How Data Centers Became Hot Real Estate Investments

The U.S. is home to the majority of the world’s data centers with just under 3,000, compared to the country with the next-closest amount, United Kingdom, at just 360. This concentration has brought up the value of the land where the data centers are built. Prices are soaring as much as ten times the original value in one Vint Hill, Virginia case. So how did this land zoned for data construction get so valuable, and will investors keep pouring money into the infrastructure that supports AI while potentially upsetting nearby residents? Chapters: 0:00 - Cold Open 1:13 - Where to build 2:37 - Private investments 5:18 - Pushback 7:53 - What’s next Produced and Edited by: Christian Nunley Additional Camera by: Katie Tarasov, Andrew Evers Animation: Emily Rabbideau, Jason Reginato Supervising Producer: Lindsey Jacobson, Tala Hadavi Additional Footage: Getty Images Additional Sources: Loudoun County, Fauquier County, AWS, NBC4 Washington, Data Center Map, CBRE