Frequently Asked Questions

The book documents America's trillion-dollar AI data center buildout—the largest private infrastructure project in history. It follows the life of a single AI token backward through the infrastructure stack, from the moment words appear on your screen to the farmland and power plants that make it possible. The narrative centers on Saline Township, Michigan, where a project now financed at $16 billion is under construction on a 575-acre campus.

Anyone curious about where AI actually comes from—physically. The book is written for general audiences with no technical background required. It's particularly relevant for: residents of rural communities facing data center proposals, policymakers and journalists covering technology infrastructure, investors and business leaders in energy or real estate, and anyone who uses AI tools and wonders about their real-world footprint.

The title plays on the transformation of rural America—once 'farm country'—into the server farms that power AI. It captures the tension between agricultural heritage and technological future, between local community and global capital, that defines this moment.

The currently published Complete Edition is 427 pages. Claims in the book carry their own source dates; the companion database is a separate living snapshot and currently contains 1,048 projects as of 2026-07-19.

Neither. The book documents what is happening without advocating for a particular position. It presents the economic benefits that data centers bring alongside the legitimate concerns of affected communities. The goal is informed decision-making, not predetermined conclusions.

The book is available on Amazon in both paperback ($19.99) and Kindle ($9.99) formats. It's also available through Kindle Unlimited for subscribers.

Not currently, but an audiobook edition is being considered for future release. Sign up for updates on the author's website to be notified when new formats become available.

Yes. For orders of 10 or more copies for educational institutions, government agencies, or community organizations, contact the author directly through the website for bulk pricing information.

Yes, the Kindle edition is available globally through Amazon's international stores. Paperback availability and shipping varies by country through Amazon's marketplace.

The book is organized into four parts across 14 chapters, plus a prologue and epilogue. Part I covers the technical stack (inference, silicon, data centers). Part II explores the energy reality (power constraints, the grid, generation). Part III examines political economy (land, money, incentives, geopolitics). Part IV looks at the future (new designs, policy, and three plausible 2030 scenarios).

Most AI books focus on algorithms, ethics, or business strategy. This book focuses on physical infrastructure—the facilities, power plants, and land deals that make AI possible. The companion database currently documents 1,048 projects using company filings, utility dockets, government records, and local planning materials.

No. The book explains technical concepts from first principles, assuming no prior knowledge of AI, data centers, or energy systems. Complex topics are introduced through narrative and concrete examples rather than jargon.

Saline Township, Michigan is a rural community where a consortium announced a major data center in 2025. The project is now financed at $16 billion, with a 1,383 MW planned load on a 575-acre campus. The book follows the rezoning fight, lawsuit, settlement, power contracts, construction, and tax questions as a lens on rural infrastructure development.

Yes, extensively. The book examines water usage, carbon emissions, land use change, and the gap between corporate sustainability claims and actual environmental footprint. It analyzes the nuclear renaissance, natural gas reality, and what renewable energy commitments actually mean in practice.

Michael is a researcher and entrepreneur working at the intersection of AI, law, and finance. He co-founded LexPredict (acquired 2018), was part of the research team that tested GPT-4 against the bar exam, and leads the ALEA Institute, a nonprofit focused on responsible AI. His research has appeared in Science, law reviews, and the New York Times.

The author lives on a small farmstead in mid-Michigan, about an hour from Saline Township. When the project was announced, he realized that the story of AI infrastructure was happening in his backyard—and that no one had told the complete story of what's being built, where, and why. This book fills that gap.

The author has no financial relationships with any data center developer, utility, or landowner mentioned in the book. He does have investments in publicly traded technology companies through index funds, which is disclosed in the book's preface. He is not opposed to responsible AI development.

The book draws on SEC filings, state utility commission dockets, township meeting minutes, EPA permits, FERC applications, press releases, and interviews. Every significant claim is sourced. The complete methodology is described in the book's appendix.

Yes. The full database of 1,048 documented projects is available on the companion website, including location, capacity, developer, status, notes, and available source links.

The 1,048-project headline counts every tracked canonical record, including 96 canceled records retained for history. The $2.12 trillion figure sums nonblank stored investment values across those records and does not impute every missing value. Active-only and paper-specific totals use different denominators; see the website methodology page.

The book is not peer-reviewed in the academic sense, but the underlying data has been validated against multiple sources, and technical claims have been reviewed by experts in relevant fields. The author's prior academic work has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Science.

No errata have been identified yet. This page will be updated if any errors are discovered after publication.

If you believe you've found an error, please contact the author through michaelbommarito.com with the page number, the text in question, and your suggested correction. All reports are reviewed and verified corrections will be posted here.

No clarifications have been issued yet. If any passages require additional context or clarification based on reader feedback, they will be posted here.

The AI infrastructure landscape is evolving rapidly. Updated editions may be released as significant developments occur. Check the author's website or this page for announcements about future editions.