Data Center Rundown: August 2025

27 August 2025

August is typically a month of beach trips, summer slowdown, and out-of-office replies – but if the data center world got the memo, it sure didn’t act like it. This month, we saw power-hungry AI data centers pop up in places you might not expect (hello, Mississippi and Côte d’Ivoire), record-breaking investments take shape (looking at you, $22B Vantage deal), and hyperscale titans like Google and Microsoft charge full-speed ahead with massive new campuses.

From Saudi Arabia’s AI ambitions to Oracle’s gas-powered workaround in West Texas, and Meta's dual-track approach of sustainability and scale, this month’s developments underscore a powerful trend: AI demand is now the single biggest driver of global infrastructure expansion. Energy bottlenecks? Still a problem. Capital? Flowing freely. Regulation? It’s catching up – but just barely.

Let’s unpack the biggest stories that shaped August.

Saudi Arabia's Humain Takes Off with AI‑Powered Data Centers

Saudi AI startup Humain, backed by the Public Investment Fund and chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has started building two data centers in Riyadh and Dammam. Each will launch with ~100 MW of capacity and is set to go live in early 2026.

The facilities will be powered by US-imported advanced semiconductors, including Nvidia’s "Blackwell" AI chips (18,000 chips initially). AMD is also joining in with a $10 billion partnership with Humain.

JPMorgan & MUFG Eye Massive $22B Data-Center Loan for Vantage in Texas

JPMorgan Chase and MUFG (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group) are in talks to underwrite a $22B loan to support a huge Vantage Data Centers campus in Texas. Silver Lake and DigitalBridge are bringing $3B in equity. This move underlines the surging monetary value and investment appetite for AI-driven data-center infrastructure.

Equinix Bets Big on Advanced Nuclear Energy (1 GW+)

Equinix has inked several forward-looking energy deals to power its data centers with next-generation sources. The agreements total over 1 gigawatt of capacity and include:

• A 500 MW power purchase from Oklo’s advanced fission reactors.

• A pre-order for 20 transportable microreactors from Radiant Nuclear.

• Future energy arrangements with European nuclear innovators ULC‑Energy and Stellaria.

• An agreement with Bloom Energy to deploy advanced fuel cell systems.
  This suite of deals forms part of Equinix’s longer-term strategy to diversify electricity supply amid surging AI‑driven energy demands.

UK Developers Tap Gas Pipelines for Power

A host of AI-data-center developers in southern England are exploring direct connections to gas pipelines, aiming to build on-site gas-fired power until electricity grid connections catch up. These requests amount to approximately 2.5 GW in capacity – enough to power several million homes. While a pragmatic solution to connectivity delays, environmental trade-offs are sparking debate.

Oracle Plans West Texas Mega‑Site with Potential Gas Power

Oracle’s planned “Frontier” campus in West Texas may temporarily rely on gas power due to grid delays. That single site alone is expected to deliver 1.4 GW capacity, with annual costs potentially exceeding $1B. The project comes amid Oracle’s expanding role in supporting AI infrastructure – despite recent financial turbulence, analysts expect profitability to return as cloud revenues scale.

Microsoft Expands in Texas – With Local Concerns

Microsoft is building two new data centers near San Antonio (Medina County). Each is approximately $350 million and ~245,000 sq ft, slated to finish by mid‑2027. Locals are concerned about traffic, road damage, and water usage – especially as Microsoft used 2.1 billion gallons in 2023. Still, the expansion promises to add up to 791 full-time jobs by end of 2026.

Meta’s Kansas City Data Center Goes Live

Meta’s $1B Kansas City, Missouri data center is now operational. It’s LEED Gold-certified, powered by 100% clean energy, and uses innovative water-conserving cooling tech. Meta’s investment also included local support – over $1m to schools and nonprofits – and Community Accelerator events promoting AI skills.

Côte d’Ivoire Scores $66M US Guarantee for National Data Center

The US Ex-Im Bank has approved an $66m guarantee to finance a national data center in Côte d’Ivoire, equipping the project with US-provided equipment (via Cybastion) to boost secure local hosting and digital growth.

Mississippi Greenlights $6B Data Center in Brandon

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced a $6B data center development in Brandon – calling it the third-largest investment in state history. It promises high-tech jobs and major economic impact

Google Commits $9B to Expand AI Data Centers in Oklahoma

Google revealed a $9B investment over two years for AI and cloud infrastructure in Oklahoma – adding a new campus in Stillwater and expanding its Pryor facility. The plan includes workforce training (a 135% bump in electrical training capacity), along with sustainability metrics: 87% carbon-free energy matching, water replenishment efforts, and energy-efficient power use.

Industry Sentiment & Investor Trends

According to CBRE’s 2025 Global Data Center Investor Intentions Survey:

• 95% expect to increase data-center investments this year.

• Investors are moving toward hyperscale builds-to-suit (49% see it as the greatest opportunity).

• Challenges have shifted: regulations and power availability now outweigh debt costs as the biggest hurdles.

• ESG importance continues to decline in urgency – from 93% in 2023 to 73% this year.

As summer winds down, it’s clear the data center industry isn’t cooling off anytime soon. AI continues to supercharge demand, and from Riyadh to rural Georgia, developers are moving faster than regulators can respond.

Whether it’s Google’s $9B Oklahoma expansion, Meta’s Kansas City campus coming online, or a record-breaking $22B financing deal in Texas, August showed us that the future of digital infrastructure is anything but evenly distributed – it’s fast-moving, energy-intensive, and capital-rich.

But with all this growth comes responsibility. Community pushback, sustainability gaps, and grid strain are mounting challenges that can’t be ignored. The next few months will be pivotal as global players balance expansion with execution.