What do these five urban regions in the US have in common? Readily available power.

The five fastest-growing hubs for data center expansion include an interesting mix of urban areas that have one thing in common: lots of available power.

Based on projected data-center capacity growth, Las Vegas/Reno is the No. 1 fastest growing data center site in the US, followed by Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Dallas-Fort Worth, according to a new report from cloud security vendor Upwind. Northern Virginia didn't make the list - but that's because it has grown so much that its rate of growth, by comparison, is lower.

We're only at the start of the AI boom, so data center growth isn't going to slow down anytime soon. The report notes that data centers are "an economic gold mine" and a boon for the local economy. Upwind says a typical data center injects about $243.5 million into the local economy, creating 1,688 construction jobs and sustaining 157 permanent roles. Once completed, data centers also contribute approximately $7.8 million annually in wages and add an average of $1.1 million in tax revenue every year.