Map of Data Centers Across the U.S.A.

This is an interactive map of Data Centers in the United States. It differentiates Universities, from other known Data Center Companies. For names, and type hover over the map. For more detail, zoom in. For more information, scroll down.

💽 Data Center Key 💽
●	Data Center	○	College, University	○	Meta	○	Google
○	Iron Mountain	○	Equinix	○	Other

Data Center Boom

Data centers seem to be all over the news. They support AI, which is taking over our jobs, crypto which is taking over our currency, and TikTok which is taking over our entertainment.

All these entities are taking over our skills, money, and time, but above all they are taking our Real Estate. As if they were not scary enough, they are also taking over our electricity, and our environment.

Apps, emails, photos, documents, videos, this website, you name it. We need data centers.

There are also local governments. To attract investment and the possibility of jobs, municipalities are giving data processing companies, tax breaks.

There is all this talk about data centers popping up around the country. Some of them are small and fit on the floor of an office building.

Technically a computer running crypto 24/7 is a data processing center. Some others cost millions and are taking acres of land.

Neighbors complain about the noise, and we don’t really know what their long-term effect near our homes is. Furthermore, we don’t know if they are risky to have nearby.

These centers require lots of electricity and water to run. Big companies run them and take the profit, but local communities see increases in electricity and water prices. Rumor is local communities will pay the bill.

It is so bad that Indiana Residents Shut Down Google Data Center Before It Could Be Built. Source: Futurism.

If you want to learn more about data centers, Amazon has Mastering Data Centers: A Comprehensive Guide to Learning the Essentials. This comprehensive guide is your roadmap to mastering data center operations, design, and strategic management, breaking down complex principles into a practical, step-by-step format designed to help you excel.

Data Center Mystery

I wanted to know where they are. Are they making one near my home? Do I have to pay for it? Are they planning one? Are they already here? Are they going to make people sick?

The government has no reason to provide information of where it stores national security data, or manage personnel information, support logistics, or conduct intelligence operations. So, they are a mystery.

Companies don’t advertise their data centers for security reasons. You may be surprised just how many are hiding in plain sight.

Workers might be required to sign NDAs to maintain their location private.

I went through the rabbit hole of finding where they are. Larger ones are hard to hide but, non-descript warehouse looking building could be a data center for NSA, Visa, Chase bank, Meta... you name it.

Data Center Locations

So, data centers need cheap land to be built in large scale, but they also need to be close to the population they serve! They need cheap power and fiber optics, low temperature areas, with access to water is a plus.

Water is used as a liquid coolant to dissipate heat from servers and equipment. Unfortunately, cheap land is frequently found in desertic areas. As low precipitation is common in these areas, data centers end competing with water with local farms, crops, and communities.

I found a cool map from NREL. But it is just an approximation of where data processing centers can be, using electricity and fiber optic availability.

As they use large amounts of electricity, data centers are looking for renewable energy, but they are also looking into coal, gas, and even oil to keep costs low.

Business Insider found another factor to find where they are. Most companies use diesel generators for emergency power, and states require air permits for these units. If the centers are large enough, companies must file permits. BI used this public information to map out locations—another proxy.

According to Brightlio.com the biggest data center locations are:

Northern Virginia: America’s Data Center Capital
Phoenix: A Leading Alternative for Data Centers
Silicon Valley: Hub of Innovation and Connectivity
Dallas: Central Connectivity & Economic Efficiency
Chicago: Central Connectivity and Strategic Location

Data Center Map

Since finding them is so convoluted, I used Open Street Map data. I filtered the data for Data Centers. I also included similar terms like processing centers.

Then I searched the web for more locations and added each one.