The global data center market continued to accelerate in mid-2026, with hyperscale operators and infrastructure developers announcing major investments across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and South America. Driven by soaring demand for artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and high-performance computing (HPC), the month saw the launch of multi-gigawatt campuses, strategic land acquisitions, major financing deals, and new energy partnerships to support next-generation digital infrastructure.
Notable new data center project developments included Meta's 5 GW Hyperion expansion in Louisiana, SoftBank's proposed 5 GW AI data center program in France, AirTrunk's planned 3 GW campus in India, Brookfield and NextEra's USD 100 billion Paducah AI Energy Hub, and SK Telecom's USD 91.5 billion data center investment plan in South Korea.
Meanwhile, companies including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, QTS, Digital Realty, Pure DC, and Alibaba Cloud continued expanding their global footprints through new campuses, operational milestones, and AI-ready infrastructure projects.
North America Data Center Developments
a. Project Saltworks:
Headwaters Site Development, an affiliate of Stream Data Centers, is planning Project Saltworks, a large-scale data center campus on an approximately 890-acre site in Graham, Texas. The proposed development includes 15 data center buildings and is expected to attract around USD 10 billion in investment. The project remains in the proposed stage and IT capacity has not been disclosed.
b. Lancium Clean Campus
QTS has announced plans to invest approximately USD 10 billion to develop up to 11 data center buildings at Lancium's Clean Campus in Hall County, Texas. The campus spans around 465 acres and is supported by a 1 GW grid connection, with Lancium also providing on-site solar and battery energy storage. The project will feature closed-loop cooling systems to minimize water consumption and marks Lancium's second major Clean Campus development in Texas.
c. Hyperion Campus Expansion
Meta has expanded plans for its Hyperion data center campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana, increasing its planned capacity from 2 GW to 5 GW. The company will invest up to USD 50 billion in the project and has acquired an additional 1,400 acres, significantly expanding the campus footprint. Meta is also committing USD 1 billion to local infrastructure improvements, including roads, water, and wastewater systems, reinforcing the site's role as one of the company's largest AI-focused data center developments.
d. Matagorda County Campus
MARA Holdings has acquired a 1,200-acre site in Matagorda County, Texas, to develop a large-scale AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and Bitcoin mining campus. The site is expected to support up to 2 GW of power capacity, making it one of the company's largest planned infrastructure developments. The land acquisition marks the initial phase of the project, with further development plans to be announced.
e. Montogomery Amazon Data Center Campus
Amazon plans to invest USD 10 billion to develop a new data center campus in Montgomery County, Missouri, supporting the growing demand for cloud computing and AI infrastructure. The project is expected to generate substantial economic benefits, including long-term tax revenue and new jobs. Amazon will also fund all electrical grid connection costs in partnership with Ameren Missouri and is supporting local water conservation efforts through a collaboration with Arable Labs.
f. Montogomery Amazon Data Center Campus
Google has announced plans to invest approximately USD 15 billion in a new data center campus near New Florence in Montgomery County, Missouri. Located along the Interstate 70 corridor, the hyperscale development will support the company's expanding AI and cloud computing infrastructure. The announcement follows Amazon's planned investment in the county, bringing the combined value of announced data center projects in Montgomery County to USD 25 billion.
g. La Porte Data Center
Microsoft has broken ground on a more than USD 1 billion data center campus in La Porte, Indiana, with the first three data center buildings expected to begin operations in 2029. The initial development spans 500 acres, with plans to expand onto an adjacent 1,300-acre site, bringing the total campus to 17 data center buildings over the next decade. The project is expected to create more than 600 permanent jobs and support thousands of construction jobs during the buildout.
h. Mount Pleasant Campus
Microsoft has officially commenced operations at the first data center on its Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin campus, marking a key milestone in its AI infrastructure expansion. The campus is part of a multi-building AI cluster, with the initial phase covering 315 acres and additional expansion already underway. Microsoft has also received approval to develop 15 more data center buildings, while construction of a second facility is expected to be completed in 2028.
i. Digital Realty Hyperscale Campus – Kansas
Digital Realty has acquired a 1,440-acre site in De Soto, Kansas, for USD 474 million to develop a new hyperscale data center campus, marking its entry into the Kansas City market. The first phase will include nine data center buildings across 280 acres, with approximately 3 million square feet of space. The campus is backed by a 600 MW power agreement with Evergy, with the potential to scale up to 2 GW, supporting future expansion.
j. Project Kilby AI Data Center Power Campus – Reeves County, Texas
Chevron and Microsoft have signed a 20-year power purchase agreement to develop Project Kilby, a dedicated energy facility supporting a new AI data center campus in Reeves County, Texas. Built on more than 2,000 acres, the project will provide up to 2.67 GW of natural gas-fired power directly to Microsoft's data center through a behind-the-meter configuration, avoiding reliance on the public grid. The first phase is expected to begin delivering power in late 2028, with further expansion planned into the 2030s.
k. Prime Data Centers Phoenix Campus – Avondale, Arizona
Prime Data Centers has broken ground on the first three buildings of its 240 MW hyperscale data center campus in Avondale, Arizona. The first phase includes three 267,000-square-foot facilities, with the full 66.5-acre campus set to comprise five data centers totaling 1.3 million square feet. Designed for AI and high-performance computing workloads, the campus will operate on 100% renewable energy and feature advanced closed-loop cooling technology to minimize water consumption.
l. Paducah American Energy Hub – Kentucky
Brookfield and NextEra Energy are developing the Paducah American Energy Hub, a USD 100 billion AI data center and energy campus on the former U.S. Department of Energy Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site in Western Kentucky. The project will combine hyperscale AI data center infrastructure with new power generation and energy storage, creating approximately 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs.
Developed under the U.S. Department of Energy's American Energy Hubs initiative, the campus is expected to generate surplus electricity that can be supplied to the regional power grid.
Conclusion
The latest wave of announcements highlights how AI is reshaping the global data center landscape. Developers are building larger hyperscale campuses, securing dedicated power infrastructure, and expanding into emerging markets to meet unprecedented compute demand. As governments, utilities, and technology companies invest in next-generation digital infrastructure, the pace of new data center construction is expected to remain strong through the rest of 2026. Tracking these projects provides valuable insight into where future capacity, investment, and business opportunities are likely to emerge.
Find the Latest Data Center Facility Projects Around the World with Ease
Are you seeking reliable and up-to-date insights into data center projects worldwide?
Explore the Global Project Tracking (GPT) platform by Blackridge Research, your go-to resource for the latest data center projects and tenders across all stages:
• Upcoming Projects
• Tender Notices
• Contract Awards
• Projects Under Construction
• Completed Projects
Book a Free Demo today and see how the GPT platform can help you unlock opportunities and achieve your business goals.
Top comments (0)