A hyperscale data center is a very large facility built to run cloud and AI workloads for a single operator. The term is commonly used for sites with thousands of racks and tens of megawatts of capacity or more.
What makes it hyperscale
Scale and standardization. Operators build repeatable designs and add capacity quickly. Many sites are planned in phases, so a campus can grow from one building to several.
Why power is the first question
These facilities use a lot of electricity. A report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimated that data centers used about 4.4 percent of U.S. electricity in 2023 and could reach roughly 6.7 to 12 percent by 2028. That is why developers look for available grid capacity before they pick land.
Cooling and water
Servers produce heat, and removing it takes energy and sometimes water. Designs range from air cooling to closed loops and liquid cooling. We cover those in our cooling and water coverage.
What to watch
Interconnection timelines, local permits, equipment lead times and community concerns can all shape a project. For more, read our data center construction coverage.
Related reading
Keep going with more explainers in Eco Explained, or see the latest in News.
