Ohio Data Centers

Central Ohio’s transformation into a data center hub happened fast. The New Albany area in Franklin and Licking counties attracted Amazon Web Services first, followed by Google and Meta, all drawn by the same combination: central geographic location (within 500 miles of 50% of the U.S. population), major east-west fiber routes, abundant cheap land, and competitive electricity rates. Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) maintains a legacy enterprise market, while Hamilton County (Cincinnati) serves the Ohio River corridor. But the New Albany hyperscale cluster is now the defining feature of Ohio’s data center landscape.

34 Ohio counties have tracked facilities. Franklin County (Columbus) and neighboring Licking County host the hyperscale concentration, but the state’s data center footprint spans from Cleveland in the north to Cincinnati in the southwest. Columbus’s rise was catalyzed by fiber routes, Ohio State University’s tech talent, and aggressive local economic development.

The Columbus hyperscale cluster is dominated by the three largest cloud providers. Amazon Web Services has invested over $10 billion, Google has committed $2+ billion, and Meta is building a massive AI training campus — all in the New Albany area. Beyond hyperscale, QTS, Cologix, and TierPoint serve the enterprise colocation market. Cleveland and Cincinnati maintain more diverse operator mixes.

Pike County leads with 10,000 MW of tracked capacity, reflecting the hyperscale scale of the New Albany cluster. Individual AWS and Meta facilities in central Ohio are among the largest in the Midwest, with power draws that rival small cities.

Intel’s $28 billion semiconductor fabrication plant in Licking County creates direct synergies with the region’s data centers. Chips expected by 2030–2031 will be consumed by data centers nearby, creating a vertically integrated technology corridor. Both industries benefit from shared infrastructure investments in power, water, and fiber. Beyond Intel, the 43 facilities in Ohio’s pipeline are overwhelmingly concentrated in central Ohio, with Amazon, Google, and Meta all planning continued expansion.

Ohio deregulated its electricity market in 2001, and commercial customers can choose among dozens of competing retail suppliers in AEP Ohio, Ohio Edison (FirstEnergy), and Duke Energy Ohio territories. Rates average 7–9¢/kWh — roughly a third of ConEdison’s NYC rates and half of California’s. Large data centers can also purchase directly through the PJM wholesale market. Columbus-area operators benefit from relatively new transmission infrastructure built to serve the hyperscale buildout, reducing congestion charges. Compare current Ohio electricity rates from competing providers. On May 27, 2026, Governor DeWine directed the Tax Credit Authority to stop considering new data center sales-tax exemptions.