imaginima/iStock via Getty Images Demand for artificial intelligence computing capacity continues to climb, but data center capacity under construction in primary U.S. markets was down at the end of last year for the first time since 2020, according to a new report this week by CBRE Group ( CBRE ). Capacity under construction fell to 5.99 GW at the end of 2025 from 6.35 GW at the end of 2024, the ...
imaginima/iStock via Getty Images Demand for artificial intelligence computing capacity continues to climb, but data center capacity under construction in primary U.S. markets was down at the end of last year for the first time since 2020, according to a new report this week by CBRE Group ( CBRE ). Capacity under construction fell to 5.99 GW at the end of 2025 from 6.35 GW at the end of 2024, the report said, as developers face mounting delays in permitting, zoning, and power procurement, as well as rising costs for construction, land, labor, and equipment. The delays and faster long-distance networks are driving development to move outside traditional data center sites such as northern Virginia, CBRE said in the report, which added that the overall vacancy rate in primary markets fell to a record low 1.4% at year-end 2025. Construction underway fell 29% Y/Y in northern Virginia, followed by a 15% decline in Hillsboro, Oregon, and a 14% slide in California's Silicon Valley; on the flip side, projects soared 169% in Chicago and 15% in Dallas-Fort Worth. Meanwhile, AI demand is forecast to require more than $3T in data center investment, including related power supplies, according to estimates from Morgan Stanley and Moody's. Local pushback against massive AI data center projects has intensified in recent months, and President Trump sought in his State of the Union address this week to calm a growing public backlash against AI data centers by proposing to require that companies build their own power plants. ETFs: ( XLU ), ( DTCR ), ( IDGT ), ( TRFK ), ( VOLT ) More on data centers DTCR: Real Estate Emerges As The New Hot AI Play DTCR: A 'Picks And Shovels' Play For The Digital Economy DTCR: The Future Of Data Centers You Need To Know