Data centers are changing America’s landscape, report says

September 29, 2026 / 5:51 PM EDT / CBS News

The corporate technology giants building data centers to power the artificial intelligence boom are changing America's natural landscape.

Although data centers long predate generative AI, hundreds of massive, or "hyperscale," facilities are now sprouting up around the country. Many of these data centers are going up in areas that were once farmland or desert, according to satellite imagery published by the Washington Post.

More than 1,300 data centers operate in the U.S. today, according to Cleanview, a market intelligence firm. An additional 2,231 data center projects are planned or in development, according to the group. About 100 facilities already in operation are classified as hyperscale centers that consume at least 100 megawatts of power at peak capacity, according to Cleanview.

"Roughly 40 percent of today's hyperscale data centers were built on previously developed land. The rest took over farmland, shrubland and forest," the Washington Post reported.

The data centers that power AI have a voracious appetite for electricity. Some companies erecting the facilities are building their own power grids to sidestep criticism that they strain the electric grid and drive up utility costs for residents.

"The way that a lot…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/healthwatch/