Amazon to invest $7.8 Billion in Ohio for data centers
COLUMBUS – Amazon Web Services will invest an estimated $7.8 billion by the end of 2029 to expand its data center operations in Central Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced Monday.
Amazon’s data center project represents the second-largest single private sector company investment in Ohio’s history, behind Intel’s recent $20 billion investment in semiconductor manufacturing plants. The new data centers will contain computer servers, data storage drives, networking equipment, and other forms of technology infrastructure used to power cloud computing.
“Amazon is already one of the largest private-sector employers in Ohio, and the company’s continued growth here further cements Ohio as the heart of our nation’s technology and innovation,” said Governor DeWine. “As more of the world relies on cloud computing, this investment will build on Amazon’s current infrastructure in Ohio to help new and existing businesses grow, allow residents to securely connect to friends and family, and provide access to online educational resources and entertainment.”
Numerous localities in Central Ohio are under consideration for the new data center campuses, and final site selections will be decided at a later date.
Amazon launched its first data centers in the Midwest in 2016 and currently operates data center campuses in Franklin and Licking counties.
“This positions Ohio as a critical location for the most discussed technology in the world, artificial intelligence,” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “This enormous capital investment further solidifies Ohio as the tech center of the Midwest and positions us for a bright future as cloud computing and artificial intelligence are more integrated into the economy and our everyday lives.”
Amazon’s current investments and operations have generated over $2 billion in economic benefit for Ohio, and supported more than 3,000 local secondary jobs on an average annual basis. In 2022, the company directly employed nearly 1,000 Ohioans across the state.
“Today, we are proud to reinforce our long-term commitment to the State of Ohio with plans to expand and invest an estimated $7.8 billion by 2030,” said Roger Wehner, Director of Economic Development, Amazon Web Services. “Since 2015, AWS has invested more than $6 billion in Ohio while supporting thousands of local jobs.”
JobsOhio, One Columbus, and multiple county and local economic development teams are collaborating with AWS to support the expansion.