in the loop on all our monthly meetups and other community organized events, subscribe to our AITX Community calendar here.
Check out our Community Directory:
Where you can fill out your profile and find other members of the AITX community. If you haven’t filled out your profile yet, please follow the link HERE and submit your information.
NVIDIA DGX Spark Hackathon
AITX Community is partnering with NVIDIA, Arm, and ASUS this December with another hackathon centered around their new DGX Spark hardware.
When: 5:00 PM CST, December 12 - 4:00 PM CST, December 14
What: This Hackathon brings together the strongest frontier builders and engineers in Texas to push the boundary of what’s possible on next-generation NVIDIA compute.
25 teams will work hands-on with the ASUS Ascent GX10 to complete targeted Build Challenges provided by NVIDIA and local partner companies.
There will be prize packages for each Challenge winner as well as the overall Best Build.
This is a team-based hackathon. Full-team applications will be prioritized over individual applications.
Minimum team size is 2 and maximum team size is 5.
If you apply as an individual, we'll try our best to match you into a team, and you'll be required to compete with the team we match you with if accepted.
State of AI in Texas Report Survey Live!
Howdy! The State of AI in Texas Report (STAR) has been finalized. AITX Community and UT School of Law is excited to hear what the community has to say!
By mapping the AI landscape and understanding stakeholder interactions, we hope to identify key businesses involved with AI development in Texas. And by learning about AI product usage and how to support needs of new AI developers, we aim to provide a report that will both inform smart AI policy and serve as a guide for businesses on AI development.
THE WHO – We Want to Hear From You: If you’re based in Texas and work at Startups, Scaleups, or Enterprises, this survey is for you.
This is your chance to have your voice heard.
In this week’s edition you’re getting:
5 Upcoming Events
3 AI Community Stories
So let’s jump in!
UPCOMING EVENTS
When: Sunday, December 14 | 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM CST
Where: Antler VC Austin, Texas
What: AITX is excited to present Hack Fair: where creativity, innovation, and collaboration take center stage. As the grand finale of the DGX Spark Hackathon, this science fair-style showcase is your chance to see what happens when Austin’s brightest engineers and AI enthusiasts come together to build amazing things in just 36 hours.
When: Monday, December 15 | 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM CST
What: Getting started with any new development paradigm can be daunting, and building AI-powered applications is no different. In this session you'll learn how you can use various Docker technologies to simplify AI development. We'll cover the fundamental building blocks of AI applications, and how you can build on your local machine or in the cloud. By the end of this session you will possess the knowledge and confidence to go forward and start hacking on your first AI powered application.
When: Wed, January 7, 2026 | 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM CST
What: We focus on agentic software development: multi-agent architectures, middleware patterns, LangChain + LangGraph workflows, DeepAgents, and real-world application building. Many presenters are power users of Claude Code, and we frequently explore how developers use it in their agent workflows.
When: Wednesday, December 17 | 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM CST
Where: Register to see address
What: Join a Claude Code Community Event, organized by local Claude Code enthusiasts for everyone who loves building with Claude Code!
When: Sunday, December 14 | 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM CST
What: This free pilot event is a 4-hour AI-powered math and reading intensive for kids ages 8–14, held at Dave & Buster’s Domain Northside on Sunday, December 14. Students work on a personalized learning platform that adapts to their level and earn arcade time based on the effort and progress they make. Parents receive a detailed progress report, optional info session, and are asked to give honest feedback to help shape a future paid version of the program.
COMMUNITY STORIES
UT Austin researchers used the AlphaFold 3 AI model to pinpoint a previously overlooked viral protein, OPG153, as a key target for neutralizing antibodies against the monkeypox virus. In mice, a vaccine antigen based on this protein triggered antibodies that successfully neutralized the virus, opening the door to simpler, cheaper vaccines and antibody therapies.
Why it matters: This is a clean example of Texas based AI research turning straight into real world biotech, with Austin labs using AI models not just to analyze data but to design next generation vaccines and defenses against potential biothreats.
Need-to-know:
AI narrowed roughly 35 surface proteins down to OPG153 as the key antibody target
Mouse studies showed OPG153 based antigens can generate neutralizing antibodies against mpox
UT has filed patents on OPG153 as a vaccine antigen, signaling a push toward real world clinical use
Learn more here.
ERCOT is getting flooded with large load interconnection requests from AI and data center projects, topping 230 gigawatts in 2025, almost four times the pipeline at the end of 2024. More than 70 percent of those requests are from data center developers, with many sites asking for a gigawatt or more each.
Why it matters: This is the collision point between Texas as an AI data center magnet and Texas as a barely stable grid, and what ERCOT and regulators do next will shape how many of these mega campuses actually get built.
Need-to-know:
Large load requests hit 230 GW in 2025, up from 63 GW at the end of 2024
Over 70 percent of new large load demand comes from AI data centers, many at 1 GW scale
PUCT draft rules would impose stricter coordination for any site requesting 75 MW or more
Learn more here.
Dallas based CyrusOne filed plans for a $430 million, 93,319 square foot AI focused data center in Whitney, a small town outside Waco, with construction slated to start in February 2026. The single story facility will support high density AI workloads through build to suit and colocation infrastructure.
Why it matters: This is another proof point that Texas AI infrastructure is spreading into smaller towns, bringing investment and jobs while intensifying local debates about water and energy use.
Need-to-know:
$430 million single story data center plus office component in Whitney
Construction planned from February 2026 to April 2027
Part of a broader rural Texas data center wave that includes Abilene’s Stargate project and new sites near San Angelo
Learn more here.
That’s all for now, folks!
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