On this week’s Hot Seat, I sat down with Jay Scheidler, Director of Emerging Technologies at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, for a fascinating conversation about where Oklahoma fits in the future of technology — and why the state is getting calls every single week from companies looking to build here.
📡 Data Centers Are Booming — And Oklahoma Is Ready
Jay says the state is fielding 5–7 serious inquiries per week from businesses — large and small — interested in setting up data centers and other high-tech infrastructure in Oklahoma. Why?
✅ Abundant and affordable energy
✅ Geographic centrality
✅ A strong power grid
✅ A fast-developing workforce pipeline
The state also produces 65% more power than it consumes, with a growing portion of that coming from wind and solar. That’s a huge draw for companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
⚡ Behind-the-Meter Power & the Energy Conversation
A hot topic in the Legislature right now is “behind-the-meter” power — a model where companies generate and manage their own energy supply, independent of the regulated grid. Jay says that model could make Oklahoma even more attractive for companies willing to make upfront capital investments in data-heavy infrastructure.
🤖 Beyond Data: AI & Advanced Manufacturing
Data centers are just the start. Jay shared how Oklahoma is positioning itself to recruit AI-driven companies and advanced manufacturing operations that use digital cloning and simulation before ever building a physical product.
This is about more than servers — it’s about growing a tech economy with staying power.
🎓 The Talent Pipeline Is Ready
With strong CareerTech programs and major universities already leaning into AI and tech-forward education, Jay believes Oklahoma is on the right track to build and sustain the workforce needed for this next wave of industry.
As Jay put it: “We want to bring the world to Oklahoma — and take Oklahoma to the world.”
📺 Catch the full conversation at News9.com or NewsOn6.com, and stay tuned every week for Hot Seat.
