Dive Brief:
- Switch, developer of SUPERNAP data centers, has confirmed it will build a $5 billion, two-million square foot data center in Grand Rapids, MI, MLive reported, making it the largest data center in the Eastern U.S. Switch's list of more than 1,000 clients include eBay, Intel, Dreamworks, Google, Amazon, Activision (Call of Duty) and Fox Broadcasting.
- Switch has reserved the right to call off the move if the Michigan legislature does not pass three bills, introduced last week, that give data centers tax breaks, MLive reported.
- Included in Switch's development plans is the construction of several on-site buildings for data storage equipment. Birgit Klohs, CEO of regional economic development organization The Right Place, told WMMZ her conservative estimate of the resulting employment is 3,000 direct and indirect jobs during a 10-year period.
Dive Insight:
The company says it chose the facility, dubbed the "Steelcase Pyramid," in part because its location is still within the "millisecond protocols" needed to serve major markets, MLive reported, and the area is not prone to frequent large-scale natural disasters.
Klohs also estimates 400 new air travelers every week through the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, and as many as 1,700 a week when the data center is finished, WMMZ reported.
Norman Properties, LLC, WMMZ reported, which purchased the building in May, is also owner of the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center in Reno, NV, where Switch is constructing a $1 billion data center and where Tesla Motors is building its $5 billion gigafactory.
