New Mexico has begun deploying a new artificial-intelligence wildfire detection network, installing five monitoring stations near Albuquerque and Santa Fe through pilot programs with Pano AI and two electric utilities.
The state plans more than 40 stations within two years, with funding shared between the company, state allocations, Xcel Energy, and Public Service Company of New Mexico. Eleven state-supported stations are expected online by early 2026. Each unit, costing under $50,000 annually to maintain, uses rotating cameras and AI analysis to identify smoke and relay GPS-based alerts to fire agencies.
Legislators are considering an additional $2 million to expand the network, part of broader wildfire resilience efforts that include $33.5 million in tree-thinning projects.
