Enormous $2.5 billion data campus planned for metro Atlanta

A rendering of a Switch data center. Source: Switch

A rendering of a Switch data center. Source: Switch

A Nevada-based tech firm plans to build an enormous data center campus in metro Atlanta in what it describes as a “multibillion-dollar” investment in the Southeastern U.S.

Las Vegas-based Switch said Thursday it will develop a more than 1 million-square-foot campus it calls “The Keep” that will be among the most advanced in the nation and the fourth in what it calls its “Prime” campuses in the U.S.

Switch said it could eventually build more than one campus at an as-yet-undisclosed location in Douglas County.

Gov. Nathan Deal’s office hailed the announcement, describing it as a $2.5 billion investment in Douglas County.

“Georgia is committed to remaining on the cutting edge of high-tech innovation, and innovative companies like Switch are leading the way in this trend,” Deal said in a news release. “Georgia’s robust technology infrastructure and skilled workforce will benefit Switch in building this new data center and in the company’s future growth.”

Switch will lease space within the data center to major companies, which will operate their own systems within the complex, said Adam Kramer, an executive vice president for the company. Switch said it expects to hire 65 people once the facility is complete.

“Where the data industry is shifting, it’s so important to have the redundancy and resiliency for your data,” Kramer said.

The new facility will give Switch’s more than 700 clients redundant “Tier IV Gold” data center facilities on the East Coast, Kramer said, in an area that is protected from natural disasters such as hurricanes.

The complex will be 100 percent powered by renewable energy sources, Kramer said, and the company is working with Georgia Power to attain that goal.

The company expects to break ground on the multi-building complex later this year and open the campus eight to 12 months later.

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