(The Center Square) – The city of Columbus and the state of Ohio both plan incentive packages as part of a planned $7.8 billion investment by Amazon Web Services in central Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday.
The expansion of data center operations is expected to create 230 direct jobs and around 1,000 support jobs. The project is the second-largest single private-sector company investment in state history. The new centers are expected to contain computer servers, data storage drives, networking equipment and other items used in cloud computing.
DeWine said the company is considering several locations for its new centers, and final site selections should come later.
“Amazon is already one of the largest private-sector employers in Ohio, and the company’s continued growth here further cements Ohio as the heart of our nation’s technology and innovation,” DeWine said. “As more of the world relies on cloud computing, this investment will build on Amazon’s current infrastructure in Ohio to help new and existing businesses grow, allow residents to securely connect to friends and family, and provide access to online educational resources and entertainment.”
JobsOhio, One Columbus and other county and local economic development organizations are working with Amazon Web Services on the expansion. An email to the Ohio Department of Development requesting information about the total incentive package was not returned prior to this publication.
“Today, we are proud to reinforce our long-term commitment to the state of Ohio with plans to expand and invest an estimated $7.8 billion by 2030,” said Roger Wehner, director of economic development with Amazon Web Service. “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.”
Amazon Web Services opened its first data centers in the Midwest in 2016 and has centers in Ohio’s Franklin and Licking counties. AWS’s investments and operations have generated more than $2 billion in economic benefit for Ohio, according to DeWine. It has supported more than 3,000 local secondary jobs on an average annual basis.
In 2022, the company directly employed nearly 1,000 people across the state.
