Optimizing Data Center Siting

Considering Local Infrastructure, Environmental, and Community Constraints

Sara Stullken, Jonathan Cohen, Devin Tierney, Rebecca Tisherman, Andrew Lauland, Jason Thomas Barnosky, Zohan Hasan Tariq, Emily Hoch

ToolPublished Sep 16, 2026

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Includes Fact Sheet: Land Use; Fact Sheet: Power Demand; Fact Sheet: Water Use; and more

The Data Center Suitability Mapper for Community Planners provides local and state government decisionmakers and other industry stakeholders with data and visualizations to compare trade-offs among locations for regional data centers. By integrating results from a resource optimization model with other local factors, the tool supports balanced decisions on power, water, broadband, and land use for sustainable data center siting and planning.

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Stullken, Sara, Jonathan Cohen, Devin Tierney, Rebecca Tisherman, Andrew Lauland, Jason Thomas Barnosky, Zohan Hasan Tariq, and Emily Hoch, Optimizing Data Center Siting: Considering Local Infrastructure, Environmental, and Community Constraints. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2026. https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TLA4617-1.html.
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