Jan 2, 2026 06:22 PM
Researchers are hunting America for hidden datacenters
https://www.404media.co/researchers-are-...tacenters/
EXCERPTS: A team of researchers at Epoch AI, a non-profit research institute, are using open-source intelligence to map the growth of America’s datacenters. The team pores over satellite imagery, building permits, and other local legal documents to build a map of the massive computer filled buildings springing up across the United States. They take that data and turn it into an interactive map that lists their costs, power output, and owners.
Massive datacenter construction projects are a growing and controversial industry in America. Silicon Valley and the Trump administration are betting the entire American economy on the continued growth of AI, a mission that’ll require spending billions of dollars on datacenters and new energy infrastructure. Epoch AI’s maps act as a central repository of information about the noisy and water hungry buildings growing in our communities.
[...] Information about the datacenters is incomplete. It’s impossible to know exactly how much everything costs and how it will run. State and local laws are variable so not all construction information is public and satellite imagery can only tell a person so much about what’s happening on the ground. Epoch AI’s map is likely only watching a fraction of the world’s datacenters. “As of November 2025, this subset is an estimated 15% of AI compute that has been delivered by chip manufacturers globally,” Epoch AI explained on its website. “We are expanding our search to find the largest data centers worldwide, using satellite imagery and other data sources.”
[...] Charting America’s datacenters with open source intelligence isn’t a perfect practice. “In the discovery phase, some data centers will be so obscure that we won’t find news, rumors, or existing databases mentioning them. While larger data centers are more likely to be reported due to their significance and physical footprint, there are many smaller data centers (<100 MW) that could add up to significant levels of AI compute,” Epoch AI said.
But Epoch AI continues to expand its toolset and look through more satellite imagery with the goal of mapping Big Tech’s newest project. The goal is to cast light into the darkness... (MORE - details)
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With this degree of explosion and the amount of resources being pumped into them, some of the techno-singularity predictions don't sound quite as wild as they used to. Vernor Vinge's max of 2030 probably isn't tenable, but Kurzweil's 2045 is in the game, and most certainly Moravec's 2050. Of course, the army of diverse robots (including raw material extractors) needs to be present in order to avoid being an AI God trapped on a shelf (or array of building complexes). Of course, a true Machiavellian manipulator could initiate human work projects via zombie companies and corporations. While the demonic TS of the movies and literature will actually still be very much melodrama, perhaps a more passive archailect is what's rearing its head more in credibility terms.
https://www.404media.co/researchers-are-...tacenters/
EXCERPTS: A team of researchers at Epoch AI, a non-profit research institute, are using open-source intelligence to map the growth of America’s datacenters. The team pores over satellite imagery, building permits, and other local legal documents to build a map of the massive computer filled buildings springing up across the United States. They take that data and turn it into an interactive map that lists their costs, power output, and owners.
Massive datacenter construction projects are a growing and controversial industry in America. Silicon Valley and the Trump administration are betting the entire American economy on the continued growth of AI, a mission that’ll require spending billions of dollars on datacenters and new energy infrastructure. Epoch AI’s maps act as a central repository of information about the noisy and water hungry buildings growing in our communities.
[...] Information about the datacenters is incomplete. It’s impossible to know exactly how much everything costs and how it will run. State and local laws are variable so not all construction information is public and satellite imagery can only tell a person so much about what’s happening on the ground. Epoch AI’s map is likely only watching a fraction of the world’s datacenters. “As of November 2025, this subset is an estimated 15% of AI compute that has been delivered by chip manufacturers globally,” Epoch AI explained on its website. “We are expanding our search to find the largest data centers worldwide, using satellite imagery and other data sources.”
[...] Charting America’s datacenters with open source intelligence isn’t a perfect practice. “In the discovery phase, some data centers will be so obscure that we won’t find news, rumors, or existing databases mentioning them. While larger data centers are more likely to be reported due to their significance and physical footprint, there are many smaller data centers (<100 MW) that could add up to significant levels of AI compute,” Epoch AI said.
But Epoch AI continues to expand its toolset and look through more satellite imagery with the goal of mapping Big Tech’s newest project. The goal is to cast light into the darkness... (MORE - details)
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
With this degree of explosion and the amount of resources being pumped into them, some of the techno-singularity predictions don't sound quite as wild as they used to. Vernor Vinge's max of 2030 probably isn't tenable, but Kurzweil's 2045 is in the game, and most certainly Moravec's 2050. Of course, the army of diverse robots (including raw material extractors) needs to be present in order to avoid being an AI God trapped on a shelf (or array of building complexes). Of course, a true Machiavellian manipulator could initiate human work projects via zombie companies and corporations. While the demonic TS of the movies and literature will actually still be very much melodrama, perhaps a more passive archailect is what's rearing its head more in credibility terms.