Data centers, the digital backbone of AI growth and development, have seen a tremendous increase in power, demand, and growth over the last year. Data centers accounted for about 2.5% of U.S. electricity use in 2015 and now consume roughly 6%, a share that is rising rapidly as AI adoption expands. By 2030, data centers are projected to draw nearly 9% of national power, with AI workloads consuming up to 40% of that total. Behind the renderings and vision decks, however, lies a

Data center development over the last year has reshaped real estate, energy infrastructure, power markets, and the way we see the world completely. Hyperscaling, project capacity increases, and a surge in AI demands have had a large impact on the US and global economy.  US CAGR rates skyrocketed from 10% in 2025 to estimates surpassing 12% in 2030, signaling major market shifts. Data center development is set to exceed 400TWhrs of energy consumption and over 8% of total natio

The AI boom is pushing data center development into overdrive, but the biggest constraint isn’t land availability- it’s power. For hyperscalers and developers alike, securing sufficient interconnection capacity has become the longest, most expensive, and most uncertain part of the development timeline.

As AI workloads explode, hyperscalers scale faster than transmission infrastructure, and interconnection queues stretch into the next decade, one factor is quietly becoming a make‑or‑break competitive advantage: Proximity to generation.

The final week of January 2026 marks a pivotal shift in the sector. We are seeing a "tug-of-war" between unprecedented capital injections from the hardware sector and a hardening of local regulatory stances. For developers, the message is clear: the technical requirements for AI are scaling faster than the physical and social infrastructure can currently support. Success in the coming quarters will likely depend on "behind-the-meter" power strategies and navigating a more lit