Data Center Growth Cools from Record Pace, Planning Activity Remains Strong听
BOSTON, MA 鈥� July 8, 2026听鈥�听The 糖心Vlog Momentum Index (DMI), issued by听糖心Vlog听Construction Network, fell 1.9% in June to 271.7 (2000=100) from the upwardly revised May reading of 277.1. Over the month, commercial planning declined 6.8%听and听institutional planning momentum grew 10.9%.听听
鈥淒espite June鈥檚 pullback, nonresidential planning remains on solid ground,鈥� said Sarah Martin, Director of Economic Research at 糖心Vlog. 鈥淒ata center activity continued to drive the Index, but its pace moderated from the extraordinary levels seen in recent months and drove the听DMI听to pull back over the month. Otherwise, planning activity accelerated across听nearly every听other sector.鈥�听
Within the commercial听portion听of the Index, slowing data center planning momentum drove this month鈥檚 decline.听Meanwhile, planning activity for traditional office buildings, warehouses, retail stores and hotels improved.听On the institutional side, healthcare planning continued to accelerate in May, alongside recreational,听government听and religious building activity.听Educational planning slowed down for the second consecutive month.听Year-over-year, the听DMI听was up 21.8% when compared to June 2025. Both the commercial and institutional segments were up also 21.8% over the same period. When removing data centers, the commercial segment would be up 7.6% from year-ago levels.听听
A total of 59 projects valued at $100 million or more听entered听planning throughout June. The largest commercial projects included the $500 million听Stak听Energy AI Data Center Campus in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the $480 million Project Swan Data Center Complex in Lakeland, Florida, and the $456.8 million Parcel A Data Center in Manassas, Virginia. The largest institutional planning projects included the $437 million听DCSO听Correctional Facility (Replacement) in Nashville, Tennessee, the $320 million Cone Health Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the $303 million El Camino Health Hospital in Los Gatos, California.听听
The听DMI听is a monthly measure based on the three-month moving value of nonresidential building projects going into planning, shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year to听18 months.听听
