Arabic version: مراكز بيانات الذكاء الاصطناعي تعيد تشكيل أسواق الأراضي الريفية

According to Cnbc, investment in computing infrastructure for artificial intelligence is driving a commercial land rush in rural America, raising property values while provoking resistance from residents concerned about land, water and energy use.

Land purchases for future U.S. data centers reached about $6 billion in the first half of 2026, up 79% from a year earlier, commercial real estate firm Avison Young said. Data centers account for 27% of U.S. development sites this year, the second-largest category after apartment buildings. Properties with dependable grid access have drawn especially high prices, with Northern Virginia and Northeast site costs exceeding $8 million per acre last year, according to CBRE.

The development is creating difficult choices for farmers and landowners. In Pennsylvania, Bobbi Thompson and Michelle Kennedy said they received dozens of offers for their 45-acre family farm over the past year. They placed a conservation easement on the property to prevent future industrial conversion. In Idaho, commercial developer Mike Adler described remote alfalfa farms becoming prime real estate as Meta builds near Kuna and Micron constructs two semiconductor factories in the Boise metro area.

Opponents say data centers can strain water and power systems and reduce open land. Monitoring Analytics said existing and forecast data-center load growth was the primary reason for high prices in PJM electricity capacity markets, adding $23.1 billion in capacity-market revenues from auctions through 2028. Political pressure is also increasing: Mizuho said nine states had pending moratoriums on new data-center development, while New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a moratorium in July on new hyperscale facilities for up to one year. Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley analysts have identified state and local backlash as a risk to future growth and investment.