AI data centres are propping up small-town America – but can the boom last?

For a while, the American dream ran on fibre-optic cables and free Wi-Fi. The tech boom that once skipped over rural America had finally arrived — only it didn’t bring startups or entrepreneurs. It brought windowless concrete fortresses, endless server racks, and the hum of machines that never sleep. Data became the new crop, and for a brief, shining moment, the harvest seemed infinite.