The e-commerce giant Amazon’s cloud computing division, AWS – Amazon Web Services, plans to invest $7.8 Billion in Ohio, through 2030 to boost the data center operations of the state. The announcement was made by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.
The company initially established its data centers in Franklin and Licking Counties in the year 2016. With the current project’s addition, Amazon’s investment in Ohio will make it the second-largest private sector company, trailing only Intel’s two leading-edge chip factories, which amount to nearly $20 billion.
This decision came through despite Amazon witnessing a decline in demand for cloud computing due to high inflation in the first quarter of 2023. The company saw a growth of 16 % in the first quarter of 2023 while in Q1 2022 it had witnessed a jump of 37%. However, this investment is a part of the long-term commitment of the company to the state of Ohio. The company has already been investing since 2015 and has invested nearly $6B to date.
This plan comes at a very good time for Ohio as it endeavors to make itself the tech hub of the country. “Since 2015, AWS has invested more than $6 billion in Ohio while supporting thousands of local jobs. This additional investment will bring new, well-paying jobs and will continue to boost the state’s Gross Domestic Product each year. We are excited to continue our partnership with the state of Ohio and deliver new workforce development and educational programs that support the next generation of talent by emphasizing collaborative, long-term public and private partnerships across the state,” said Roger Wehner, Director of Economic Development, AWS.
The new data centers launched by AWS will comprise computer servers, network equipment, data storage, and other state-of-the-art technology for cloud computing. The existing operations have been responsible for providing employment to approximately 1000 people in the state. According to the state’s privatized economic development office JobsOhio’s CEO JP Nauseef, this latest investment will bring in 230 direct jobs and around 1000 support roles to the state.
Amazon has contributed $2.2 B to the state’s GDP from 2015 to 2022. It has further contributed to the state’s development by collaborating with local schools and companies through programs like Girl’s Tech Day, We Build it Better, and AWS Academy for those who wish to acquire industry-recognized AWS certifications.
By 2040, the company has intentions to allocate $35 billion towards expanding data centers in Virginia, alongside a goal of investing $13 billion in India before the end of this decade.
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