A Northern California tribe is teaming up with a Houston-based real estate investment trust to try something big: a power-first AI and energy campus on tribal land near Colusa. The partners say the first phase will feature an Amphix Center of Excellence to test advanced AI workloads, with computing tied directly into the tribe’s long-running microgrid and on-site generation targeted to grow to more than 100 megawatts in roughly 18 months. The deal was unveiled during the Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas.
Partnership and pitch
According to a press release from Strata Expanse, the REIT will partner with Colusa Indian Energy, the Section 17 corporation owned by the Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians, to develop an Amphix CoE on trust land. Strata describes the agreement as its first tribal partnership and says the CoE is intended to operate as a production-grade environment where next-generation AI workloads can be validated before being deployed at scale.
What the campus will include
The facility is planned to plug into the tribe’s existing microgrid, and the companies say they intend to expand on-site generation capacity to more than 100 megawatts within 18 months, as reported by Tribal Business News. Early technology partners named for deployments include DDN, Supermicro, NVIDIA, Intel and AMD, which are expected to provide computing hardware and integration support for the campus.
Local energy backbone
Colusa Indian Energy notes that the community’s microgrid has operated in island mode for more than two decades and is set to form the backbone for both computing and power generation at the new campus. The tribal corporation also points to a global track record delivering thousands of megawatts of energy projects, a capability partners say helps shorten the path from land acquisition to live infrastructure.
Community questions and wider context
Similar Strata Expanse developments have not sailed through without comment. Reporting from WOUB Public Media details local pushback in other communities over transparency and potential impacts on resources. More broadly, journalists and analysts have flagged that AI-scale computing can be highly energy and water intensive, a pattern highlighted by The Guardian that could influence permitting decisions and environmental review for any large campus.
Timeline and next steps
The partners say the RES announcement marks the start of proof-of-concept work, early interconnections and partner onboarding, with a goal of surpassing 100 megawatts of on-site generation within roughly 18 months, per Tribal Business News. How quickly the Amphix CoE moves from testing to full production will hinge on local permitting, environmental review and any community consultations along the way.
If the project moves forward as outlined, it could serve as a model for tribal ownership of both energy and digital infrastructure while deepening local economic control. We will watch for filings, permits and community notices as the partners shift from announcement to buildout.
