An investment can change the physical scale of a local economy without necessarily changing its underlying economic strength. A new data center may bring substantial construction activity, specialist contractors, electrical equipment demand, and a temporary increase in employment, yet those benefits do not automatically translate into capabilities that remain after the project reaches operation. For local markets competing to attract digital infrastructure, the more important question emerges after the capital expenditure has moved through the construction cycle and the facility begins serving its intended workload. Can local businesses compete for subsequent projects, can skilled trades support increasingly complex electrical and mechanical systems, and can infrastructure created for one development support other industrial requirements? These questions shift the assessment away from the size of the original investment toward the economic capacity that the investment leaves behind.