Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle Corp. and one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, is quietly expanding his footprint in Central Texas through his agriculture technology venture, Sensei Farms. The company, which Ellison launched in 2018 alongside physician and researcher Dr. David Agus, has acquired a 25-acre property in Lockhart, a city roughly 30 miles southeast of Austin. The purchase signals another step in Sensei Farms’ mission to blend cutting-edge technology with sustainable agriculture—a sector increasingly drawing attention from high-profile investors.
The Lockhart site, located at 1205 Reed Drive, was previously home to Iron Ox Inc., a now-defunct robotics farming company that operated a 283,000-square-foot headquarters and greenhouse there before shutting down in 2023. The property was sold to Sensei Ag Holdings Inc.—an affiliate of Sensei Farms—earlier this month by Evergen Equity LLC, a real estate investment group that had acquired the land in November. Evergen had been marketing the site in three separate parcels, though details of the sale, including the purchase price, remain undisclosed. Neither Sensei Farms nor Evergen responded to requests for comment.
While the company has not revealed its plans for the Lockhart property, the acquisition aligns with Sensei Farms’ existing model. The business currently operates high-tech greenhouses in Lanai, Hawaii, and Ontario, Canada, where it cultivates fruits and vegetables for regional markets, including Hawaii, the U.S. Northeast, and Canada. If the Lockhart site follows suit, it could become another controlled-environment agriculture hub, leveraging technology to optimize crop yields while minimizing water use and environmental impact.
The move comes at a moment of heightened activity for Ellison, whose wealth recently surged following Oracle’s strong earnings report, briefly propelling him past Elon Musk as the world’s richest person. Oracle’s stock rise was fueled by a robust pipeline of AI-related projects, a sector where Ellison has long been a prominent figure. His investment in Sensei Farms reflects a broader trend among tech billionaires diversifying into agriculture, a field ripe for innovation as climate change and population growth strain traditional farming methods.
For Central Texas, the acquisition could bring economic and technological benefits. Lockhart, known for its barbecue and small-town charm, sits within a region increasingly attractive to agtech companies due to its proximity to Austin’s thriving tech ecosystem. If Sensei Farms develops the site into a greenhouse operation, it may create jobs and position the area as a testing ground for sustainable farming techniques. The presence of a well-funded player like Sensei Farms could also draw further investment into the region’s agricultural technology sector.
Yet questions remain. Will the Lockhart facility focus on the same crops grown in Hawaii and Canada, or will it cater to the local Texas market? How might Sensei Farms’ technology—likely involving automation, data analytics, and precision agriculture—differ from Iron Ox’s now-abandoned robotics approach? And could this be the first of several expansions in Texas, a state with vast agricultural land and a growing appetite for innovation?
What is clear is that Ellison’s bet on agtech is not an isolated experiment but part of a calculated strategy to reshape how food is grown. As climate challenges mount and consumer demand for sustainably sourced produce rises, the intersection of technology and agriculture is becoming a critical frontier. For Lockhart, the arrival of Sensei Farms could mark the beginning of a new chapter—one where Silicon Valley-style innovation takes root in the heart of Texas farm country.