Amazon Web Services, a cloud computing unit of Amazon, announced plans to invest $11 billion in building a data center in northern Indiana. This project is expected to create at least 1,000 new jobs in the area near New Carlisle. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb described this investment as the largest in the state’s history, highlighting its potential to boost the local economy.
The data center campus will be developed over the next decade at the Indiana Enterprise Center, contributing to job growth in northern Indiana. It will house computer servers, data storage drives, networking equipment, and other technology infrastructure to support cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies. Roger Wehner, AWS’s director of economic development, emphasized the high-paying job opportunities this project will create and its significance for Indiana’s technology sector.
To support this investment, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. has offered data center sales tax exemptions for eligible capital investments over a 50-year period. Additionally, performance-based tax credits worth millions of dollars have been committed to AWS, including count-based tax credits, Hoosier business investment tax credits, and redevelopment tax credits. AWS has also pledged $7 million to improve road infrastructure around the planned data center along State Road 2.
The exact timeline for the construction of this data center in St. Joseph County, near New Carlisle, has not been specified in the announcement. However, Carl Baxmeyer, chairman of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners, mentioned that this project will be a crucial employment center for the region over the coming years.
Overall, this substantial investment by AWS in Indiana is expected to have a positive impact on job creation, economic growth, and technological advancement in the state. With the support from the government and various tax incentives, this data center project aims to strengthen Indiana’s position in the evolving digital economy and contribute to the development of high-tech industries in the region.
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