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.
Be sure to follow us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Before we jump into the regular news, a few housekeeping items:
Upcoming AITX Community Events:
Austin AITX Community Monthly Meetup | sign up here!
Houston AITX Community Monthly Meetup | 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.
Base Power x AITX Talent Hackathon
We are running a weekend hackathon at Base Power HQ in Austin, September 25 to 27.
Base Power builds home batteries, installs them, and runs them as one coordinated fleet that helps balance the Texas grid. They manufacture in house and work with both homeowners and utilities.
They are also hiring software engineers, and that is why this event exists. Their engineering team will be in the room all weekend, judging projects and meeting people. If you have been curious about what they are building, this is the way in.
Applications are reviewed and space is limited.
We’d also like to thank the supporting partners: Thrive Capital and a16z.
AITX Community Member Survey
As we head into the summer, we wanted to take the time to ask how we can help y’all better.
Please fill out this survey to tell us how we can better help you (takes less than 2 minutes) 👇
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!
Community Events
When: Thursday, October 1 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT
Where: 801 Travis St, Houston, TX
What: Join Houston AI Club on October 1st for an essential panel on safely rolling out and managing AI in your organization, featuring expert perspectives on data security, governance, and responsible tool adoption. Network with Houston's thriving AI community, enjoy free parking and refreshments, and get practical insights for leading AI adoption in your workplace.
When: Thursday, October 1 | 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM CDT
Where: Elastic Office, Austin, TX
What: Join the Austin Elastic User Group on Thursday, October 1st for an exciting Lightning Talks Edition featuring fast-paced presentations from local tech leaders on AI security, data governance, and innovative projects-plus pizza, drinks, and networking at the Elastic Austin Office. Whether you're looking to learn something new or share your own cool idea, this is your chance to connect with the Austin Elastic community in an informal, inspiring evening.
When: Tuesday, October 6 | 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM CDT
Where: Antler VC, Austin, TX
What: Join us at Antler Austin on October 6 for an hands-on Physical AI Workshop co-presented by Nebius and Voxel51, where you'll work with real robotics data to train a YOLO detector live using FiftyOne's multimodal tools and Nebius Serverless AI. Network with fellow AI enthusiasts over food and drinks, then dive into a practical session exploring robot recordings, auto-labeling objects, and fine-tuning models-no ROS installation required.
When: Wednesday, September 30 | 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM CDT
Where: Bitcoin Park Austin, Austin, TX
What: Join Sovereign AI Club for their first public meetup in Austin on September 30th, where a diverse community of builders, researchers, and curious minds will explore the latest in AI through Socratic discussion-focusing on local LLMs, open-source models, privacy, and the freedom to control your own technology. Come to share your projects, ask questions, or simply listen as the group dives into recent news and research on downloadable models, self-hosted AI, and the tradeoffs between convenience and control.
When: Tuesday, October 6 | 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM CDT
Where: Antler VC, Austin, TX
What: Join us on October 6th at Antler Austin for the Austin Physical AI Workshop and Meetup, co-presented by Nebius and Voxel51-a hands-on deep dive into real-world robotics data using the DROID dataset and live YOLO11n model fine-tuning. Network with fellow AI enthusiasts, explore multimodal robot recordings in FiftyOne, and learn cutting-edge techniques for curating, labeling, and training computer vision models, all without requiring a ROS installation.
COMMUNITY STORIES
South Korea has designated a massive 6.3-gigawatt natural gas plant in Encinal, Texas as the flagship project of its $350 billion U.S. investment commitment. The $20+ billion facility will supply power to AI data centers and semiconductor manufacturing operations, representing one of the largest international investments in American AI infrastructure to date.
Why it matters: This massive energy infrastructure investment signals the critical role of power generation in scaling AI operations and demonstrates how international partnerships are shaping the future of AI data center development in the United States.
Need to know:
The 6.3-gigawatt natural gas plant in Encinal, Texas is valued at over $20 billion and will specifically serve AI data centers and semiconductor factories
The project is the first under South Korea's broader $350 billion U.S. investment pledge, announced following pressure from the Trump administration over slow investment pace compared to partners like Japan
The deal still requires approval from a U.S. government investment committee and further discussions with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick before President Trump's final announcement
Oracle is investing in 10 wind-energy projects across Texas that will deliver more than 1.7 gigawatts of carbon-free electricity to the ERCOT grid. The massive renewable energy commitment is designed to support Oracle's expanding AI infrastructure and help the company achieve its ambitious goal of matching 100% of its AI data center electricity use with carbon-free electricity by 2035.
Why it matters: This demonstrates how major AI infrastructure investments are driving significant renewable energy development, setting a precedent for sustainable AI operations at scale.
Need to know:
The 10 wind-energy projects will deliver more than 1.7 gigawatts of carbon-free electricity to the Texas ERCOT grid
Oracle's wind projects are projected to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of more than 525,000 U.S. homes annually
Oracle has committed to matching 100% of its AI data center electricity use with carbon-free electricity by 2035
Texas ranks 9th nationally among states most vulnerable to AI-driven job disruption, with approximately 500,000 workers employed in high-exposure occupations. A new SmartAsset report reveals that 3.55% of the Lone Star State's total workforce faces potential AI-related job transformation. The analysis examined all 50 states and D.C., identifying 26 occupations with the highest AI exposure based on research from Virginia's Economic Information and Analytics Division.
Why it matters: As AITX expands its AI-powered security solutions, understanding regional workforce vulnerabilities helps identify markets where automation adoption may accelerate and where retraining initiatives could create opportunities for partnership.
Need to know:
Texas has 500,000 workers (3.55% of total workforce) in occupations with high AI exposure, ranking 9th most at-risk nationally
The SmartAsset study analyzed all 50 states and D.C. based on 26 occupations identified as having highest AI disruption potential
Research indicates few occupations remain immune to emerging AI capabilities, signaling widespread workforce transformation ahead
That’s all for now, folks!
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