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.
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
CHAPTERS:
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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