I think it's more that the US can still build fast so long as it presents some pressing need for someone: economic, military, or social. As an example, infrastructure projects take forever, but then when there is a piece of infrastructure that actually needs building, governments choose appropriate incentives.

When the MacArthur Maze fell down because of a tank truck fire, the contract paid out $200k per day ahead of schedule the fix was delivered. The winning company bid way under everyone else and just produced quality to inspectors' desire way ahead of schedule to win most of it on early completion bonuses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Maze#Rebuilding

And not everything in America is slow to build. Once the F-35 program got going it got going. There are 1100 such jets or something in the world now. 150 F-35 every year or so.

The reality is that for the things that most yuppies want built (housing and transit infrastructure) there are many domestic opponents and a regulatory regime that affords those opponents control over production.

For instance, we wouldn't really have Starlink if it weren't for the fact that SpaceX is using DoD clearance to fly its rockets. The California Coastal Commission would stall all such flight attempts otherwise.

Building a datacenter is a project, but it's mostly a regular commercial/industrial project with a large electrical feed.

Site selection is relatively easy, other than for trading datacenters, you don't typically need a very specific location. Proper zoning, reasonable geographic risk, proper electrical feeds, reasonable distance for fiber to the local internet exchange(s). But it's ok if it's 20 miles here or there, and really 200 miles here or there is ok if you're not planning to sell colo space.

Building in a dense metro is harder because finding a site is more difficult and planning approval is more difficult, and if you need to do utility construction, that's harder too, but there's no big coordination problem that makes things super hard to get done.

Also, datacenters like connectivity and on the internet, all roads lead to mae-east. It makes sense to put your first datacenter in Virginia if you serve a global audience. If you've been around for a while, it probably makes sense to upgrade your datacenter in Virginia or build a new one.

Alternatively, we can build things fast as long as you don't need an act of congress to get it built or funded.

Tgis has more to do with finance bros than anything else. Americas regulatory system is defenseless.