Data center development expands into high-risk hurricane zones

Bisnow reports that data center developers are building in high-risk hurricane and flood zones across the United States.

  • Main point: Data center construction is booming in U.S. high-risk regions such as Houston and Miami, driven by rising demand for AI, cloud services, and digital infrastructure; developers prioritize power availability, proximity to population centers, and flexible/resilient infrastructure over traditional site risk.
  • Background/details: Utilities are struggling to scale transmission capacity, leading operators to adopt redundant power systems, robust flood protection, modular on-site generation, and other resilient design measures as described by Allan Schurr; these infrastructure investments are presented as alternatives to long grid upgrades.
Enchanted Rock · December 05, 2025