A data center for an unnamed Fortune 500 company has been proposed in Perry Township, Ohio.
Elsewhere in the state, another data center has been proposed in Stryker.
The project could see as much as 350 acres along state Route 75 between Breese and Hume Road becoming a data center campus, should the application be approved, reports Lima Ohio.
The project has been suggested by Allen Economic Development Group, which recently met with Perry Township trustees to discuss the possibility.
In order to move forward, the properties in question which are currently zoned I-2 for industrial manufacturing will need to be rezoned to add data center capabilities.
The site is described as advantageous due to its direct access to Interstate 75 as well as a state route, and having "ample water, sewer and electrical capabilities" in the minutes from a May 21 meeting.
“[The project] would be extremely advantageous to Perry Township in that it would widen the tax base, would bring really good jobs to the area, and would be a significant community support for businesses in the township and for the whole county,” said AEDG president and CEO Dave Stratton.
Should the project go ahead, it could contribute annual tax revenues of $750,000 for Perry Township, and more than $2.4m for the school district.
As is often the case with data center developments, local residents have expressed some concern about the potential noise pollution, as well as the impact of construction and increased traffic.
Perry Township residents gathered for a discussion about the project on June 19.
Resident Steve Hunt said: “We do have a beautiful rural life that was described by so many, and we chose to live here vs. the more-developed Lima. There are industrial parks... There are areas that you could consider that would be better used for something like that and not ruin the rural living aspect.”
Other concerns were raised about the identity of the unnamed company, noting that there was no clarification of whether it could be a company from another nation that represented a possible economic or geopolitical rival.
Perry Township's zoning board will meet on June 27 to consider amending the zoning language for the site.
AI data center proposed in Stryker, Ohio
Also in Ohio, a data center has been proposed in Stryker.
The full list of developers is currently unclear but the proposal suggests the possibility of combining an artificial intelligence (AI) data center with a hydroponic agricultural operation.
The companies want to install compute capacity for processing AI in a pair of buildings at 103 Railroad St., the former site of the Ohio Timberland Products Company.
During a meeting with Stryker Council on June 17, it was said that the project will be done in phases.
"The first phase will be computers, and they will be inside-growing. The second phase will be additional computers up to 20MW on the site but they are also looking for other sites in the area. The company would like to make investments in the Stryker area."
Dan Wong, from Future Tech Incorporated, one of the companies working on the project, said that the company is hoping to start with 2MW.
Wong said of the development: "Number one, we want to do a data center, and number two, we want to do agriculture. Why do we want to do modern agriculture? Because it will need the heat in winter time so we can still grow fruits and vegetables."
He added: "We are not merely cultivating crops, we are laying the groundwork for the cities of the future where we combine renewable energy AI data centers and vertical farming."
Beyond the initial deployment, those involved are looking to use container-based data centers, each holding 168 GPUs, and each container will use 0.6MW of power.
The hope is to eventually do 50MW of deployments, but Wong says that this will not happen too quickly, due to local regulations.
Currently, Future Tech Incorporated is doing the necessary studies to begin deploying the project, and says that power can be connected within 16 weeks.
