The short answer
As of November 9, 2026, Spezia tracks 294 U.S. data center projects that are not yet operating, planning 285.0 GW. 116 of them, 88.6 GW, are reported under construction. 25 projects, planning 21.6 GW in all, have a live construction record with the FAA or EPA that Spezia can tie to them. No record does not mean no work. From October 9, 2026 to November 8, 2026, 291 news stories covered the build-out.
- 294 projects plan 285.0 GW. 116 projects with 88.6 GW, 31% of the capacity, are reported under construction.
- Texas leads with 57.0 GW planned. The top five states hold 54% of all planned capacity.
- 25 of 294 projects have a live FAA crane filing or EPA construction permit, including 17 of the 116 reported under construction. A missing record is not proof that a site is idle.
- 291 separate stories in 794 reports covered the build-out from October 9, 2026 to November 8, 2026.
- Every number comes from Spezia's tracker, its count of news stories or a federal public record, and every table downloads as CSV.
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The month in numbers
Spezia's tracker follows U.S. data center projects from the first public filing to the day they open. This edition reads the tracker as of November 9, 2026, the FAA's and EPA's public records as of November 12, 2026, and the news from October 9, 2026 to November 8, 2026.
- planned across 294 projects not yet operating
- 285 GW
- reported under construction, in 116 projects
- 89 GW
- projects with a live FAA or EPA construction record
- 25
- separate news stories about the build-out in the month
- 291
The pipeline counts each project once, at its planned full size. Records of the same project are merged when they are in the same state, plan a capacity within 5% and name no conflicting city. The typical project plans 400 MW.
What moved this month
This is the first edition. From the next one on, this section also compares the tracker with the edition before it: projects added and dropped, and projects that changed stage.
The month's news
Spezia read 794 reports about the build-out from October 9, 2026 to November 8, 2026. Counted once per story, however many outlets ran it, that is 291 stories.
| Kind of story | Stories | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| New projects announced | 68 | 143 |
| Local opposition | 46 | 124 |
| Construction updates | 44 | 81 |
| Approvals | 41 | 97 |
| Disputes and delays | 26 | 91 |
| All other news | 66 | 258 |
Stories of local opposition (46) and of disputes and delays (26) together outnumbered stories of approvals (41). There were 68 stories announcing new projects. For where the fights are, see data center opposition and delays.
New public records
Federal records dated inside the month, at projects in the pipeline: 1 FAA filing received for 1 project and no new construction stormwater coverage with its own date. Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and West Virginia send EPA only the start of the permit term, not each site's own date, so a new coverage there cannot be dated.
One caution for this edition. When Spezia read the FAA's filing site on November 12, 2026, it said it could not accept new notices because of the government shutdown. The newest filing in the FAA's files was dated November 6, 2026. Few new FAA filings this month may say more about the shutdown than about cranes.
Where the build-out is
Texas leads with 41 projects and 57.0 GW planned, 20% of the national total. Utah (31.6 GW) and Wyoming (27.6 GW) follow. The top five states hold 54% of planned capacity.
Construction follows the same order. By capacity reported under construction, the leading states are Texas (17.4 GW), Utah (12.1 GW) and Wyoming (10.2 GW).
| State | Projects | Planned | Under construction | Capacity under construction | With a live record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 41 | 57.0 GW | 22 | 17.4 GW | 5 |
| Utah | 12 | 31.6 GW | 7 | 12.1 GW | 2 |
| Wyoming | 15 | 27.6 GW | 2 | 10.2 GW | 2 |
| Ohio | 7 | 21.0 GW | 3 | 9.2 GW | 1 |
| West Virginia | 8 | 16.3 GW | 0 | 0.0 GW | 0 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | 12.3 GW | 4 | 7.8 GW | 1 |
| New Mexico | 7 | 11.0 GW | 2 | 2.8 GW | 0 |
| Louisiana | 8 | 9.3 GW | 4 | 1.3 GW | 0 |
| Montana | 5 | 8.7 GW | 0 | 0.0 GW | 0 |
| Georgia | 8 | 8.6 GW | 1 | 0.2 GW | 0 |
Every state is listed at the end of this report. For more on how states compare, see data center capacity by state.
