Data Centers: AI apocalypse or the modern American export miracle?
The U.S. dominates world data center statistics. The decisive market advantage of American data centers must be maintained and celebrated, not squandered on hyperbolic scary bedtime stories
Data centers have become a modern visceral battleground over economic growth versus the panicked hysteria of the impending demise of civilization.
We have gone through histrionic freak outs before, such as the 1970s where the promise of nuclear power was torn down in a frenzied tantrum only to be “discovered” 50 years later as one of the foundational power sources for the future.
The oft used expression is that 70% of the world’s data traffic travels through the U.S., much of it through Northern Virginia.
Tim’s article is now seven years old which is centuries in the AI and data center world, so the numbers in favor in America have grown even better.
Regardless of Tim’s attempt to quibble over the 70% metric, the reality is that a very large percentage of the world’s AI compute and processing takes place in the U.S. which means jobs jobs jobs for the U.S.
Jobs in construction, jobs in chip manufacturing, jobs in manufacturing of servers, routers, and compute capacity, and jobs in the operation of data centers.
The world’s compute, processing, and AI related ones and zeros seek American Data Centers to about a 60-80% share
This is a huge vote of confidence in American AI and data centers.
Why would we seek to undermine our own success?
Why would we give away such market advantage when the world’s digital economy is demanding U.S. compute, processing power along with U.S. AI capabilities?
Here we have success and market dominance yet suddenly we have a groundswell (real or fake) that wants to throw American success overboard and go back to stone knives and bearskins.
Hmm, we had societal meltdown over COVID, the unquestioned need for the vaccine, and the weaponization of truth on the source of COVID.
Seems like the same mob mentality of wokeness has found a new target with data centers.
Let’s review some of the basic statistics
First, America dominates in the number of data centers
Second, America dominates energy usage for data centers (which is another way to measure power of data centers).
Which companies dominate the flow of internet traffic through these data centers?
Looks solidly American to me.
If you want America First, you have it right here in the American AI and data center model which dominates the world.
If you want American jobs, you have it right here with American AI and data centers.
If you’re concerned about lawless Big Tech, beat them into submission with America First principles based upon our incredible Constitution.
If you’re concerned about the growth of data centers (which I am), be aware, be informed, but do not be stampeded into the AI/Data Center doom grift.
The American model and mantra should be “Innovate, don’t Regulate”.
The EU and China are doing the opposite.
No country has ever regulated itself to greatness.
The EU and China are attempting to defy gravity by placing regulation first.
Good luck to them.
Bottom line - American data centers will get better, faster, cheaper, more efficient, use less energy, and smaller.
I guarantee it.
Data centers fall under Moore’s Law - which has been 100% accurate.
Moore’s Law means improved AI, compute, and processing power will give such improvements that in 10 years most of the data centers in Northern Virginia will be declared redundant because of the increase in AI/data center computing power, decrease in power usage, and miniaturization.
Remember the first large American computers in these large blockhouses around America during the Cold War?
They went away - your single smartphone is more powerful than this entire blockhouse.
Moore’s Law was proven decisively true, and has been over and over again.
Do not be a Panican.
Embrace and celebrate the power of American AI and data centers.
If you don’t, another country will and then create their own version of their AI and their data centers
It won’t be good.
I’ll put American AI and data centers first over the alternative.
© 2026 UAEC LLC All viewpoints are personal and do not reflect the viewpoints of any organization.