U.S. AI Data Center Expansion in Rural Communities

under construction/development

The U.S. is rapidly expanding its data center construction, with over 1,500 new data centers in development, 67% of which are being built outside urban areas, primarily in rural communities. This expansion is driven by the growing demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure, which requires significantly more power per rack compared to traditional data centers. Virginia, Texas, and Georgia lead in planned data centers, with 287, 170, and 141 respectively. The expansion has raised concerns about energy consumption and local job creation. Legislative actions such as the AI Data Center Moratorium Act aim to pause new AI data center developments.