How much is under construction
31% of planned capacity is reported under construction. The largest share, 46%, is only announced, and 16% is approved but not yet reported under way.
| Stage | Projects | Planned capacity | Share of capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | 96 | 132.0 GW | 46.3% |
| Approved | 42 | 44.8 GW | 15.7% |
| Under construction | 116 | 88.6 GW | 31.1% |
| Blocked or paused | 11 | 8.5 GW | 3.0% |
| Unknown | 29 | 11.1 GW | 3.9% |
11 projects with 8.5 GW are blocked or paused. A stage is what the project's sources say. The next section checks it against federal records.
How many projects have a live construction record
A report that a project is under construction is a claim. A crane filed with the FAA, or stormwater coverage that gives a site the legal go-ahead to move earth, is a public record with a date. Spezia ties these records to projects each week.
On November 12, 2026, 25 of the 294 projects, with 21.6 GW planned, had at least one such record:
- 13 projects have an FAA crane or construction filing with work scheduled on November 12, 2026 (22 filings in all).
- 15 projects have construction stormwater coverage in force (20 permits).
Some projects have both.
| Stage | Projects | With a live record | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under construction | 116 | 17 | 15% |
| Approved | 42 | 2 | 5% |
| Announced | 96 | 3 | 3% |
| Blocked or paused | 11 | 0 | 0% |
| Unknown | 29 | 3 | 10% |
Of the 116 projects reported under construction, 17 have such a record. Another 8 projects have one while their sources still call them approved, announced or unknown, so they may be further along than reported. The projects with records are in 12 states, led by Texas (5), Virginia (4), Illinois (3) and Alabama (3).
What holds projects back
Spezia's model reads each project's sources and names its main constraint. It is shown here only for groups of 25 projects or more. Power holds the most planned capacity: 152.2 GW across 96 projects.
| Main constraint | Projects | Planned capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 96 | 152.2 GW |
| Permits | 54 | 57.7 GW |
| On track | 115 | 42.5 GW |
| Financing, opposition, equipment and labor | 29 | 32.6 GW |
For why power leads, see the gigawatt power wall.
How to cite this report
Cite it as: Spezia, "State of the U.S. data center build-out: November 2026," data as of November 9, 2026. Each table on this page downloads as CSV. A new edition comes out each month at its own address, and earlier editions stay as they were published.
Open any project in this report: its stage, size, owners and builders, and the FAA and EPA records behind it. Or ask for a free sample of the projects in your states.
Open the data center trackerEvery state in this edition
All 41 states with a project in the pipeline, ranked by planned capacity.
| State | Projects | Planned | Under construction | Capacity under construction | With a live record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 41 | 57.0 GW | 22 | 17.4 GW | 5 |
| Utah | 12 | 31.6 GW | 7 | 12.1 GW | 2 |
| Wyoming | 15 | 27.6 GW | 2 | 10.2 GW | 2 |
| Ohio | 7 | 21.0 GW | 3 | 9.2 GW | 1 |
| West Virginia | 8 | 16.3 GW | 0 | 0.0 GW | 0 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | 12.3 GW | 4 | 7.8 GW | 1 |
| New Mexico | 7 | 11.0 GW | 2 | 2.8 GW | 0 |
| Louisiana | 8 | 9.3 GW | 4 | 1.3 GW | 0 |
| Montana | 5 | 8.7 GW | 0 | 0.0 GW | 0 |
| Georgia | 8 | 8.6 GW | 1 | 0.2 GW | 0 |
| Kentucky | 11 | 8.4 GW | 2 | 0.9 GW | 0 |
| Arizona | 5 | 7.0 GW | 3 | 0.7 GW | 1 |
| Indiana | 6 | 6.3 GW | 3 | 4.0 GW | 1 |
| Arkansas | 9 | 5.7 GW | 2 | 2.9 GW | 0 |
| Mississippi | 9 | 5.4 GW | 6 | 2.4 GW | 0 |
| Illinois | 8 | 5.2 GW | 2 | 0.5 GW | 3 |
| Alabama | 10 | 4.5 GW | 4 | 0.7 GW | 3 |
| Nevada | 9 | 4.5 GW | 5 | 2.9 GW | 0 |
| Virginia | 14 | 3.6 GW | 8 | 1.4 GW | 4 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 3.5 GW | 3 | 2.1 GW | 0 |
| Missouri | 7 | 3.2 GW | 4 | 2.4 GW | 0 |
