cd /news/ai-infrastructure/epoch-ai-scales-data-center-research… · home topics ai-infrastructure article
[ARTICLE · art-131793] src=cryptobriefing.com ↗ pub= topic=ai-infrastructure verified=true sentiment=· neutral

Epoch AI scales data center research to cover 46% of global compute capacity

Epoch AI's AI Data Centers database now tracks 86 large AI facilities worldwide, covering an estimated 46% of all deployed AI compute as of June 2026, up from roughly 22% in early 2024. The tracked sites hold a combined IT power capacity of approximately 13.3 gigawatts and an estimated 13.9 million H100-equivalent GPUs, with SpaceXAI's Colossus 2 leading at about 1.112 million H100-equivalents, followed by Microsoft's Fairwater Atlanta at roughly 769,000 and Amazon's Anthropic-dedicated New Carlisle, Indiana site at around 686,000. The database, which as of September 16, 2026 covers those 86 sites and includes construction timelines projected through 2028, combines satellite imagery with public documents to track power consumption, computing capabilities, and construction progress.

read2 min views1 publishedSep 16, 2026
Epoch AI scales data center research to cover 46% of global compute capacity
Image: Cryptobriefing (auto-discovered)

Photo: panumas nikhomkhai / Pexels

The independent research organization now tracks 86 large AI facilities with a combined 13.3 gigawatts of IT power and nearly 14 million GPUs.

If you wanted to understand the sheer scale of AI infrastructure being built around the world, you used to be stuck stitching together press releases, earnings calls, and educated guesses. Epoch AI just made that job significantly easier. The independent research organization’s AI Data Centers database now tracks 86 large facilities globally, covering an estimated 46% of all deployed AI compute as of June 2026. That’s roughly double the coverage from early 2024, when the figure sat around 22%. The tracked sites carry a combined IT power capacity of approximately 13.3 gigawatts and house an estimated 13.9 million H100-equivalent GPUs.

What’s inside the database #

Epoch’s database focuses on high-capacity, AI-optimized sites rather than traditional enterprise data centers. The methodology combines satellite imagery with public documents to build detailed timelines covering power consumption, computing capabilities, and construction progress for each facility.

The biggest entries read like a leaderboard for the AI arms race. SpaceXAI’s Colossus 2 tops the list with roughly 1.112 million H100-equivalent GPUs. Microsoft’s Fairwater Atlanta facility follows at approximately 769,000 H100-equivalents. Amazon’s Anthropic-dedicated site in New Carlisle, Indiana, rounds out the top three with around 686,000 H100-equivalents.

The geographic distribution skews heavily toward the United States, though the database also captures international sites in countries including China and Malaysia.

AI, tech, and the markets they move—in one daily briefing.

Daily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy.

From niche tracker to essential infrastructure data #

Epoch AI has been tracking compute trends in the AI ecosystem for years, but the data center database represents a significant expansion of scope. The organization previously maintained a GPU Clusters database that offered more limited coverage of where compute was actually deployed.

The amplified project kicked off in earnest around mid-2025, and the pace of additions has been aggressive. Going from 22% coverage to 46% in roughly two years suggests Epoch’s researchers are adding facilities faster than new ones come online, closing the gap between what exists and what’s documented.

The database as of September 16, 2026 encompasses those 86 sites, with the organization noting that coverage continues to increase as it adds detailed data for more facilities worldwide. Infrastructure improvements and expansions projected through 2028 are also captured in the construction timeline data.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our

Editorial Policy.

── more in #ai-infrastructure 4 stories · sorted by recency
── more on @epoch ai 3 stories trending now
sponsored brought to you by zahid.host 4,200+ EU-deployed projects
reading about agents? ship yours in a single git push.

Run your AI side-project on zahid.host

EU-based hosting, git-push deploys, automatic HTTPS, no cold starts. Free tier with a custom domain — perfect for shipping the agent you just read about.

$git push zahid main
Live at https://your-agent.zahid.host
Get free account → Pricing
from €0/mo · no card required
LIVE [news/epoch-ai-scales-data…] indexed:0 read:2min 2026-09-16 ·