Dive brief:
- QTS Data Centers, an Overland Park, Kansas-based REIT focused on IT facilities, plans to invest around $1.5 billion in four data centers for future end users of New Albany, Ohio, according to the City of New Albany.
- The colocation provider will build the data center on Beech Road spanning two separate sites — one on a 56-acre property and the other on a nearby 37-acre location, according to QTS.
- Data center projects have been maintained high levels of activity in the US, especially in New Albany, led by multibillion-dollar commitments from industry giants such as Amazon and Google.
Diving knowledge:
Data centers continue to play a crucial role in the New Albany community, Sara Zeigler, the city’s economic development manager, said in a news release.
For example, Amazon allocated $3.5 billion in September to establish it new data centers in New Albany, according to a statement shared with Construction Dive. This investment is part of the whole of the technological giant Data center investment of $7.8 billion in the state
In August, Google also announced a $1.7 billion commitment three data center campuses in Ohio, specifically its facilities in Columbus, Lancaster and New Albany. That amount is based on the more than $2 billion Google has already invested in the state since it broke ground on its first Ohio data center in 2019, in New Albany.
Columbus, the metropolitan center of New Albany, continues to attract data center investors due to its advantageous location among major developed data centers such as Northern Virginia, Atlanta and Chicago. This increase in private sector funding, rapid expansion and a strong business environment have recently earned Columbus the title of Technology Capital of the Midwest.
Along with data centers, the area also benefits from other types of sectors, such as Intel’s $20 billion semiconductor manufacturing plant, a $2 billion terminal project at John Glenn International Airport and $1.9 billion medical center project.
