The Shift from Cities to Countryside
For decades, the data center world has revolved around urban hubs — Ashburn, Silicon Valley, Dallas, Frankfurt, Singapore. These Tier 1 cities offered fiber-rich, power-dense environments where enterprises and cloud providers could colocate at scale. But in 2025, a tectonic shift is underway: hyperscalers and wholesale colocation providers are moving out of the city and into rural America and global edge markets.
Why the sudden exodus from the concrete jungle? It’s not just cost. It’s about power availability, land flexibility, sustainability, and strategic control. In this blog, we dive into why wholesale colocation is booming in rural regions, who’s leading the charge, and how this shift is reshaping the digital infrastructure map.
What’s Driving the Move to Rural Locations?
1. Power Access Over Fiber Density
In the past, proximity to network interconnects was king. But today, access to reliable, scalable power is the bottleneck, especially for hyperscale deployments. Rural locations:
- Offer access to utility-scale power stations
- Enable easier interconnection to renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro)
- Avoid grid congestion and moratoriums seen in cities like Dublin or Singapore
2. Land Availability for Mega Campuses
Hyperscale and wholesale deals are no longer about 5MW or 10MW. They’re often 100MW–300MW commitments, requiring hundreds of acres for:
- Initial phases
- Future expansion
- Redundant infrastructure and substations
Rural regions allow for master-planned, modular campuses with fewer regulatory hurdles.
3. Lower Construction and Operational Costs
From real estate taxes to workforce costs, rural builds are significantly cheaper. In some cases:
- Land is 70–90% less expensive than urban counterparts
- Cooling is easier in less dense environments
- Permitting is faster due to less bureaucracy
This dramatically improves both time-to-market and TCO.
4. Sustainability Incentives
Many rural areas offer:
- Green tax credits
- Access to low-carbon power grids
- Room for on-site renewables (e.g., solar fields or geothermal)
This aligns with ESG mandates from investors and customers alike.
Where Is This Happening?
Eastern Oregon
Once known for agriculture, it’s now home to hyperscale campuses from Google, Amazon, and Facebook. The Dalles and Hermiston offer:
- Hydroelectric power from the Columbia River
- Favorable climate for free-air cooling
- Pro-business local governments
Northern Sweden & Finland
Major hyperscale players are building in Luleå and Kajaani. Why?
- Cold climate = natural cooling
- Renewable hydro and wind power
- EU Green Deal funding
Texas Panhandle
Lubbock and Amarillo are seeing rising interest thanks to:
- Open land
- Wind and solar farms
- State-level incentives for infrastructure
Ohio Valley & Appalachia
Facebook and Amazon are already in New Albany and Hagerstown. These areas combine:
- Low-cost land
- Proximity to East Coast metros
- Abundant energy reserves
Case Study: Quantum Loophole in Maryland
Quantum Loophole’s “Data Center District” outside Frederick, MD is a 2,100-acre mega campus designed for hyperscale tenants. Features include:
- 600MW+ capacity
- Private fiber ring
- On-site substation
- Pre-zoned land for speed
This is the template for the next wave of rural wholesale deployments — master-planned, utility-aligned, and expansion-ready.
Who’s Leading the Rural Wholesale Expansion?
Actively building multi-phase campuses in rural Texas, Arizona, and Illinois.
Developing some of the largest land banks in the industry — over 1,000 acres in areas outside Tier 1 metros.
Increasing rural footprint in places like Hillsboro (OR), expanding into new power corridors.
Investing in both U.S. and Canadian rural sites — Alberta, Quebec, and parts of the Midwest.
How This Impacts the Data Center Ecosystem
Utilities Are Becoming Key Stakeholders
As demand for power grows, utilities are now strategic partners. They are:
- Investing in grid upgrades
- Collaborating on power sourcing
- Fast-tracking substation development
In some cases, data center companies are building their own substations and selling excess power back to the grid.
Local Economies Are Being Transformed
Rural towns are experiencing:
- Job booms in construction and IT operations
- Rising tax revenues
- New infrastructure like roads, schools, and broadband
But there are also challenges — housing shortages, water usage debates, and energy equity concerns.
Wholesale Models Are Evolving
Rather than leasing space in a pre-built facility, hyperscalers now often:
- Co-design campuses with providers
- Lease entire buildings or phases
- Bring their own racks, software, and cooling systems
This creates a hybrid model — part colocation, part build-to-suit.
Challenges of Going Rural
Workforce Availability
Skilled labor for build-outs and ongoing operations can be scarce. Providers must:
- Offer competitive relocation packages
- Partner with local community colleges
- Invest in regional training centers
Connectivity Gaps
Rural regions may lack dense carrier presence. Operators must:
- Build dark fiber backhauls
- Invest in SD-WAN or cloud interconnects
- Leverage partnerships with IXs or LECs
Zoning and Community Resistance
Even in rural areas, some residents push back against large data center projects due to:
- Environmental concerns
- Noise/light pollution
- Water use issues
Providers must lead with community engagement and transparency.
Why This Matters for Buyers and Brokers
If you're an enterprise, hyperscaler, or broker sourcing capacity:
- Don’t overlook non-Tier 1 markets — they may offer better power, lower latency, and cheaper rates.
- Ask providers about power procurement strategy, not just floor space.
- Be flexible with location — latency-sensitive apps need proximity, but storage or AI training doesn’t.
Tools like Datacenters.com help compare rural vs. urban options across power, price, and providers — putting data, not assumptions, at the heart of decisions.
The Future of Rural Wholesale
Looking ahead:
Expect to see modular rural campuses with 500MW+ footprints
Major investments from private equity and sovereign wealth funds
Edge-hyperscale hybrids that bring compute closer to users while leveraging cheap rural power
The long-held notion that wholesale colocation belongs in metro hubs is fading fast. The countryside is calling — and the cloud is listening.
The Next Frontier Is Open
The rural wholesale revolution isn’t just a trend — it’s a structural shift in how digital infrastructure is deployed. The convergence of power constraints, ESG mandates, and hyperscale ambition is rewriting the data center map.
For providers, it's a chance to reinvent how and where they build.
For enterprises, it's an opportunity to rethink cost, performance, and geography.
And for brokers and platforms, it’s the new gold rush.
Rural is no longer remote.
It’s the next global epicenter of colocation.
