Cost index
2025 location indices and
construction escalation
Examining nationwide construction costs, escalation values project the annual change in output costs from January to March 2025 (Q1). CBI’s comparative construction cost index, with Washington DC as the base 100, tracks labor rates, material pricing, and market activity for each location. The infographic below looks at ongoing or upcoming projects in specific cities.
The United States is experiencing a significant surge in high-tech construction, particularly in semiconductor manufacturing and data center development.
Through CBI’s comprehensive tracking of labor rates, material pricing, and market activity, we’ve developed a comparative cost index, using Washington, DC, as the base 100. Notable projects are shown below:
Atlanta, GA
By mid-2024, data center construction in the Atlanta market surged by 76% compared to the same period in 2023, establishing Atlanta as a leading city for new data center developments in the U.S. In February 2025, Atlas Development LLC proposed a six-building data center campus totaling 2.274 million ft² in Bartow County, northwest of Atlanta. Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced an investment of at least $11 billion in January 2025 to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure in Georgia, aiming to meet the growing demand for AI computing. Absolics, a subsidiary of SKC, is constructing a 120,000ft² facility in Covington, Georgia, to produce advanced semiconductor components. In May 2024, the U.S. government committed up to $75 million in CHIPS Act funding to support this project. Additionally, Hyundai Motor Group is building a $5.54 billion EV and battery plant in Georgia, set to begin full production in 2025 with an annual capacity of 300,000 units.
Fort Wayne, IN
Google’s $2 billion data center, which broke ground in April 2024, is currently under construction. The facility will enhance its global AI and cloud infrastructure, creating up to 200 competitive jobs in facilities management, data center operations, and support services. In the same year, construction also began on Meta’s $800 million data center in Jeffersonville, spanning almost 700,000ft². The facility is expected to be operational by 2026.
Phoenix-Chandler-Mesa, AZ
Construction in the high-tech sector is thriving in the Phoenix-Chandler-Mesa area. Intel’s new semiconductor plant and TSMC’s two facility expansion projects are underway, with mass production slated for 2025, 2028, and 2030, respectively. Edged Energy’s $70 million data center, spanning 210,000ft², is nearing completion and remains on track for its scheduled finish this year. Google’s $600 million and Meta’s $1 billion data centers are under construction, both expected to be completed in 2026.
New York, NY
GlobalFoundries secured a $1.5 billion federal subsidy to expand its semiconductor production in Malta, New York, and Vermont. The company plans to invest $13 billion over the next decade in its U.S. facilities to boost its capacity for automotive, smart devices, IoT, data centers, and aerospace and defense sectors. The Stargate Project, a joint venture between OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, plans to invest $100 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure, with potential expansion up to $500 billion by 2028. This initiative includes the development of data centers, each approximately 500,000ft², across various U.S. locations.
Other notable high-tech projects include:
▼ Swipe to read the checklists.
Micron’s $15 billion expansion in Boise, ID and their new $100 billion semiconductor plant in Clay, NY.
Envirotech Vehicles Inc. headquarters relocation to Houston, Texas, with a new 86,000ft² facility for manufacturing and operations.
Stellantis is investing $400 million to upgrade three Michigan plants for EV production, including the Ram 1500 Ramcharger and electric Jeep Wagoneer.
Meta also broke ground and continues the construction of several multi-million data centers in various locations such as Richland Parish, LA, Rosemount, MN, Cheyenne, WY, Aiken, SC, and Montgomery, AL.
AWS plans to build a $2 billion, 450,000ft² data center campus in Sunbury, Central Ohio, commencing in January 2028 and scheduled to be completed in 2034.
QTS Realty Trust commenced construction on a $1.5 billion data center project in New Albany, reflecting the city's growing prominence in the tech infrastructure landscape.