Media: According to Data Center Map data, global data center distribution will be extremely concentrated in 2026. The number of data centers in the top five countries is as follows: the United States with 3,960, the United Kingdom with 498, Germany with 470, China with 365, and France with 335. The number of data centers in the United States alone exceeds the total of the countries ranked from second to fifteenth.
Europe is the second-largest data center cluster, with the UK, Germany, and France leading; the Asian market is growing rapidly, with China, India, and Japan as main forces.
In terms of employment, the United States has 482,700 AI and data center-related jobs. California leads with 81,577 (accounting for 17% of the national total), followed by Texas (48,029), Florida (28,682), New York (27,849), and Georgia (24,137). Washington State has the highest per capita density (289.8 per 100,000 people). Northern Virginia's "Data Center Corridor" is the world's largest concentration of data centers.
Regarding critical minerals, the United States faces serious supply chain vulnerabilities: essential minerals for chip production such as arsenic, fluorite, gallium, germanium, indium, and tantalum are 100% dependent on imports; silver has an import dependency of 64%, tin 73%, copper 45%, and rare earth elements 80%.
China dominates the global production and refining of critical minerals, with about 90% of rare earths refined in China. Control over mineral resources has become a core strategic factor in the AI competition.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857797951010888/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.