How the tracker is built, and how complete it is today.
Where every project comes from, how often each source is read, how records are tied to a project, what each source cannot see, and how full each field is. Every number on this page is counted from the data itself.
Counted Nov 13, 2026 · research run of Nov 9, 2026
- U.S. project records tracked
- 1,047
- distinct campuses, counting one developer in one town once
- About 788
- approved or under construction
- 408
- pages read in the latest research run
- 2,800
How full each field is.
A field counts as filled only when a source says it, with the quote kept. An empty field means no source has said it yet, not that it is unknown to the industry.
- Stage stated in a source83% · 869 of all projects100% · 408 of approved or building
- Size in megawatts45% · 467 of all projects55% · 223 of approved or building
- Owner or developer named85% · 885 of all projects91% · 371 of approved or building
- General contractor named22% · 230 of all projects31% · 126 of approved or building
- Electrical contractor named5% · 48 of all projects7% · 27 of approved or building
- Mechanical contractor named3% · 29 of all projects2% · 7 of approved or building
- Two or more sources30% · 310 of all projects48% · 195 of approved or building
- Public records searched14% · 150 of all projects36% · 148 of approved or building
Some records are phases or buildings of one campus, and now and then one campus is reported under two names. Counting one developer in one town once gives about 788 campuses for 1,047 records. A record with no town or no developer is counted on its own, so that figure errs high.
Projects by stage.
The stage a source states, with its quote. Announced is not built.
- Under construction29028%
- Approved11811%
- Announced34333%
- Operational919%
- Blocked or paused273%
- Stage not stated in a source17817%
Signs that a project is real and being built.
Dated signs from public records, site video and satellite images, read apart from the news, so a project's stage does not rest on one article.
- At least one FAA crane filing4% · 40 of all projects6% · 26 of approved or building
- An EPA air permit2% · 26 of all projects3% · 13 of approved or building
- EPA construction stormwater coverage4% · 41 of all projects6% · 24 of approved or building
- A reading from site video0% · 0 of all projects0% · 0 of approved or building
- A site pinned on the map8% · 85 of all projects10% · 42 of approved or building
- A satellite readingunder 1% · 4 of all projectsunder 1% · 3 of approved or building
Readiness signals
The utility contract, major equipment, grid connection and local approval are decided in each research run. The current run, of Nov 9, 2026, was built before they were added, so none are counted here yet.
Where each fact comes from, and what each source misses.
Every fact in a project file links to the page or public record it came from, with its date, so you can check it before you call.
Weekly research
Searches the trade press, company announcements and filings, utility and regulator filings and local government records for U.S. data center projects, reads each page and pulls out the project, its size, its stage and the companies on it.
Latest run finished Nov 9, 2026. It read 2,800 pages, kept 26,656 quoted facts and dropped 4,159 that failed the check.
- How often
- A full run every week. Public records for each live project (zoning cases, site plans, permits, utility filings) are searched again about every 3 weeks, and the 150 top live projects every run.
- How it is matched
- A fact is kept only when its quote is found word for word on the page it came from and the quote contains the name or number claimed. A stage with no supporting quote is left as not stated. Reports of one project from different pages are merged into one file with every source listed.
- Known limits
- Coverage follows what is published. A project nobody has written about or filed for is not here yet.
- Some records are phases or buildings of one campus, and now and then one campus is reported under two names, so the campus count on this page is an estimate.
Readiness signals
Four signs that a project is real and moving: the utility contract, major equipment orders, the grid connection agreement and local approval (including moratoriums).
None in the current research run (Nov 9, 2026), which was built before these signals were added.
- How often
- Decided again in every research run, from that run's reports and the latest public records search.
- How it is matched
- Each sign is decided from the strongest thing found, in order: a quote from a public record or report; the project's own tracked stage (an operating campus has power); a read of the reports by Spezia's model when it is at least 60% sure. Otherwise the file says there is no public sign.
- Known limits
- A sign that rests only on the model's read, with no quote behind it, is marked likely.
- Utility and interconnection agreements are often private. No public sign does not mean no agreement.
FAA crane filings
Anyone putting up a crane or tall structure that could matter to aircraft files a notice with the FAA (Form 7460-1) giving the exact point, the height, the work dates and who is behind it. The FAA publishes these as yearly files by region.
Last read Nov 13, 2026. Newest filing in the FAA files: Nov 6, 2026. 105 filings are tied to tracked projects.
- How often
- Read every week, this year's and last year's files for all nine FAA regions.
- How it is matched
- A filing is tied to a project only when it names the project, its owner or its builder, or says data center within 0.6 km of the project's pinned site and names no other owner. Upkeep at buildings already standing is left out, and a filing that fits two projects equally well is dropped.
- Known limits
- A filing shows up only after the FAA posts it to its files, so any pause or delay in the FAA's posting delays this signal.
- Matching prefers no match to a wrong one, so some real cranes at tracked sites are not shown.
- Cranes too short to need an FAA notice never appear.
EPA air and stormwater permits
EPA's public permit files. An air permit covers the backup generators or turbines and shows whether the facility is planned, under construction or operating. Construction stormwater coverage is needed before a site of an acre or more starts grading.
Last read Nov 13, 2026, from EPA's air file of Nov 8, 2026 and water file of Nov 8, 2026. Of the 43 states with tracked projects, 36 send EPA stormwater notices with their own dates and 7 send only permit term dates.
- How often
- Read every week from EPA's published data downloads. The page shows the date of EPA's own files.
- How it is matched
- The crane rules, made stricter: a record must name the project, its owner or its builder, a builder's record must also say data center, and a match by town alone needs a record from the last 4 years.
- Known limits
- States share stormwater notices with EPA unevenly: some send every notice with its own date, and some send only the start date of the statewide permit term, which says little about when one site began. The count above is measured from EPA's file each week.
- The air file gives no generator count, and the stormwater file gives no acreage.
Site videos
Public drone flyovers, local news footage and developer updates of a project's site. Spezia's model watches each matching video, writes down what is visible and judges the stage and how busy the site is.
No video readings stored yet.
- How often
- Searched daily. A project under construction is searched every 3 to 5 days, an approved one every 7 days, the rest less often.
- How it is matched
- A video is kept only when its title and description point at the project, and a reading counts only when the footage shows the site clearly and is judged to be the same site.
- Known limits
- Many sites have no public footage, and footage shows only part of a large campus.
- The stage read from a video is the model's judgment, shown with how sure it is.
Satellite readings
Free Sentinel-2 satellite images of each pinned site: the newest clear image compared with one from about nine months earlier, read by Spezia's model for the construction phase and whether more is built than before.
4 sites read; the newest reading is from Nov 13, 2026.
- How often
- A daily job reads the sites whose last reading is oldest, so each site is read about once a month. New sites are pinned from public maps of data center buildings.
- How it is matched
- Only projects with a pinned site get a reading. A site is pinned by hand or matched to a building mapped as a data center near the project's town.
- Known limits
- Each pixel is 10 m across, so it shows earthwork and large roofs, not equipment or interior work.
- Cloud cover can delay a reading, and the phase is the model's judgment.
The model's reads (a stage from a video or a satellite image, a readiness sign with no quote) are labeled as such inside Spezia, with how sure it is. This page shows them only as counts across all projects. Back to the tracker.
See the projects in your states.
A free sample of the active projects where you work, with their stage and size, then every project file with its sources.