Buildout is moving rural
New data shows a large share of fresh data‑centre construction is landing in rural communities where land and power are simpler to assemble, rather than dense coastal markets. States are effectively being sorted into more and less permissive jurisdictions for hyperscale development. (wtov9.com) (axios.com)
A growing share of new U.S. data-center construction is shifting to rural counties, where land, power and approvals are easier to line up. (cushmanwakefield.com) Cushman & Wakefield said on February 26 that the Americas had 25.3 gigawatts of data-center capacity under construction at the end of 2025, with growth increasingly shaped by “regulatory frameworks, resource availability and infrastructure readiness.” (cushmanwakefield.com) CBRE said primary U.S. markets ended 2025 with a record-low 1.4% vacancy rate, 9,432 megawatts of total capacity and 5,994.4 megawatts under construction, but many planned projects were delayed by permitting, zoning and power-procurement hurdles. (cbre.com) That squeeze is pushing developers beyond the biggest hubs. CBRE said Northern Virginia, Silicon Valley, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and Chicago are all seeing more projects move outside urban cores, while secondary and emerging markets are expected to take a larger share of growth. (cbre.com) States are also splitting into camps. Axios reported on April 17 that Texas ranked among the most welcoming states for artificial-intelligence data centers, while Maine sat at the opposite end as permitting, politics and local resistance started to shape site selection. (axios.com) That political divide has widened this month. Axios reported on April 5 that 11 states — Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia — had active legislation or statewide moratorium efforts aimed at data centers as of April 3. (axios.com) The buildout is large enough to redraw the national map. Axios reported in December that nearly 3,000 new data centers were under construction or planned across the U.S., on top of more than 4,000 already operating. (axios.com) Virginia still leads the country in both operating facilities and projects underway or planned, but even there the expansion is spreading beyond the traditional Northern Virginia cluster into places like Richmond. (axios.com) Developers are chasing electricity as much as acreage. CBRE said demand is now “power-first,” and Axios reported on April 3 that the biggest artificial-intelligence campuses can draw enough electricity to rival entire cities, intensifying fights over whether they should connect to the grid or build dedicated power systems. (cbre.com) (axios.com) McKinsey estimated in August 2025 that companies could invest almost $7 trillion in data-center infrastructure globally by 2030, with more than 40% of that spending in the United States. The places that can assemble land, transmission and permits fastest are increasingly the places getting the next wave of projects. (mckinsey.com)
