Data centre construction skyrockets

Five Killer Charts

Good morning – here are your five chart for the day. Each one comes snap stat, quick take and why it matters. Skim, steal, forward (but always credit!!).

CHART 1 • US Data Centre Construction Spending Surge

The numbers are staggering. US data centre construction spending grew at a 40% compound annual rate from 2021 to February 2025, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $34.8 billion in February 2025. This isn't just growth – it's a complete reimagining of America's digital infrastructure.

AI demand will continue to build momentum in 2025, with global data centre construction at record levels. The AI data centre market is projected to grow at 28.3% CAGR through 2030, significantly outpacing traditional data centres. We're witnessing the birth of what McKinsey calls "AI factories" – facilities that require 40-250 kilowatts per rack compared to traditional data centres' 10-15 kilowatts.

The transformation runs deeper than capacity. Microsoft allocated $80 billion and Amazon planned to spend over $100 billion on AI-enabled data centers in 2025, with Google's parent company, Alphabet, committing $75 billion to expand its global data centre market reach. Even more audacious is the Stargate project – a $500 billion joint venture involving OpenAI, Oracle, and others that aims to deploy a 5GW data center by 2028.

Snap stat – $37.8 billion: Annual run rate of US data center construction in March 2025

Quick take – AI boom drives fastest infrastructure build-out since internet's birth

Why it matters – This spending surge signals America's commitment to winning the AI race

Steal-this-caption – "Data centers are the new factories of the digital economy"

Source: Econovisuals

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