The artificial intelligence explosion that reshaped construction markets in 2025 is carrying full momentum into 2026, with billions of dollars in new data center campuses scheduled to break ground across the United States. Contractors who serve the sector remain among the most optimistic in the industry as hyperscalers race to build the digital backbone for AI.
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The scale of spending became clear in early 2025 when OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle and MGX launched the Stargate Project, pledging $500 billion over four years for AI infrastructure. The announcement, endorsed by President Donald Trump at the White House alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison, signaled how central data centers have become to national economic strategy.
Other major commitments quickly followed:
According to ConstructConnect, U.S. data center construction starts reached $77.7 billion in 2025, a staggering 190% increase from the year before. Average monthly starts leapt from about $500 million in mid-2021 to $6.5 billion by December 2025.
Virginia led all states with $15.3 billion in starts, followed closely by Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Momentum shows little sign of easing. ConstructConnect is already tracking 76 projects valued at more than $88 billion slated to begin within the next six months — already 13% higher than total 2025 starts.
The Associated General Contractors’ 2026 Construction Outlook survey reflects the same confidence. When asked how available dollar value would change this year, 65% of contractors predicted an increase and only 8% expected a decline.
Overall, a net 57% of respondents foresee higher data center spending in 2026, making it the most bullish sector in the entire AGC survey, far ahead of power construction at 34%.
The surge carries enormous labor implications. A December 2025 study from the American Edge Project counted 4,149 active U.S. data centers, with 2,788 more announced or under construction. Building those facilities is expected to generate 4.7 million temporary construction jobs.
Longer term, McKinsey estimates $7 trillion in global data center capital expenditures by 2030, with more than 40% in the United States and 70% driven by hyperscalers such as Google, Meta and Microsoft.
1. OpenAI – Stargate I, Abilene, Texas – ~4M sq. ft., 1.2 GW, contractor Crusoe, fully operational by mid-2026
2. Vantage – Frontier, Texas – $25B, 3.7M sq. ft., 1.4 GW, contractor Kiewit
3. AVAIO – Digital Leo, Arkansas – $21B, 1 GW long-term capacity
4. Amazon – Pennsylvania – $20B+, contractor Northpoint Development
5. Vantage – Lighthouse, Wisconsin – $15B, 902 MW, multiple contractors
6. Meta – Hyperion, Louisiana – $10B+, up to 5 GW, Turner/DPR/Mortenson
7. Amazon – Richmond County, NC – $10B, contractor Walbridge
8. Compass – Meridian, Mississippi – $10B, contractor Eutaw Construction
For many contractors, data centers have become the steadiest pipeline in construction. The projects are massive, technically complex and often scheduled on aggressive timelines, favoring firms with strong self-perform capabilities and deep trade partnerships.
Challenges remain — particularly around power availability, specialized labor and supply of electrical components — but analysts say the sector will continue to outpace nearly every other construction category through the end of the decade.
Originally reported by Ben Thorpe in Equipment World.
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