The AI Land Rush: How Data Center Demand Is Transforming Rural America

The explosive growth of artificial intelligence is driving a new land rush in the United States, as tech companies and investors search for sites to build data centers and support an expanding AI infrastructure. This report examines the boom through visits to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and Boise, Idaho, showing how farmers, developers, business owners, and regulators are navigating the changes.

- In rural Pennsylvania, family farms face repeated purchase offers and encroaching industrial development tied to a nearby data center project.
- In the Boise area, semiconductor and data center construction is transforming former farmland into sought-after industrial property, while a local supplier experiences rapid business growth.
- Rising land values are making it harder for companies to find space, and access to electricity is becoming a decisive factor in which land can be developed.
- Residents and local officials express concern about the speed of growth, prompting regulatory measures aimed at protecting communities and ratepayers.

Those interested in technology's geographical footprint and the trade-offs surrounding energy-hungry data centers will come away with a clearer view of the challenges and competing interests behind the AI buildout.