AI Data Centers Drive $6 Billion U.S. Land Rush as 9 States Weigh Moratoriums
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Sep 6
AI Data Centers Drive $6 Billion U.S. Land Rush as 9 States Weigh Moratoriums
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Sep 6
Summary
$6 billion of U.S. land was bought for future data centers in the first half of 2026, up 79% from a year earlier, as AI infrastructure spreads into rural areas.
27% of U.S. development sites this year are data centers, second only to apartments, with developers chasing large tracts that also have reliable power, water and grid access.
Land prices in key hubs have surged far beyond traditional uses: Northern Virginia and Northeast sites topped $8 million an acre, and one Loudoun County offer reached $4.4 million versus a 2025 median of $125,000.
That scramble is intensifying local resistance over farmland loss, water use and electricity costs; PJM's market monitor said data-center load growth added $23.1 billion in capacity-market revenues through 2028.
Wall Street now treats the backlash as an investment risk, with Mizuho counting as many as nine states considering moratoriums after New York paused new hyperscale projects for up to one year.