Galaxy expands presence in Texas with Texas Tech Stadium deal

Digital assets and AI infrastructure company Galaxy Digital has signed a 15-year naming rights deal with Texas Tech, renaming the university’s football stadium Galaxy Stadium beginning with the 2026 season.

The partnership also makes Galaxy the official data center and digital asset partner of Texas Tech Athletics, with the companies planning to collaborate on student-athlete name, image and likeness opportunities, artificial intelligence initiatives and workforce development programs.

According to Friday’s announcement, the stadium will debut its new name on Sept. 5, when Texas Tech opens its season against Abilene Christian. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The deal expands Galaxy’s presence in West Texas, where it operates the Helios data center campus in neighboring Dickens County, about 60 miles east of Lubbock. The site has 1.6 gigawatts of approved capacity for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC).

Related: Bitdeer stock jumps 14% as company expands U.S. mining hardware production

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Texas Strengthens Its Footprint in the Crypto Industry

The partnership comes as Texas strengthens its position as a hub of the crypto industry, combining large Bitcoin mining investments with growing political influence and pro-crypto legislation.

The state is already home to some of the industry’s largest Bitcoin (BTC) miners and digital infrastructure operators, including Riot Platforms, Cipher Mining, Core Scientific, CleanSpark, IREN and Hut 8.

In February, Bitcoin mining hardware maker Canaan acquired a 49% stake in three operating mining facilities in Texas from Cipher Mining for nearly $40 million, while earlier this month MARA Holdings announced plans to acquire a 2-gigawatt powered site in Texas to develop a digital infrastructure campus supporting both HPC and Bitcoin mining.

Recently, Texas has become a focal point for crypto-backed political spending. In May, industry-affiliated political action committees spent more than $10 million supporting candidates in Texas’ congressional primary runoffs, with all six supported candidates winning.

The state also supported the industry through public policies. Last year, Governor Greg Abbott sign legislation creating the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. In May, state officials began moving reserve holdings from a spot Bitcoin ETF to directly held Bitcoin.