The explosion of AI across every industry has seen hundreds of water- and power-hungry server farms sprout up across the US. Already, one-third of the world’s internet traffic flows through data centers in just one US state: Virginia.
However, until now, there has been no official record of the number of data centers in America, who owns them, or how much electricity they consume.
In an exclusive deep dive into the industry, Business Insider reporters cracked the code and, for the first time, revealed the true cost of the data warehouses feeding our growing appetite for cloud computing and AI. We travelled to Virginia to meet people living in the shadow of 80-foot-high boxes that emit a constant drone, and to the drought-ridden state of Arizona, where some data centers are using as much as a million gallons of water a day to help cool their computer servers.
Business Insider also discovered that the power needs of data centers have forced some states to withdraw from their carbon emissions targets. Power companies are even looking to extend the life of coal and gas plants to help meet the unprecedented demand.
Check to see what data centers might be near your region: https://bit.ly/4nQz1GO
You can access our long read on data centers on the Business Insider website: https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-data-center-development-true-cost-environmental-impact-2025-6
Take a look at Business Insider’s methodology for a full breakdown of how we conducted our research and compiled our map: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-calculate-data-center-cost-environmental-impact-methodology-2025-6
This video has been nominated for a 2026 News & Documentary Emmy in the Outstanding Business, Consumer or Economic Coverage category.
00:00 – Intro
01:34 – Welcome to Data Center Alley
02:41 – Living Next Door to a Data Center
05:16 – How We Built Our Data Center Map
07:59 – A Drive Through ‘Data Center Alley’
09:21 – Inside a Data Center in Wyoming
12:23 – How Does a Data Center Work?
13:52 – Living With the Drone – Meet Carlos
17:34 – Thirsty Data Centers in Drought Country
23:25 – Data Centers Vs Environmental Targets
26:38 – Tax Breaks and Incentives
28:34 – Just the Beginning
29:14 – Donna’s Choice
29:48 – Company Responses
30:25 – Credits
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#datacenters #ai #viewfromabove
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Exposing The Dark Side of America’s AI Data Center Explosion | View From Above | Business Insider
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This video has been nominated for a 2026 News & Documentary Emmy in the Outstanding Business, Consumer or Economic Coverage category.
See where data centers are across the US on our interactive map: https://trib.al/7TONXv3
Would love to see the map, unfortunately it is pay-walled.
Hey this might be a better resource for people to fight back if it wasnt paywalled. Be better.
🥲
@BusinessInsider – was surprised to not find this posted on X? Want to know as this series continues, will the map be updated to include new data centers approved after the previous cutoff of end of 2024?
Thanks for the information comrade. We appreciate it. ~Vladimir
In Arizona residential customers pay 14 cents per kilowatt, but the Data Center pays 4 cents per kilowatt, outrageous
How much is your AI Data Center paying?
Old data centers are low power Web server for YouTube, Netflix.
New AI data centers are High Power, High Heat, High Noise, Not in my Neighborhood!
Do you trust your 5 Utility commission members? Flock Them Now Get the commissioner license plate and then Let’s Ask Flock to
Follow them. Follow the Money of Each of the Corporation Commission members!
Money by Mayor, Governor, County Supervisors hidden.
Politicians give outrageous Tax breaks to these AI data centers, but After construction is over the few jobs needed to maintain the data center will be outsourced to Foreigners.
Can you say Illegal hidden Kickbacks. Contracts using NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) to Hide Electric, Water, Gas or Diesel Turbines to Generate Electricity and other Infrastructure Requirements. For Profit Power Electric companies are going to hide the 20 billion cost for electric generators, giant power poles and infrastructure. Citizens are going to pay for Years.
AI chips are obsolete after 2 years, Then they will need to build new Servers for the Data Centers, so AI data centers will also be Obsolete every 2 years!
If AI is needed for National Security Add a National AI Infrastructure Tax on Commercial Business Electric bills nationwide (Not Residential bills) !
The internet has worked perfectly fine the last 25 years or so why all of a sudden do we need all of this
Why in the world didn’t they build them under ground… where it cooler and the noise would be dampened???
中国是这么干的，比如腾讯贵安七星数据中心就是建在山洞里边
Dont need renewal energy, we need nuclear energy
I dont know why states would offer data centers anything to come to the state. Sure when they are building, its good for jobs. However after that point, what benefit does the state or its population get for getting the data center
The US will be ruined because of the Democrats’ opposition to data centers.
You ask AI a question, in a creepy slimy salesperson way it flatters you then encourages you yo ask more.its a scam
Kamala Harris’s stance and policies regarding data centers center on scaling artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure while balancing environmental concerns and grid investments:
• Executive Actions & Support: As Vice President, Harris supported the January 14, 2025, Executive Order on Advancing U.S. Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure, which aimed to accelerate the development of large-scale data centers and clean power facilities to support AI operations.
• Renewable Energy Requirements: Harris has stated that AI data centers should be powered by renewable energy and require investments to upgrade the national power grid.
• Economic Proposals: During her political campaigns, she proposed measures like the “America Forward tax credit” to support industries of the future, including building new data centers for AI and revitalizing the semiconductor industry.
• Calls for Pacing/Regulation: In September 2026, Harris joined other prominent Democrats in calling for a responsible slowdown or pause in frontier AI development to allow safety regulations, oversight, and public interest protections to catch up with the technology’s rapid growth.
• Geographic Trends: Historically, a majority of data center capacity was built in states won by Democrats (including states Harris won by 5 points or more), though recent industry expansion has increasingly shifted toward states won by Donald Trump due to local permitting environments.