HOUSTON, Nov. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AZIO AI Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: AZIO) ("AZIO" or the "Company") today confirmed that Atlas One, the first Project Atlas campus, in Live Oak County, Texas, is designed to run fully off the ERCOT grid, with no pending ERCOT large-load interconnection request.

The confirmation comes as Texas tightens the path onto its grid. According to the Office of the Governor, ERCOT is weighing roughly 474 gigawatts of requests to connect, more than five times the state's record peak demand, and about 90 percent of that is data centers.

Texas large-load rules

• Senate Bill 6 (2025) set new standards for loads of 75 megawatts and up, including study fees, financial-commitment requirements, disclosure of on-site backup generation, and the ability to curtail large loads during grid emergencies.
• PUCT rules (2026) put that law into effect. Under SB 6 and the PUCT's co-location rule, projects pairing new loads with existing grid generation are subject to ERCOT study and PUCT approval.
• Governor's directives (2026): in June, the Governor directed the PUCT to make data centers pay all of their own electric infrastructure costs; in August, he ordered a verification audit before any data center advances through ERCOT interconnection.
• Batch Zero: in August, ERCOT paused its first "Batch Zero" large-load study to comply. ERCOT's Nov. 5 update showed verification still under way, with a report due to the PUCT on Dec. 10.

Built to supply its own power

Under the Project Atlas plan, power is generated on site, from natural gas, next to the compute it serves. Generation for each phase of the campus will go through its own air authorization before it is built. Because Atlas One is designed to generate its own power on site, it is not planned to draw capacity from the ERCOT grid.

"Texas is not turning against data centers. It is turning against data centers that expect everyone else to carry their costs and their risk," said Elgin Tracy, Chief Operating Officer of AZIO AI. "We are not waiting in a 474-gigawatt line, and we are not asking Texas ratepayers to fund a new substation. Behind-the-meter is not a loophole. The closer a project is to being self-supplied, the less it depends on policy decisions that are now in flux."

Contracted capacity and a phased build

Atlas One is anchored by a signed 10-megawatt infrastructure hosting agreement with Power Champion at $150 per kilowatt per month. That capacity has not yet been energized. The Company is building toward the planned 11 MW Phase One in practical blocks of work, each with its own equipment, connectivity and site requirements.

"Texas now asks for proof of site control, financial commitment and real data. That favors developers who build in sequence over those who announce gigawatts first," Tracy said. "We would rather build a business that holds up under stricter rules than one that depends on loose ones, and be straight with regulators and investors about what is done and what is still ahead."

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about the design and operation of Atlas One off the ERCOT grid; plans to develop Project Atlas sites on a behind-the-meter, phased basis; the expected scope, timing and outcome of air authorizations and other permits for generation equipment; the planned 11 MW Phase One; and performance under the Power Champion agreement. Actual results may differ materially because of, among other things: delays in or denial of permits and approvals; changes in law or PUCT or ERCOT rules, or their application to behind-the-meter facilities; changes to the Atlas One design, including any future decision to seek a grid interconnection; natural gas supply, pipeline and pricing constraints; equipment and supply-chain delays; capital availability; customer demand; counterparty performance; energization delays; and the risks described in the Company's most recent Form 10-K and subsequent Form 10-Q filings at www.sec.gov. Power generation and energization at Atlas One remain subject to air authorization and other permits and approvals that have not all been obtained. No capacity under the Power Champion agreement has been energized. This press release is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements except as required by law.

About AZIO AI Holdings, Inc.

AZIO AI Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: AZIO) develops AI compute and power infrastructure. Project Atlas is its program for behind-the-meter, power-backed AI compute campuses in Texas. More information: www.azioai.ai.

Media and Investor Contact

Elgin Tracy

Chief Operating Officer

AZIO AI Holdings, Inc.

Elgin.Tracy@azioai.ai

(512) 662-6010