Data Centers in Boise

Boise – Resilient Infrastructure and Low-Cost Power

Executive Summary

Boise serves as the primary failover market for West Coast organizations looking to protect revenue while reducing operational spend. This region provides a secure environment for high-density compute and scaling away from coastal risk zones. It is a strategic choice for resilient infrastructure that balances performance with significant cost savings.

Boise: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

Boise provides a stable interconnection environment for regional enterprises and service providers. While not a primary international gateway, it functions as a reliable mid-continent bridge with maturing infrastructure.

Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality: Carrier count: over 20. The market features approximately 20–30 carriers as of September 2025, providing diverse fiber paths to major western interconnection points. Most facilities maintain carrier-neutral policies to ensure competitive pricing for transit and transport.

Direct Cloud On-Ramps: Boise has 0 direct cloud on-ramps as of September 2025. Organizations typically use private network interfaces or wavelength services to reach cloud regions in Salt Lake City or Seattle.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): The Boise Internet Exchange (Boise-IX) serves as the primary local peering point, keeping local traffic within the region to reduce latency. This local peering benefits content delivery and enterprise software performance for the Treasure Valley.

Bare Metal: Resilient bare metal services are available through providers such as phoenixNAP and Hivelocity as of September 2025. These options allow for rapid scaling without the lead times associated with traditional hardware procurement.

Power Analysis

Boise offers some of the most competitive utility rates in the United States, providing a clear advantage for high-density compute requirements.

Average Cost Of Power: Industrial electricity is priced between $0.05 – $0.07/kWh as of September 2025. This low cost directly improves the bottom line for colocation tenants and hyperscale operators. The local grid mix is approximately 69% renewables, primarily from hydroelectric and wind sources.

Power Grid Reliability: The electrical infrastructure in the Boise corridor is well-engineered and utilizes redundant substations to serve the tech sector. Reliability remains high due to consistent investment in regional transmission lines as of September 2025.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

The local business environment is purpose-built to attract technology investment and data center operations through favorable policy and strategic location.

Proximity To Key Business Districts: Data centers are located near the Boise Airport and the tech-heavy suburbs of Meridian and Nampa. This proximity supports a growing cluster of semiconductor, software, and healthcare companies that require low-latency access to data.

Regional Market Reach: Boise is the primary digital hub for the Intermountain West between Salt Lake City and the Pacific Northwest. It effectively serves a population base of over 800,000 people in the Treasure Valley as of September 2025.

Tax Advantage For Data Centers: Idaho provides a compelling sales tax exemption on server equipment and building materials for qualifying data center projects. These incentives drastically reduce the total cost of ownership for large scale compute deployments.

Natural Disaster Risk

The Boise market maintains a Moderate risk profile with a score of 39.99 as of September 2025. This rating makes it an attractive alternative to high-risk coastal zones for disaster recovery sites.

• Wildfire: This is the primary regional concern, requiring facilities to utilize advanced air filtration systems during seasonal events.
• Earthquake: Seismic activity is present but generally lower in intensity compared to the San Andreas fault system.
• Riverine Flood: Risks are localized to specific floodplains, and most data center developments are situated on higher ground to avoid impact.
• Winter Weather: Occasional heavy snow and ice are managed through hardened facility designs and reliable onsite fuel storage.

Other risks such as Landslides, Heat Waves, and Drought are considered minor for data center operations in this region as of September 2025.