With the AI age picking up speed, data centers are a dash behind—but not where you’d think. Industry experts broke open the future map at Data Center World 2025, and it was a changed one where energy supply, rather than geography, determines the destiny of digital infrastructure.
As per DC Byte’s Colby Cox, 2024 witnessed a boom in gigawatt-scale projects. Though the U.S. remains on top, underappreciated areas such as Northwest Indiana, Pennsylvania, and West Texas have emerged quietly as players, with capacity doubling overnight. Even Alberta, Canada, jumped from 174 MW to 6.2 GW in one year, driven partly by entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary’s Wonder Valley—a $2 billion, off-grid AI complex fueled by stranded natural gas.
Governments and enterprises are building this new breed of data center—often dubbed “AI factories”—in places where power flows freely and policies favor experimentation. In places like West Virginia and Kentucky, governments are removing red tape, easing land acquisition and permits. Meanwhile, other metros such as Kansas City and North Carolina quietly gain momentum with vast colocation opportunities.
Energy remains the most decisive factor. Omdia’s Vlad Galabov stressed that AI could soon drive over half of all data center capacity, while existing power grids struggle to keep pace. The answer? Self-generation. By 2030, Galabov foresees 35 GW of data center power generated on-site—a radical departure from traditional grid dependence.
Though U.S. lawmakers still limit tax incentives, savvy developers negotiate symbiotic deals with utilities, offering flexible loads in exchange for access. And as hyperscalers pre-emptively buy up land, smaller operators might have to move quickly or be priced out.
In this new digital gold rush, the recipe is simple: track the power, track the policy, and construct where the future runs.
