Dive Brief:

• Amazon Web Services plans an $11 billion investment to build a data center campus in north central Indiana, the largest capital investment in Indiana’s history, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
• The IEDC announced substantial incentives to Amazon, including data center sales tax exemptions, $18.3 million in headcount-based tax credits, $5 million in training grants, up to $55 million in Hoosier Business Investment tax credits and up to $20 million in redevelopment tax credits. All of those sweeteners are contingent on the tech giant’s performance in making its promised investments.
• Amazon’s expansion is well-suited with Indiana’s business-friendly environment, skilled labor availability and booming tech and semiconductor sectors, making it an ideal hub for data processing, according to the IEDC.

Dive Insight:

Data center construction continues to boom across the United States, led by major hyperscalers such as Oracle, Google, Amazon and Meta. 

The new Amazon data centers will feature computer servers, data storage drives, networking equipment and other forms of technology infrastructure used to power cloud computing capabilities, such as generative artificial intelligence technologies, according to the IEDC.

Amazon will also implement numerous local training workshop programs to train individuals in the region on skills like fusion splicing techniques and equipment, according to the company. The campus will support industries such as automotive, healthcare, manufacturing and financial services, according to the IEDC. 

Excited to announce @awscloud's $11B investment to build a new data center campus in New Carlisle, creating 1,000+ jobs! This historic investment is the largest in #Indiana's history and proves once again that innovation lives in Indiana.https://t.co/TgEw902MpJ pic.twitter.com/qi9S5rraJT

— Governor Eric Holcomb (@GovHolcomb) April 25, 2024

“Amazon has long been an important economic partner in Indiana,” said Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb in the release. “This significant investment solidifies Indiana’s leadership position in the economy of the future, and will undoubtedly have a positive ripple effect on the town of New Carlisle, the north central region and the state of Indiana for years to come.”

In addition to its data center investment, Amazon will also contribute up to $7 million to support road infrastructure improvements along State Road 2 surrounding the company’s planned development, according to IEDC. 

Indiana boom

The massive multibillion investment follows several other high-profile projects recently in the state of Indiana.

For example, billion-dollar advanced manufacturing projects in the state include a $3.5 billion Samsung SDI plant in New Carlisle, a $3.2 billion Stellantis electric vehicle plant in Kokomo and a $1.6 billion Eli Lilly facility in Lebanon. 

Meta also announced in January a $800 million data center campus project in Jeffersonville, slated for completion in 2026. Turner Construction started work on the 700,000-square-foot facility earlier this year.