infrastructure
The Cloud Was Already Inside the City
A new map of 4,283 U.S. data centers finds that nearly all sit in metropolitan or micropolitan areas, tied closely to inherited power infrastructure.
Summary
A new map of 4,283 U.S. data centers finds that nearly all sit in metropolitan or micropolitan areas, tied closely to inherited power infrastructure.
New York University researchers mapped 4,283 data centers across the contiguous United States and report that 97.5% are in metropolitan or micropolitan areas; the remainder average only 8.5 miles from an urban edge. Five metro areas contain nearly a third of the facilities, and electricity capacity was the strongest predictor of location. The Nature Cities analysis describes siting patterns, not the environmental performance of every facility.
Why it matters
A new map of 4,283 U.S. data centers finds that nearly all sit in metropolitan or micropolitan areas, tied closely to inherited power infrastructure.
Limits and context
- New York University researchers mapped 4,283 data centers across the contiguous United States and report that 97.5% are in metropolitan or micropolitan areas; the remainder average only 8.5 miles from an urban edge.
- The Nature Cities analysis describes siting patterns, not the environmental performance of every facility.
Key claims
A new map of 4,283 U.S. data centers finds that nearly all sit in metropolitan or micropolitan areas, tied closely to inherited power infrastructure.
Qualification: New York University researchers mapped 4,283 data centers across the contiguous United States and report that 97.5% are in metropolitan or micropolitan areas; the remainder average only 8.5 miles from an urban edge.
Evidence: source-2026-08-01-001
Sources
- New York University via Newswise: Where America's data centers actually liveNew York University via Newswise · official announcement
Corrections
No corrections have been recorded for this story.