Swedish construction and development company Skanska said on Thursday it will build four new data centers in the southeastern United States, Reuters reported. The company confirmed that it had signed a contract with one of its existing customers worth about $1.19 billion (11.2 billion Swedish crowns).
According to the company, the project involves the construction of data centers covering an area of approximately 75,000 square meters. In addition to the shell construction, the company will carry out interior fit-out work for technical space, support areas, and the office functions.
Construction of the data centers is expected to begin in Q3 2026 and be completed in the third quarter of 2028.
In the current era, the expansion of data centers is increasing rapidly, but there are many people who are concerned about the environment. Data centers require a significant amount of electricity to operate and a large quantity of fresh water for cooling. As a result, many people think that those who live near these facilities may face local water or electricity shortages in the future.
There have been rallies or protests about data centers in California, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Indiana, among other states, with the most controversy seen in various parts of Texas.
Earlier this year, a developer proposed building a massive $1.5 billion data center in San Marcos, Texas, but it was rejected due to protests from residents. Residents opposed the plan due to environmental concerns, which they think would put pressure on water, electricity, local rivers, and aquifers.
According to Pew Research, Virginia leads with 398 operating data centers, followed by Texas, with 296.
The AI boom and the rapid expansion of cloud computing have led major US technology companies to increase the construction of data centers around the world, including the United States.
According to Statista, the United States has more than 4,400 data centers, the most in the world. China, the United States’ technological rival, is far behind in this regard.
Also Read: AI Startup Relay Shuts Down as Founder and Staff Join Google Chrome
