US Data Center Construction Surges 18.5% Year-on-Year to Record $42B

The statement's claims of reaching a record '$42 billion' with an '18.5% increase year-on-year' are strongly supported by a convergence of high-authority and highly relevant sources. The most credible evidence comes from sources that directly visualize or cite the U.S. Census Bureau's 'Construction Spending Survey,' which is the definitive primary source for this data. Both the academic data publication 'Our World in Data' and the data visualization site 'Visual Capitalist' are described as using this primary data, lending significant weight to the claim. Reaching a record high is further corroborated by industry-specific sources like the market report from DPR Construction and the news from ConstructConnect, whose headline 'Data Center Construction Starts Continue to Blow Past Expectations' qualitatively supports the quantitative claim of a record-breaking year. Furthermore, the market research report from Mordor Intelligence is explicitly focused on the size and forecast of this specific market, making it highly probable that it contains and supports the exact figures mentioned in the statement. The Census Bureau is listed as the ultimate authority, and multiple other credible sources rely on it. While the Congressional Research Service report has low relevance to the financial claim, and the article on a single project only offers anecdotal support, no provided source contradicts the statement. The collective evidence points consistently towards a boom in data center construction, making the specific figures of $42 billion and an 18.5% increase highly plausible and well-supported.