Magazine Data centers

Inside a multibillion dollar AI data center powering the future of the American economy

By

Sharon Goldman and

Nicolas Rapp

By

Sharon Goldman and

Nicolas Rapp

January 27, 2026, 5:30 AM ET

Pre-AI-era data center might have spanned 100,000 to 300,000 square feet in a single building. The data centers of today could be as large as dozens of football fields.