You would think a desert is the worst place to build a data center. But many top banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, and other companies have flocked to the Phoenix area to set up state-of-the-art data centers. Even Google is building a new facility in the area. The reason? One expert lists them for Forbes: An abundance of energy, a lack of natural disasters and fewer weather-related risks.

I also am guessing the real estate isn't nearly as expensive as in more urban areas closer to traditional financial centers. Some firms have plans to deploy more solar-power technologies to power these centers. Many of these were designed with energy efficiency and client costs in mind. They are certainly dovetailing well with current "green" trends. 

For more:
- here's the Forbes article [1]

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