future workforce

ExxonMobil invests $17M with nonprofit to fund more STEM instruction, resources

The ExxonMobil Foundation has invested more than $17 million in the Open Doors Project. Photo via Khan Academy

The ExxonMobil Foundation announced they are collaborating with the Khan Academy on the Open Doors Project, which aims to bring free math and science courses and teacher guides to Texas in a larger goal to inspire new STEM leaders.

The Open Doors Project will be the largest single curriculum project for Khan Academy, and will reach schools in Houston.

“Our main goal with this program is to meet the needs of Texas teachers and students,” Sal Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy, says in a news release. “We’re grateful for the ExxonMobil Foundation’s vision and support for developing courses and teacher guides that will deliver world-class math and science resources to students and teachers when and where they need it.”

The ExxonMobil Foundation is providing support for the creation of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)-aligned math and science courses for 3-12 grades through the Open Doors Project. These courses will make it easier to align with the non-profit Khan Academy’s vision of providing free “world-class education” in their classrooms.

The program will include structured lesson plans and instructional guidance that are adaptable for students' various learning styles to help reach “mastery” level of multiple STEM topics. The first round of courses will begin on June 30 with additional courses to come in 2025 and 2026.

The ExxonMobil Foundation has invested more than $17 million in the Open Doors Project, and offers additional support through the Khan Academy Districts to primary and secondary schools in areas where ExxonMobil operates, which includes Houston, Western Texas and the Gulf Coast. Khan Academy is available in large institutions like Kipp and Houston Independent School District, which uses the academy as part of its college readiness program.

“We’re committed to addressing the gap in STEM education,” Alvin Abraham, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation, says in a news release. “With Khan Academy’s help, we can empower teachers to work with students to master the STEM curriculum and take their knowledge into careers that can change the world.”

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A View From HETI

Houston's data center scene has received its latest bullish forecast. Photo via serverfarmllc.com

The Houston market could more than double its data center capacity by the end of 2028, a new report indicates.

The report, published by commercial real estate services provider CBRE, says greater demand for data center capacity in the Houston area is being fueled by energy companies, along with large-scale cloud services and AI-driven tenants.

In the second half of 2025, the Houston market had 154 megawatts of data center capacity, which was on par with capacity in the second half of 2024. Another 28.5 megawatts of capacity was under construction during that period.

“Multiple providers are advancing new builds and redevelopments, including significant power upgrades to recently purchased buildings, underscoring long-term confidence even as the market works through elevated vacancy and uneven absorption,” CBRE says of Houston’s data center presence.

One project alone promises to significantly boost the Houston market’s data center capacity. Data center developer Serverfarm plans to use part of a $3 billion credit facility to build a 250-acre, AI-ready data center campus near Houston with a potential capacity of more than 500 megawatts. The Houston campus and two other Serverfarm projects are already leased to unidentified tenants, according to CoStar.

A 60-megawatt, AI-ready Serverfarm data center is under construction in Houston. The $137 million, 438,000-square-foot project, located near the former headquarters of computer manufacturer Compaq, is supposed to be completed in the third quarter of 2027.

Data Center Map identifies 59 data centers in the Houston area managed by 36 operators, including DataBank, Data Foundry, Digital Realty, IBM, Logix Fiber Networks, Lumen and TRG Datacenters. That compares with more than 180 data centers in Dallas-Fort Worth, more than 50 in the San Antonio area and 40 in the Austin area.

Texas is home to more than 400 data centers, according to Data Center Map.

In November, Google said it’s investing $40 billion to build AI data centers in West Texas and the Texas Panhandle.

“This is a Texas-sized investment in the future of our great state,” Gov. Greg Abbott said when Google’s commitment was announced. “Texas is the epicenter of AI development, where companies can pair innovation with expanding energy. Google's $40 billion investment makes Texas Google's largest investment in any state in the country and supports energy efficiency and workforce development in our state.”

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