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Slow Boring ·Behind the news

There’s an Awful Lot We Don’t Know About Data Centers

by Matthew Yglesias

Published 2026-09-08 10:03:27+00:00

Why is it so hard to count the buildings where the internet actually lives?

0:00 / 4:28 · Narrator Algieba

Context

Matthew Yglesias started looking for a simple statistic and ended up finding a blind spot in the tech debate. Writing on 8 September 2026, he points out that while politicians argue over the sudden boom in data centers, nobody actually knows how many are being built. Think tanks publish conflicting charts, and tech giants hide their server farms as trade secrets. He pauses to ask a surprisingly basic question: how can anyone manage the physical backbone of the internet without knowing where it is?

Show notes

An explanation of why basic facts about data center construction remain largely unknown. Compares conflicting reports from major think tanks to show how inconsistent definitions, the lack of a federal regulatory category, and corporate secrecy hide the industry's true size. Details the measurement problems that prevent anyone from tracking how fast these facilities are actually being built.

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