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U.S. Data Center Construction Hits an $85 Billion Annual Pace

U.S. data center construction reached an estimated $84.95 billion annualized pace in August 2026. The figure covers buildings, not servers or separate power infrastructure.
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U.S. data center construction spending reached an estimated $84.95 billion seasonally adjusted annual rate in August 2026, or about $85 billion. That is an annualized pace based on one month’s estimate—not the amount spent over a completed year—and it was 73.2% above the August 2025 estimate, according to KPMG’s analysis of Census data.

What the $85 billion figure measures

The figure refers to construction spending on data center buildings, which are counted as a subcategory of private office construction. The estimate attributed to U.S. Census Bureau tables was $84.95 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate for August 2026, compared with $49.05 billion in August 2025. Tom’s Hardware reported both figures; KPMG put the year-over-year increase at 73.2%.

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Because the August estimate is stated at an annual rate, it describes the pace implied by that month’s spending after seasonal adjustment. It is not a count of completed projects or a measured total for calendar 2026.

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How large data centers are within office construction

Tom’s Hardware reported that data centers represented about 63% of private office construction in August 2026. That comparison helps explain why a surge in data center building can have an outsized effect on the office-construction category, but it does not mean data centers account for 63% of all construction spending.

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What is—and is not—included

The construction estimate covers the buildings used to house equipment that stores, processes and transmits digital information. It does not include the value of racks or servers installed inside those buildings. Power plants and transmission lines built to meet data center demand are tracked in a separate power category. The $85 billion figure therefore measures building construction, not total data center investment or total AI infrastructure spending.

Why the estimates need qualification

The $84.95 billion figure and its August 2025 comparison were reported by Tom’s Hardware as Census Bureau construction-spending estimates; KPMG described the increase as 73.2% year over year. The underlying Census table was not available in the reporting examined here, so the precise primary-source value and its revision status are not independently established in those accounts.

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KPMG also said revised GDP data put data center construction 34% higher than previous estimates as of the second quarter. That is a revision to GDP estimates; it should not be read as evidence that the monthly construction-spending estimate itself was revised by the same amount.

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Why the record pace matters

At an estimated annualized pace near $85 billion, data center buildings have become a major part of private office construction. The steep year-over-year rise points to a rapid expansion in building activity, but the headline alone cannot show how much equipment will go into those facilities, how much separate power infrastructure will cost, or what the final full-year construction total will be.

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Sources: Tom’s Hardware; KPMG, U.S. Economic Compass.

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