| Michigan | 3 | 3.0 GW | 1 | 1.4 GW | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 2.5 GW | 2 | 0.3 GW | 0 |
| Oregon | 7 | 1.8 GW | 3 | 0.3 GW | 0 |
| Minnesota | 5 | 1.8 GW | 1 | 0.2 GW | 0 |
| Wisconsin | 5 | 1.7 GW | 3 | 1.2 GW | 0 |
| Iowa | 3 | 1.6 GW | 1 | 0.2 GW | 0 |
| Florida | 2 | 1.6 GW | 0 | 0.0 GW | 0 |
| North Carolina | 4 | 1.5 GW | 0 | 0.0 GW | 0 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 1.5 GW | 0 | 0.0 GW | 1 |
| Colorado | 7 | 1.3 GW | 2 | 0.1 GW | 1 |
| New Jersey | 5 | 1.3 GW | 3 | 1.0 GW | 0 |
| North Dakota | 5 | 1.2 GW | 4 | 0.9 GW | 0 |
| South Dakota | 4 | 1.0 GW | 0 | 0.0 GW | 0 |
| New York | 4 | 0.6 GW | 1 | 0.2 GW | 0 |
| Maryland | 4 | 0.6 GW | 2 | 0.1 GW | 0 |
| Idaho | 2 | 0.4 GW | 1 | 0.4 GW | 0 |
| Kansas | 1 | 0.4 GW | 0 | 0.0 GW | 0 |
| Washington | 5 | 0.4 GW | 2 | 0.3 GW | 0 |
| California | 5 | 0.2 GW | 2 | 0.1 GW | 0 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 0.1 GW | 1 | 0.1 GW | 0 |
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How this was made
Spezia's project tracker reads public filings, permits and reporting, and keeps every fact with the sentence it was read from. This analysis covers U.S. data center projects that are not yet operating and report a capacity, with records of the same project merged (same state, capacity within 5%, no conflicting city). Capacity is the planned full build-out. A project's main constraint is Spezia's model reading its sources, and it is shown only for groups of 25 projects or more. Stages and states are the tracker's as of November 9, 2026. A live construction record means an FAA crane or construction filing with work scheduled on November 12, 2026, construction stormwater coverage in force, or an EPA air facility under construction, read from the FAA's and EPA's public files and tied to a project only when the record names the project, its owner or its builder, or sits at its site. News is counted once per story, not once per outlet, from October 9, 2026 to November 8, 2026; kinds of story with fewer than 25 stories are grouped together.
The data was read on November 9, 2026. Figures change as new research lands, and this post is updated when they do.
Sources
- Spezia U.S. data center project tracker, research run of November 9, 2026, Spezia
- Obstruction Evaluation / Airport Airspace Analysis (OE3A), Federal Aviation Administration
- ECHO data downloads: ICIS-Air and ICIS-NPDES datasets, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Common questions
How many data centers are under construction in the U.S. in November 2026?
Spezia tracks 116 projects reported under construction as of November 9, 2026, planning 88.6 GW, 31% of the 285 GW pipeline. Of those, 17 have a live FAA crane filing or EPA construction permit. A missing record does not mean a site is idle.
How does Spezia know a data center is really being built?
It checks the claim against public records with dates: cranes filed with the FAA, with their work dates, and construction stormwater coverage and generator air permits in EPA's files. A record counts only if it names the project, its owner or its builder, or sits at its site.
Which state is building the most data center capacity?
Texas plans the most, 57.0 GW across 41 projects. By capacity reported under construction, Texas leads with 17.4 GW.
How often is this report published?
Once a month, each at its own address with the date its data was read. Earlier editions are never rewritten, so a figure you cite keeps its source. From the second edition on, each one also compares the tracker with the edition before it.
Can I use these numbers?
Yes, with credit to Spezia and a link to this page. Each table downloads as CSV. Please quote the data date with the number, because the tracker is researched again every week.
Cite this
Spezia. "State of the U.S. data center build-out: November 2026" Spezia, November 12, 2026. https://spezia.ai/blog/data-center-report-november-2026
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