Good Bones

For data center colocation specialist VivaVerse, the past provides a path to a brilliant future

The global appetite for artificial intelligence-driven technologies and high-performance computing is sending the data center industry soaring. But before companies can catch the tail of this massive, unthinkably fast-moving comet there’s the not-so-small issue of power.

The AI arms race is being driven by some of the richest and most powerful companies on the planet, with Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, and Oracle all investing hundreds of billions into the next generation of compute infrastructure. But this explosion in AI capability comes with a massive energy cost. Meeting the demand isn’t just about building more data centers — it’s about powering them.

Current projections estimate that at least 21 gigawatts (GW) of new energy capacity will be required just to support the data centers already under construction. And according to Goldman Sachs, that number could reach 47 GW by 2030 — the equivalent of powering 47 nuclear power plants.

Now, two longtime friends with a shared vision and zero interest in playing it safe have joined forces to change the game. Eduardo Morales and Freddy Vaca are resurrecting one of the most iconic tech campuses in the country and transforming it into a next-generation powerhouse for hyperscalers and high-performance computing. In a world where access to gigawatts defines who leads and who falls behind, they’re building the infrastructure that keeps the future online.

High school pals Morales and Vaca bonded over their legacies as children of entrepreneurs. As expected, after graduation they parted ways to work in their family businesses. Morales went on to lead and acquire his family’s century-old global liquor enterprise and then to establish Morales Capital Group. Vaca, a serial entrepreneur, spent two decades building Pinnacle Group, including serving as its Chief Technology Officer, with his sister Nina Vaca, who is the founder & CEO. Pinnacle Group serves customers in over 25 countries and is currently ranked among the top 20 largest global MSP providers and the 30^th largest IT staffing firm in the U.S. After Pinnacle Group, Vaca continues to develop and scale new technology-driven ventures across multiple industries.

After 23 years, Morales and Vaca partnered to launch VivaVerse Solutions, LLC, with a mission to redefine mission critical infrastructure standards. Their vision: transform the 2.3-million-square-foot former Hewlett-Packard Enterprise/Compaq Computer campus in northwest Houston into the Viva Center — an advanced technology colocation hub purpose-built for high-performance computing (HPC) and AI-driven workloads. By integrating alternative energy systems, including on-site natural gas power generation and large-scale standby battery capacity, the Viva Center is engineered to meet the demands of next-generation, mission-critical compute environments. Drawing on Compaq’s genius, Viva Center is engineered to provide AI companies and hyperscalers with advanced infrastructure. It features flexible space, a dedicated chiller plant, and scalable power capacity to support cutting-edge direct-to-chip and immersion liquid cooling technologies. These shell data centers have completed exterior construction, available power, and fiber connectivity. The interior is left unfinished for the customer to complete, whether they need a floor or section within an existing building, or as an entire dedicated building structure.

The 94-acre campus has 1.3 million sq. ft. of industrial space, 1 million sq. ft. of hybrid office & light manufacturing space and offers 250-plus MW of critical campus capacity, more than 200 data labs, and 2 million sq. ft. of parking garages.

Reboot recently sat down with Vaca to get a closer look at the project’s remarkable history and dynamic future. In 1983, Compaq Computer settled in Houston and created a California-style tech campus to accommodate its status as a renowned computer manufacturer. They created their own access to power, water and natural gas, and they even had their own airport.

In 2002, Compaq merged with HP. By 2013 Compaq’s value as a manufacturer had lessened, and in 2018 HP put the 94-acre campus up for sale. It languished until 2022, when Morales and Vaca came on the scene. “While everybody wanted to tear it down and make it multi-family housing restaurants, a hotel and retail, we said no. We had a much bigger vision,” Vaca said.

“It’s ironic, the infrastructure of yesterday is the foundation of what’s needed today,” he said. “The pioneers at Compaq Computer who built this facility were light years ahead of their time.”

The scale and resilience of the original power infrastructure purpose-built to inter-connect directly to the grid remains impressive even by today’s standards. The campus was engineered with mission-critical thinking: massive weight-bearing floors, 28- to 30-foot-high ceilings, and design principles that now align perfectly with the needs of high-performance compute and AI workloads. “That kind of foresight is part of the genius we’re building on today,” he added.

Vaca added, “We plan to have 500-plus megawatts of power, which includes the combination of a natural gas turbine generation plant and an onsite substation.” Creating a sustainable compound in terms of longevity was one of their goals for the campus, as was giving power back to the grid and helping the community thrive.

Bold decisions have allowed VivaVerse to challenge convention. While most data centers rely on diesel fuel for backup power, VivaVerse leveraged the three natural gas pipelines on its property to take a different path.

That bold approach hasn’t gone unnoticed. The Viva Center was recently awarded Green LEED Development of the Year at the 2025 REDNews Houston CRE Awards, recognizing its leadership in sustainable, future-focused development.

“Natural gas gave us the ability to ensure reliable backup generation while also supporting the grid,” said Vaca. “We’re not just consuming power — we’re giving it back.”

To bring this vision to life, VivaVerse partnered with Priority Power, a leading independent energy services provider, helping clients reduce costs, improve efficiency, ensure reliability, and lower greenhouse gas emissions through expertise in energy management, renewable project development, and infrastructure solutions. For this project, Priority Power is delivering energy infrastructure-as-a-service to engineer, construct, operate, and maintain the microgrid. The installation will be led by Priority Power in collaboration with Harvey Cleary, with Corgan providing architectural support.

The pioneering microgrid will provide essential N+1 resiliency for VivaVerse’s data center operations while also supplying capacity during peak demand periods to support the local community. It is also expected to accelerate Texas’ transition toward a carbon-free energy future.

In addition, the system supports the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates about 90% of the state’s grid. And, proving once again that everything is bigger in Texas, the Lone Star State leads the nation in renewable energy production — generating 55% more than California.

With reliable power and resilience in place, VivaVerse is also tackling another industry-wide challenge: the speed at which new capacity can be brought online.

“You’re seeing Meta, Google, Oracle, and other tech giants announce billion-dollar data center investments almost weekly — but what no one’s talking about is the bottleneck,” Vaca said. “There are only a handful of sites in the U.S. truly ready to support that scale today. While capital is pouring in, the real race is about speed to market.

“These companies have two choices: Spend years navigating land, power, and permitting from scratch — or partner with developers and operators who already have access to power-ready sites and can cut deployment timelines by up to 50%. That’s the difference between leading the market and playing catch-up.”

Vaca concluded:

“Compaq Computer was ahead of its time — they built something extraordinary. We’re not just beneficiaries; we had the vision to see what others overlooked. That campus didn’t need demolition. It needed resurrection. It needed belief, bold action, and the courage to bet on what others had already written off.”

With its blend of legacy, vision, and innovation — now recognized with the Green LEED Development of the Year Award — VivaVerse isn’t just rewriting the data center playbook, it’s redefining the future of Houston’s tech landscape.