In Data Center Alley, AI sows building boom, doubts
by Alex PIGMAN, BARRON'S, December 3, 2025
edited by Andrew Zinin
Ashburn is in Loudoun County, the richest county per capita in the United States, with towns the world over looking at the Washington suburb as a way to win the future—even if others see it as a cautionary tale.
Among its 40,000 citizens, Ashburn alone has 152 data centers currently in operation over its 40 square kilometers (15.4 square miles), with more bursting from the ground, part of an AI investment boom creating a race for ever more massive structures.
In 2025, private companies are spending roughly $40 billion a month on data center construction in the United States, according to the US Census Bureau, much of that for megaprojects by the major AI players: Google, Amazon, Microsoft and OpenAI.
This compares to just $1.8 billion a decade ago.
In Data Center Alley, AI sows building boom, doubts
Trump’s push for more AI data centers faces backlash from his own voters
Story by Jarrett Renshaw and Laila Kearney, Reuters, December 2, 2025
Trump’s push for more AI data centers faces backlash from his own voters
The Spending Bubble Driving Corporate Profits Looks Set to Burst
Story by Brij Khurana, Barron's, December 3, 2025
The Spending Bubble Driving Corporate Profits Looks Set to Burst
Should be titled the Federal Government spending and tax cut bubble fueling corporate profits. |
