June data center activity signals continued U.S. buildout

Aterio’s July 2026 update says June brought new campus plans, utility-backed capacity, local approvals, land buys and resumed construction across major U.S. data center markets. The activity underscores how power access and permitting now shape which projects are most likely to move forward.

Why it matters: - June’s activity shows U.S. data center growth is still being driven by large campuses, power access and site control. - Projects with utility agreements, land secured or construction underway are advancing faster than speculative announcements. - The month also showed expansion beyond Northern Virginia into other Virginia markets, Texas, Georgia, Kansas, California, Pennsylvania and the Mountain West.

What happened: - Aterio released its July 2026 US Datacenter Monthly update covering major June 2026 development activity across the United States. - The report tracks active, under-construction and announced data center projects nationwide through Aterio’s daily-updated subscription dataset. - Microsoft is planning the AVC 22 campus in Clarksville, Virginia, with three data center buildings next to its existing AVC 17 site. - Tract is developing a 900-acre, 12-building campus in Goochland County, Virginia, with projected construction costs of about $3 billion. - DataBank is developing Project Indo in Cartersville, Georgia, a 200 MW campus totaling 1.1 million square feet. - Digital Realty acquired 1,440 acres for a new campus in Kansas. - The planned 1.8 GW Cheyenne campus is moving forward without Crusoe, and Black Hills Energy is now working directly with the hyperscaler customer widely reported to be Google. - Beacon Data Centers is planning the Golden Valley Technology Hub in Kern County, California. - AWS resumed construction at Village Technology Park in Virginia after more than eight months of inactivity. - Galaxy Digital is developing Project Merlin in McGregor, Texas. - Hood County, Texas, approved the Comanche Circle concept plan on June 9, 2026, in a 3–1 vote. - HCI DP Land Acquisition LLC is developing the Hummelstown Quarry Data Center Campus in South Hanover Township, Pennsylvania.

The details: - Digital Realty’s Kansas campus includes Phase 1 on 280 acres, with up to nine buildings and about 3 million square feet. - Evergy has agreed to provide 600 MW by early 2028, with capacity scaling to 2 GW over time. - The Cheyenne project is planned at 1.8 GW, and Black Hills Energy said it is now working directly with the hyperscaler customer. - Beacon’s Golden Valley Technology Hub would total 275 MW and about 400,000 square feet on 100 acres within the Elk Hills Oil Field. - California Resources Corporation’s existing natural gas plant would power the Beacon project. - AWS’s Village Technology Park restart was confirmed by June 2026 satellite imagery showing equipment installation at one of three previously delayed buildings. - Galaxy’s Project Merlin covers 500 acres and is planned for three to five powered shell buildings. - Comanche Circle has now moved into site development plan review after the county approved its concept plan. - The Hummelstown Quarry campus would include two buildings totaling about 596,800 square feet across 249.5 acres. - Aterio says the June update reflects observed development activity, local approvals, land acquisitions, utility-backed capacity and construction progress.

Between the lines: - Power access is becoming the main filter for what gets built, not just where companies want to build. - The mix of utility-backed deals, land acquisitions and resumed construction suggests the market is shifting from land banking to execution. - Virginia remains a core market, but the scale of projects in Kansas, Texas and California shows the buildout is spreading. - The Cheyenne project’s direct utility-customer relationship points to a more traditional development structure than some earlier large-campus deals.

What's next: - Projects moving through site development review, utility planning or active construction will be the ones to watch in the second half of 2026. - The pace of power delivery, permitting and equipment installation will likely determine which campuses can meet their announced timelines. - Aterio said its monthly updates will continue to track every active, under-construction and announced data center project in the U.S.

The bottom line: - June’s data center activity suggests the U.S. market is still expanding, but only projects with power, land and approvals are moving with real momentum. - More information is available in Aterio’s announcement.