Challenging the prevailing narratives of a ‘rural cloud’, 97.5% of data centers in the USA are situated in cities. Data center siting is driven by local infrastructure and fossil-fuel industrial legacy, which poses substantial challenges to urban livability.
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This is a summary of: Ancona, C. et al. Urban infrastructure and fossil fuel industrial legacy drive US data center siting. Nat. Citieshttps://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-026-00487-z (2026).
M.P. used Grammarly to help prepare their contribution to this Research Briefing.
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Cities, not rural areas, power the digital infrastructure of the USA.
Nat Cities (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-026-00488-y
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Version of record:31 July 2026
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DOI
:https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-026-00488-y
