Cryptocurrency and AI data center developer Mara has signed a deal to acquire a powered land site in Matagorda County, Texas, from e-fuel company HIF USA.The site, located approximately 90 miles (144km) from Houston, spans more than 1,200 acres and is expected to provide access to up to 1GW of grid capacity initially by October 2027 and up to 2GW by April 2028.Mara claims that the site is suited to support a large-scale data center development, and has already received interest from potential tenants from the high-performance computing sector.Mara said that it intends to develop the site in partnership with Starwood Digital Ventures into a large-scale digital infrastructure campus capable of supporting high-performance computing workloads, flexible compute, and Bitcoin mining. The companies originally partnered in February as part of a joint venture to deliver up to 1GW of near-term IT capacity.Phased construction at the site is expected to commence this year, contingent upon regulatory approvals.“As demand for digital infrastructure continues to grow, we believe sites with access to reliable, scalable power will become increasingly valuable. This acquisition meaningfully expands our long-term development pipeline and strengthens our ability to support high-performance compute and maximize the value of that power over time. We look forward to working with our partners at the site to deliver on the project buildout and drive long-term value for all our stakeholders,” said Fred Thiel, Mara's chairman and CEOMara is one of the biggest Bitcoin miners in the US, predominantly utilizing stranded energy assets to power modular mining units. In April, the firm agreed to acquire a 505MW combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant in Hannibal, Ohio, which includes more than 1,600 acres of land capable of hosting a large-scale data center campus. The deal signaled the company’s move into large-scale data center developments.The company has predominantly focused on utilizing stranded energy assets to power its operations. For example, in April, the firm expanded a gas-to-power data center initiative with NGON from 25MW to 50MW. The expansion in North Dakota was completed in four months and is fully energized and operational as of December.