Billion Dollar Growth: Keeping tabs on Columbus’ data center boom
Image: Meta New Albany
It’s hard to keep up with all the news about data center projects in the Columbus area, which has become one of the country’s top 10 regions for such hubs.
Here are just a few of the latest headlines:
Kansas-based QTS Data Centers said it will spend $1.5 billion to build four new facilities in New Albany.
Amazon subsidiary AWS announced plans in June to invest another $7.8 billion to expand its data center operations in the region.
Google in May said it will spend $3.7 billion and build two more in the region, bringing its total to three.
In 2022, Meta unveiled plans to add two more buildings, increasing its investment in New Albany by $500 million to $1.5 billion.
Microsoft paid $57 million for 183 acres in western Licking County in June - while not announced yet, this is expected to be for a new data center location
A Decade of Major Growth
From 2012 to 2021, the Columbus region added 1.9 million square feet of data center space, trailing only Washington, D.C., and Dallas, according to a report by 42Floors, which credited Columbus for its great infrastructure.
“Columbus recorded the third-largest data center market expansion during the decade we reviewed, following an inventory increase of nearly 3 million square feet,” 42Floors said in the report. “This development push represented an increase of 146% in the market during the 10 years studied and brought it to almost 4.7 million square feet of data center space”
Why Ohio
Ohio, and specifically Central Ohio, is well positioned to continue this data center growth due to many factors, including its geographic location, reliable power, lower risk of natural disasters, land ready to develop, and a strong IT workforce.
