Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, the Ohio Department of Development, and JobsOhio recently announced that Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to invest an estimated $10 billion in additional funding to expand its data center infrastructure across greater Ohio. This will create hundreds of well-paying jobs by the end of 2030 and strengthen the state’s role as a central technology hub.
These new data centers will contain computer servers, data storage drives, networking equipment, and other technology infrastructure that power cloud computing, including AI/ML.
This new investment builds on the $7.8 billion investment plan announced by AWS last year, in addition to the $6+ billion already invested through 2022. The company’s announced planned investment in Ohio since 2015 will reach over $23 billion by the end of 2030, representing the second-largest planned investment by a single private sector company in the state’s history.
AWS plans to expand its data centers outside Central Ohio to additional nationwide communities. The company has not finalized the investment locations and will continue to evaluate all potential sites. The investment plans are contingent on the execution of long-term energy service agreements.
Since opening its first Ohio data center in 2016, AWS has made substantial contributions to the state’s economy. The company has invested $10.3 billion in Ohio and contributed an estimated $3.8 billion in total gross domestic product (GDP) to the state between 2015 and 2023. AWS’s investments support thousands of new jobs in high-demand sectors like telecommunications, software development, facilities maintenance, and electricity generation within the cloud infrastructure supply chain.
JobsOhio is one of multiple economic development teams collaborating with AWS to support the expansion.
KEY QUOTES:
“As reliance on digital services continues to grow, so does the importance of data centers; they are critical to today’s modern economy. AWS’s substantial investment in Ohio will help keep our state at the forefront of the global technology.”
– Governor DeWine
“These are significant investments from AWS that support Ohio’s growing reputation as the tech hub of the Midwest. Artificial Intelligence and data centers are crucial to America’s economic superiority because they drive innovation, support high-tech industries, enhance productivity across sectors, and enable the analysis and management of vast data essential for global competitiveness.”
– Lt. Governor Husted
“Today, we reaffirm our long-term commitment to Ohio with plans to invest an additional $10 billion to expand our data center infrastructure in greater Ohio to drive innovation in AI for customers. Since 2015, AWS has invested more than $10.3 billion in the state, and currently supports more than 4,760 jobs annually. This expanded investment is expected to create new, well-paying jobs, boost Ohio’s GDP, and further cement our partnership with the state. We are also proud to continue expanding the reach of workforce development and educational programs that equip Ohio’s next generation of tech talent through strong public and private partnerships.”
– Roger Wehner, vice president of economic development at AWS
“Thanks to the growing number of data center leaders in our state, Ohio has emerged as one of the nation’s foremost technology centers, helping us attract business innovators that hadn’t previously considered locating here. AWS was the first major cloud provider in our state and their success has helped pave the way for the explosive growth we’re seeing now.”
– JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef
