Governor Eric Holcomb Thursday announced that Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com. Inc. company, plans to invest $11 billion to build a data center campus in north central Indiana and create at least 1,000 new jobs.
This planned investment marks the largest capital investment announcement in Indiana’s history.
“Indiana’s long-term economic strategy is paying dividends for Hoosiers as we cultivate the growth of critical sectors like technology infrastructure,” said Gov. Holcomb. “Amazon has long been an important economic partner in Indiana, and we are excited to welcome AWS. 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.”
According to a press release, AWS is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud, and its data centers enable customers of all sizes and across all industries, such as automotive, healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, public sector, and more, to transform their businesses.
The new data centers will contain computer servers, data storage drives, networking equipment, and other forms of technology infrastructure used to power cloud computing capabilities, and generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
“AWS’s unwavering commitment to supporting our customers and helping drive digital transformation has been evident through our infrastructure investments across the United States,” said Roger Wehner, AWS director of economic development. “Building upon this, we are thrilled to be expanding our operations in Indiana through this planned $11 billion investment, which will create numerous well-paying job opportunities and tap into the state’s burgeoning tech sector, while contributing significantly to the state’s growing economy. This investment will include our continuing commitment to fostering workforce development and educational initiatives in areas where we operate, and we look forward to helping nurture the next generation of talent in the Hoosier State. We are excited to partner with Governor Holcomb, IEDC, and other state and local leaders to forge a path toward a brighter future for Indiana’s tech landscape.”
“Indiana is an ideal hub for data processing due to its business-friendly environment, abundance of infrastructure resources, availability of skilled labor and growing technology and semiconductor sectors,” Holcomb’s office said in the press release.
“The AWS announcement today will be a generational boost to our local and regional economy, and we are excited for the opportunity to welcome the AWS team and workforce into our community,” said Carl Baxmeyer, President of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. “This new data center campus to be built in the Indiana Enterprise Center (IEC) over the next decade will be a major employment center for all of northern Indiana. This project announcement also shows our alignment with the State’s goal to create next level jobs that benefit all Hoosiers.”
“Based on the company’s significant capital investment plans, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) committed an investment in AWS in the form of data center sales tax exemptions for eligible capital investments over a 50-year term,” Holcomb’s office said in the press release. “The IEDC also committed an investment of up to $18.3 million in the form of headcount-based tax credits, up to $5 million in training grants, up to $55 million in Hoosier Business Investment tax credits, and up to $20 million in redevelopment tax credits. These incentives are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim state benefits once investments are made. In addition to its community investment and engagement activities, AWS will also contribute up to $7 million to support road infrastructure improvements being conducted by the state and local community along State Road 2 surrounding the company’s planned development. The company’s investment plans are dependent upon the execution of long-term energy service agreements.”