- Dallas is on track to become the leading US data center market, potentially surpassing Northern Virginia’s Ashburn if current trends continue, according to DataBank CEO Raul Martynek.
- DataBank has scaled from 6 to 65 data centers under Martynek’s leadership, with multiple locations across North Texas including Dallas, Plano, and Richardson.
- AI is accelerating demand, but broader digital behavior — from streaming to spam storage — is also fueling the rapid expansion of data infrastructure.
- Martynek warns of misconceptions, highlighting that increased energy consumption from data centers is driven by consumer digital habits, not just industry growth.
Dallas In The Spotlight
DataBank CEO Raul Martynek believes the Dallas-Fort Worth region is quickly becoming America’s top data center market, reports The Dallas Morning News. He says it could even surpass Ashburn, Virginia, which has long been considered the nation’s capital for data infrastructure.
With more available land and power than other saturated hubs, Dallas was already a top-five market before the recent AI surge, Martynek told The Dallas Morning News. Now, demand is accelerating even faster.
“If the current course and speed continue,” he said, “Dallas could be the dominant location for data center capacity in the US”
Rapid Growth For DataBank
When Martynek joined DataBank in 2017, the company operated just six data centers. Today, it runs 65 across over 25 markets, with key sites in Dallas, Red Oak, Richardson, and Plano. Headquarters are based in downtown Dallas, in the former Federal Reserve Bank building.
Martynek has decades of global experience in telecom, fiber, and cloud, from Africa’s cables to Manhattan’s early internet.
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Not Just AI — It’s Us
While AI applications like ChatGPT dominate headlines, Martynek says broader digital habits are the real demand drivers. Entertainment, work, education, and even spam emails all rely on cloud infrastructure — and that infrastructure needs data centers.
“AI is the newest and fastest-growing segment, but it’s just one layer,” he explained. “Ultimately, it’s our own behavior that’s driving demand.”
Even casual digital habits have significant infrastructure costs. “When you scroll TikTok for two hours or leave thousands of unread emails, that all has to be stored and powered somewhere.”
Market Outlook: No Bubble, Just Evolution
Martynek acknowledged concerns about overbuilding, but believes long-term demand justifies the current pace. He compared today’s AI-driven boom to the early internet era: “People overestimate technology’s impact in the short run and underestimate it in the long run.”
As AI adoption matures, he expects it to be as transformative as the internet was in the 1990s — reshaping how we live, work, and interact.
Why It Matters
As demand for digital infrastructure surges, cities like Dallas are becoming critical nodes in the global internet backbone. The region’s scalability, lower regulatory hurdles, and energy resources position it well to compete with traditional hubs.
For developers, investors, and operators alike, the rise of Dallas signals new opportunities in one of real estate’s fastest-growing sectors: data infrastructure.
What’s Next
Expect continued data center expansion across North Texas. With growing AI workloads, remote work trends, and digital consumption, the sector shows no signs of slowing — and Dallas is positioning itself at the center of it all.
As Martynek puts it: “This is just the beginning.”
