Benefits Beyond Connectivity

Data centers are bringing transformative economic opportunities to Indiana communities, delivering billions of dollars in capital investment that strengthens local tax bases and funds essential public services. Indiana now hosts dozens of data center facilities—up nearly 30% since March 2024—with Amazon breaking ground on an 800-acre project in northern Indiana and Google building a $2 billion data center in Fort Wayne.

These facilities also generate substantial property tax revenue for counties that help support tax relief, schools, infrastructure improvements, and public safety —all while requiring minimal demand on local resources since they employ small on-site teams and generate no traffic congestion or strain on emergency services. In 2023, Indiana’s data centers contributed more than $327 million in local and state taxes.

Typical data center projects create hundreds of high-paying construction jobs during the build phase and permanent skilled technology positions for Hoosiers once operational. Perhaps most importantly, data centers position Indiana communities for long-term prosperity by establishing the state as a technology leader, attracting additional innovation-driven businesses, and ensuring residents have access to the world-class digital infrastructure that powers modern education, healthcare, small business growth, and quality of life in the 21st century.

Data centers create high-quality technology jobs that offer competitive wages, comprehensive benefits, and specialized technical training that can launch long-term careers in Indiana’s growing digital economy. These permanent positions—ranging from data center technicians and facility managers to network engineers and cybersecurity specialists—provide stable, year-round employment that supports local families while building a skilled workforce positioned to attract future tech investments and strengthen the community’s role as an emerging technology hub. In 2023, Indiana’s data centers supported more than 29,000 jobs across the state, according to PwC.

Data centers are essential infrastructure for future technological and environmental advancements.

The U.S. is transitioning to advanced manufacturing and clean energy technologies, including electric vehicles, heating systems, and household appliances, all of which require the digital infrastructure offered by data centers.

Data centers support the digitization of our economy, widespread vehicle and building electrification, the onshoring of advanced manufacturing, growth in controlled environment agriculture, and other 21st century economic drivers.

Keeping data centers on American soil is critical to our national security. In addition to securing our sensitive information in the United States, data centers also provide the digital infrastructure that ensures U.S. competitiveness in artificial intelligence and other cutting edge technologies that are essential to our economic competitiveness and national security.

Data centers are highly energy-efficient facilities that help enable energy savings for homes and businesses. The industry prioritizes reducing energy use and increasing efficiency and facilities are designed to optimize efficiencies from day one.

In fact, while data center computing workloads increased nearly 550 percent between 2010 and 2018, electricity consumption grew only six percent, due to efficiencies from the cloud migration, improvements in cooling systems, and other operational and technological efficiency gains at modern data centers.

Data centers are some of the largest buyers of clean energy, contributing to our collective sustainability goals. The data center industry has accelerated the economy-wide transition to clean energy and has created demand for more clean energy in the regions where they operate.

Data centers accelerate the clean energy transition in the U.S. with commitments to purchase clean energy and by funding the development of new sources of clean energy. In fact, wind and solar capacity contracted to data center providers and customers represented two-thirds of the total U.S. corporate renewables market last year and four of the top five purchasers of renewable energy in the U.S. are companies that operate data centers. Many data center companies have committed to being carbon neutral and supporting their operations with 100% clean energy by 2030.

The benefits of data centers go beyond the buildings, providing services and opportunities for the communities where they are located.

Data center operators, their employees, and their tenants are committed to giving back to the communities where their teams live and work.

Many data center owners and operators have developed programs within their communities to support academic achievement, grow the data center workforce, and strengthen digital infrastructure. Companies that own, operate, and manage data centers also donate money, contribute time and talent, and engage in community service.

Data centers also benefit local schools and educational institutions in their communities by supporting STEM education in K-12 schools, funding internships and scholarships, and contributing to new fields of higher education.