Aterio monthly · Published
US Data Centers, August 2026
July activity was led by several large-scale AI campuses moving forward across Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, and Alberta. Major providers continued to expand planned capacity, while power strategy remained central to project development, with behind-the-meter generation, dedicated natural gas plants, grid interconnections, and hyperscaler-specific campus designs shaping the pipeline.
The month also showed continued growth outside traditional data center hubs, as operators and developers pursued large land positions and power-backed sites in West Texas, Louisiana, Alberta, Georgia, and Indiana.
Large-Scale AI Campus Development
#01Meta Expands Hyperion Campus to 5 GW (LA)
Meta has expanded its Hyperion campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana from 2 GW to 5 GW of IT capacity, with total investment projected to reach up to $50B. The expansion positions Hyperion as one of the largest AI-focused data center campuses currently planned in North America.
- #02
Circe Energy Plans 2 GW Behind-the-Meter AI Campus (TX)
Circe Energy is developing a 1,950-acre AI infrastructure campus in West Texas powered entirely by a behind-the-meter microgrid using Cummins natural gas generators. The project is planned to scale from 10 MW in 2026 to 1.1 GW by 2030, with potential expansion to 2 GW.
- #03
Meta Announces First Canadian Data Center in Alberta (AB)
Meta has announced its first Canadian data center in Sturgeon County, Alberta, a 1 GW AI-optimized campus spanning 1,750 acres with a projected US$9.17B investment. The campus will be powered by the 932 MW Greenlight Electricity Centre natural gas plant, with four data center buildings shown in project renderings.
Hyperscale Campus Expansion and Construction Progress
#04AWS Expands Hobart Campus to ~2 GW (IN)
Latest filings indicate Amazon Web Services is expanding its Hobart Data Center Campus from six to 26 planned buildings, bringing the full development to roughly ~2 GW of facility power capacity. Construction is already underway, with Aterio first confirming large-scale site clearing in March 2026.
- #05
Microsoft Restarts 869 MW Licking County Buildout (OH)
Microsoft has restarted construction across its Heath, Hebron, and New Albany campuses in Licking County, Ohio, totaling 17 buildings and approximately 869 MW. June 2026 satellite imagery confirms active site clearing and mass grading after the projects were paused in April 2025, with operations still targeted by the end of 2029.
- #06
QTS Plans 11-Building Campus at Lancium’s Clean Campus (TX)
QTS plans to build 11 data centers on Lancium’s Clean Campus in Hall County, Texas, representing a $10B investment across 465 acres anchored by a 1 GW grid connection.
Power-Backed Sites and Behind-the-Meter Development
#07Big Digital Energy Acquires Power-Ready Site in Hood County (TX)
Big Digital Energy, through a 50:50 joint venture with 10NetZero, has acquired a 50-acre power-ready site in Hood County, Texas with 17 MW of existing capacity. The site is expandable to 111 MW from the grid and up to 311 MW with behind-the-meter natural gas generation.
Early-Stage Development and Hyperscaler Signals
#08Spring Valley Technology Park Aligns With AWS Design Standards (VA)
Spring Valley Technology Park remains pending approval in Loudoun County, Virginia, with plans for 12 data center buildings totaling approximately 3.17M sq ft and roughly 858 MW across 362 acres. Updated renderings closely match Amazon Web Services’ standard campus design, reinforcing AWS as the likely hyperscaler behind the project.
- #09
Google Confirmed as End User for 8M sq ft Georgia Campus (GA)
Google has been confirmed as the sole end user and operator of the planned Columbia County data center campus in Georgia, comprising 23 buildings totaling approximately 8M sq ft across 1,900 acres northwest of White Oak Business Park.
- #10
Crusoe Explores 100 MW Project Flash in Virginia (VA)
Crusoe is exploring Project Flash, a proposed 100 MW data center at Summit View Business Park in Franklin County, Virginia. Project layout, tenants, and development timeline have not yet been disclosed.
July developments show continued growth in very large AI-focused campuses, with Meta, AWS, Microsoft, Google, QTS, and emerging power-backed developers advancing projects across multiple regions.
Power strategy remains one of the clearest themes. Behind-the-meter generation, dedicated natural gas plants, grid-backed campuses, and large land positions are increasingly shaping where capacity is planned and which projects appear positioned to move forward.
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