How much does it cost to build a data center, and how long does it take?

Cost per megawatt

Industry cost guides quote data center costs per megawatt (MW) of power capacity rather than per square foot, since power infrastructure is the biggest single cost[1]. Cushman & Wakefield’s 2026 Data Center Development Cost Guide puts all-in greenfield development costs in the U.S. and Canada at an average of $17.6 million per megawatt for the most modern facilities, excluding chips and GPUs[1]. The firm says construction costs per megawatt have risen an average of 21% since its previous guide in the fourth quarter of 2024[1].

Applied to that average, a 100 MW campus works out to about $1.76 billion and a 1 gigawatt campus to about $17.6 billion, before the servers and chips that fill the buildings. Real projects vary with the market, the design and how much power infrastructure the developer has to build. Globally, Cushman & Wakefield estimates the development pipeline at about $2.3 trillion, with $492 billion under construction[1].

For comparison, Georgia’s 2022 tax incentive evaluation modeled a hypothetical $800 million data center with a two-year construction phase[3].

What drives the cost

• Power infrastructure. The largest single cost category, averaging 21% of total greenfield development costs; contingencies rank second because of long material lead times, labor shortages and regulatory uncertainty[1].
• Land with power. Powered land in primary U.S. markets averaged $584,000 per megawatt in 2026 so far, 35% above its five-year average and 51% higher than a year earlier[1].
• Skilled labor. Shortages of mechanical, electrical and plumbing workers drove a 5% average annual wage increase from 2021 to 2024, with steeper growth in secondary and tertiary markets[1].

Power plants and transmission lines built to serve a campus are sometimes announced separately from the data center itself. Project records in the Census note these where a source reports them; see the power and generation tracker.

How long does it take to build a data center?

Construction of an individual data center building usually takes about 12 to 18 months, according to Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, and data center representatives told JLARC that about 1,500 workers are on site at the peak[2]. Georgia’s evaluation assumed a construction phase of about two years for its modeled $800 million facility[3].

Large campuses take longer because they are built and switched on in phases, and because land use approvals, utility agreements and permits can come before any construction starts. The examples below, taken from dated timelines in the Census, show how widely schedules vary.

Build times from the Census record

Months are counted between the dated timeline events shown; each project page lists the source for every date. Where only a month is published, the count uses that month.

What announced projects say they will spend

44 projects in the Census publish both a stated investment and a planned capacity. Dividing one by the other gives a median of $10M per megawatt, with the middle half of projects between $5.4M and $17M. Treat this as a rough comparison, not a construction cost: announced figures mix phases, land, power plants and sometimes regional totals, and capacity may be utility load rather than IT load. Open a project for the exact wording of each figure.

Common questions

How much does it cost to build a data center?

Cushman & Wakefield’s 2026 guide puts the average all-in cost of a modern greenfield data center in the U.S. and Canada at $17.6 million per megawatt, excluding chips and GPUs. Costs vary widely by market, design and how much power infrastructure has to be built.

How much does a 100 MW data center cost?

At Cushman & Wakefield’s 2026 average of $17.6 million per megawatt, a 100 MW data center would cost about $1.76 billion before servers, chips and GPUs.

How long does it take to build a data center?

Virginia’s JLARC says an individual data center building usually takes about 12 to 18 months to construct. Large campuses are built in phases over several years, and approvals and utility agreements can add time before construction starts.

What is the biggest cost in building a data center?

Power infrastructure, which averages 21% of total greenfield development costs according to Cushman & Wakefield, followed by contingencies.

Sources

1. Cushman & Wakefield Releases 2026 Data Center Development Cost Guide, Citing 21% Rise in Per-MW Construction Costs
   Cushman & Wakefield (company press release) · 2026-09-03
   6 source excerpts

   “All-in greenfield development costs in the United States and Canada average $17.6M per megawatt for the most modern facilities, excluding chips and GPUs.”

   “Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK), a leading global commercial real estate services firm, has published its 2026 Data Center Development Cost Guide, revealing that data center construction costs have risen an average of 21% per megawatt (MW) since the previous edition was published in the fourth quarter of 2024.”

   “Power infrastructure remains the single largest cost category, representing an average of 21% of total greenfield development costs, while contingencies rank second, reflecting ongoing uncertainty driven by long material lead times, labor shortages, and a shifting regulatory environment.”

   “The global data center development pipeline now represents approximately $2.3 trillion in investment capital, of which $492 billion is currently under construction and the remaining $1.8 trillion is tied to planned and precommitted projects.”

   “markets achieving average values of $584,000 per MW in 2026 year-to-date—35% above its five-year average and 51% higher year-over-year.”

   “Skilled labor shortages in the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades continue to compound cost pressures, driving a 5% average annual wage increase from 2021 to 2024, with even steeper growth recorded in secondary and tertiary markets.”

2. Data Centers in Virginia (Report Summary)
   Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), Virginia General Assembly · 2024-12-09
   Source excerpt

   “Construction of an individual data center building usually takes about 12 to 18 months, and data center representatives indicated that, at the height of construction, approximately 1,500 workers are on site from various construction-related industries.”

3. Tax Incentive Evaluation: High-Tech Data Center Sales Tax Exemption (Summary)
   Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts · 2022-12
   Source excerpt

   “50 HTDC employees and an additional 217 jobs would be supported by the center's existence each year. ... Approximately 4,200 construction jobs and 7,300 total jobs would be created during an approximate two-year construction phase.”

Each source was opened and checked against the excerpt shown. Company statements are identified as such. Figures are as published; where sources differ, each is shown.