(COMBO) This combination of handout satellite pictures created on December 1, 2025 shows an aerial satellite image courtesy of USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center of the Ashburn, Virginia area in 2002 (top) and an aerial satellite image courtesy of Planet Labs (PBC) of the "Data Center Alley" area in Ashburn, Virginia, in November 2025. Data centers are the physical infrastructure that make our digital lives possible, yet most people have never seen one up close or understand how they operate. Roughly 12,000 data centers are in operation in the world, with about half in the US, according to Cloudscene, a data center directory. (Photo by various sources / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center / Planet Labs PBC / Handout" - HANDOUT - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Alex PIGMAN: "Data centers: a view from the inside"

Chris Sharp, Chief Technology Officer of Digital Realty, speaks during an interview at a Digital Realty data center in Ashburn, Virginia on November 12, 2025. Data centers are the physical infrastructure that make our digital lives possible, yet most people have never seen one up close or understand how they operate. Roughly 12,000 data centers are in operation in the world, with about half in the US, according to Cloudscene, a data center directory. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

An aerial view shows cooling vent fans on the roof next to generators on the lower level of a Digital Realty data center in Ashburn, Virginia on November 12, 2025. Data centers are the physical infrastructure that make our digital lives possible, yet most people have never seen one up close or understand how they operate. Roughly 12,000 data centers are in operation in the world, with about half in the US, according to Cloudscene, a data center directory. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

An aerial view shows cooling vent fans on the roof of a Digital Realty data center in Ashburn, Virginia on November 12, 2025. Data centers are the physical infrastructure that make our digital lives possible, yet most people have never seen one up close or understand how they operate. Roughly 12,000 data centers are in operation in the world, with about half in the US, according to Cloudscene, a data center directory. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

An aerial view shows cars passing a data center under construction in Ashburn, Virginia on November 12, 2025. Data centers are the physical infrastructure that make our digital lives possible, yet most people have never seen one up close or understand how they operate. Roughly 12,000 data centers are in operation in the world, with about half in the US, according to Cloudscene, a data center directory. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

Substations and transformers are seen at a Digital Realty data center in Ashburn, Virginia on November 12, 2025. Data centers are the physical infrastructure that make our digital lives possible, yet most people have never seen one up close or understand how they operate. Roughly 12,000 data centers are in operation in the world, with about half in the US, according to Cloudscene, a data center directory. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

An aerial view shows cooling vent fans on the roof next to generators on the lower level of a Digital Realty data center next to a power substation in Ashburn, Virginia on November 12, 2025. Data centers are the physical infrastructure that make our digital lives possible, yet most people have never seen one up close or understand how they operate. Roughly 12,000 data centers are in operation in the world, with about half in the US, according to Cloudscene, a data center directory. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

Backup generators are seen at a Digital Realty data center in Ashburn, Virginia on November 12, 2025. Data centers are the physical infrastructure that make our digital lives possible, yet most people have never seen one up close or understand how they operate. Roughly 12,000 data centers are in operation in the world, with about half in the US, according to Cloudscene, a data center directory. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)