Kansas is at the center of a major conversation about AI infrastructure. Hyperscale data center campuses are expanding across the state, sparking both excitement and pushback from residents. As a Kansas-based AI company, Dvelop AI has been watching these developments closely—and we have some concerns that deserve attention.
The Data Center Boom in Kansas
As of August 2026, Kansas has at least six major hyperscale data center projects proposed or underway:
- Beale Data Center (De Soto) — The state’s first hyperscale campus, now under construction. Approved in August 2025, it will include four data center buildings with supporting infrastructure.
- Digital Realty (De Soto) — A proposed multiphase campus at Astra Enterprise Park, currently going through the city’s development review process.
- Project Bluestem (Leavenworth County) — A Cloverleaf Infrastructure development near Tonganoxie Business Park. Local watchdog groups have called for an 18-month moratorium on development.
- Red Wolf DCD (Wyandotte County) — A proposed six-building, 1.8 million square foot complex facing legal challenges from community members.
- Alcove Development (Osawatomie) — A $1 billion, 283-acre data center campus that has drawn hundreds of concerned residents to city council meetings.
- Flint Hills Digital Campus (Emporia) — Kanza Park Place LLC’s proposed project covering 11 tracts of land, which gained national attention after a teacher was arrested at a city commission meeting for clapping during public comments.
- Google (Barber County) — A potential data center development near Sharon that has drawn both support and concern from residents.
What About Topeka?
Here in the capital city, the conversation has been particularly active. On July 15, 2026, the Topeka City Council voted to approve a 12-month moratorium on data center development within city limits. This pause gives local leaders time to develop policies before any projects move forward.
Shawnee County Commissioners had already approved zoning changes on July 2, 2026, to prepare for potential data center proposals. Two sites near Topeka Regional Airport have been discussed as possible locations.
The moratorium reflects what we’re seeing across Kansas: communities want a say in how these projects unfold.
Why Residents Are Concerned
The pushback isn’t irrational. Kansans have raised legitimate questions:
Water usage: Data centers require significant cooling. While some facilities use air-cooled systems or closed-loop designs that recirculate water, the actual impact depends on local conditions and cooling technology.
Electricity demand: These facilities consume massive amounts of power. Kansas recently passed rules requiring large-load customers to pay for transmission and infrastructure upgrades they require—not passing costs to residential ratepayers.
Jobs: A fully operational data center typically employs about 100 people. Proponents argue the economic impact extends further—construction jobs, local contractors, increased tax base. Critics question whether those benefits justify the resource consumption.
Zoning and land use: Many projects are proposed on “green fields”—undeveloped land that some residents would prefer to see used differently or preserved.
Dvelop AI’s Perspective: The Compute Export Problem
Here’s our concern, and it’s one we don’t hear enough people talking about:
The compute power generated in Kansas data centers won’t stay in Kansas.
These facilities are being built by national and international tech companies. The AI processing that happens inside them—the machine learning training, the cloud computations, the data analytics—will serve customers across the country and around the world.
Kansas land, Kansas water, Kansas electricity. But the value? That flows elsewhere.
This isn’t just about fairness. It’s about economic strategy. If Kansas becomes a hub for data center infrastructure without building a corresponding AI industry ecosystem, we’re essentially exporting our resources and importing the finished products.
Think of it like this: we’d be the digital equivalent of a resource extraction economy. We provide the raw infrastructure, but the high-value AI applications, the startups, the innovation—that happens somewhere else.
What Should Kansas Do?
We’re not anti-data center. But we believe Kansas should approach this strategically:
1. Tie data center development to local AI ecosystem growth. Require companies to partner with Kansas universities, support local AI startups, or establish research facilities in-state.
2. Ensure fair pricing. Kansas has already taken steps to prevent residential ratepayers from subsidizing data center electricity costs. Those rules need enforcement and monitoring.
3. Prioritize water-efficient designs. Air-cooled and closed-loop systems should be the standard, not the exception.
4. Build local AI talent. If data centers are coming, Kansas should aggressively invest in AI education and workforce development so Kansans can fill higher-value roles in the AI economy—not just facility maintenance jobs.
5. Demand transparency. Communities deserve clear information about water usage, electricity consumption, and economic benefits before projects are approved.
The Bottom Line
Kansas has an opportunity to be part of the AI revolution. But being part of it and benefiting from it are different things.
Data centers alone don’t make an AI economy. They’re infrastructure—necessary, but not sufficient. If Kansas wants to capture real value from the AI boom, we need to think beyond data center construction and toward AI industry development.
Otherwise, we’re just powering someone else’s future.
At Dvelop AI, we’re committed to building Kansas’s AI capabilities from the ground up. We believe the best way to ensure Kansans benefit from AI is to create AI companies, AI jobs, and AI solutions right here at home.
