Microsoft has secured an agreement for its planned data center campus in Licking County, Ohio, and is seeking tax breaks for another in Fulton County, Georgia.
The cloud giant has been given the go-ahead by the village of Hebron to build a six-data center campus on 200 acres west of Ohio 79 and between North High Street and Canyon Road, reports The Columbus Dispatch.
Microsoft is expected to invest $500 million in each data center building, as well as to bring 30 jobs per data center to the area. At present, the agreement does not include a tax abatement.
Current timelines suggest the first data centers will not be operational until 2026 or 2027.
Microsoft has requested 252 gallons per minute per building, plus a reserve of 210,000 gallons per day for discharging, treating and transporting at peak wastewater flow. The company has said that this is for an emergency situation and on particularly hot days, but it is notable that this represents 30 percent of the Village's water capacity. The company will also create two large retention ponds.
As part of approving the project, the Village Council accepted the annexation of 131 acres and rezoned parcels at 323 and 129 North High Street to manufacturing.
Microsoft will also pay for road improvements on the High Street, Enterprise Drive, and Canyon Road.
Beyond that, Microsoft has to meet minimal noise and air quality impact levels, and invest in considerable screening of the development.
Microsoft first revealed plans to purchase the land in Licking County in January 2024. At the time, construction was reportedly expected to commence in late 2024 or early 2025. In May 2024, the company acquired more land located west of Thornwood Drive and south of Hallie Lane and previously owned by Ramp Creek Estate LLC. Precise details of those parcels were not shared.
Last year, the company also acquired 200 acres of land in Ohio in nearby New Albany. In November, the cloud giant acquired another 580 acres in Licking County.
Microsoft seeks $75m tax break in Fulton County, Georgia
Microsoft is looking for tax breaks to expand its data center presence in metro Atlanta, Georgia.
Reported by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the site in question has been purchased to support data center construction that is already underway in Union City, Fulton County.
Microsoft purchased 136 acres in Fulton County in April 2024 for $53.5m.
Microsoft is seeking to build three data center buildings, a development that will cost around $43.5m.
The company is also developing sites on the outskirts of Atlanta, in East Point and Palmetto in Fulton County, and Douglasville, Douglas County.
Microsoft acquired the land in Palmetto in late 2020, saying at the time it planned to plans to build a 250,000 sq ft (23,225 sqm) data center. The company paid $6m to acquire 20 acres of land next to its existing data center campus there in February.
Microsoft gained approval for the $420m Palmetto data center project in 2020. The company plans to finish the project by 2028 when it could span up to 116 acres, according to previous filings with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
The Development Authority of Fulton County will discuss providing tax incentives for the additional development on July 2.
