Photo // Michael Clubb for the South Bend Tribune
$11 BILLION IN THE WORKS. The huge construction site shows how much progress has been made and how much land the project takes up.
By: Claire McKenna
Staff-Writer
Amazon’s $11 billion data center in New Carlisle, Indiana has been in the works for the past year and has made some major progress. This is reported to be the largest capital investment in Indiana history. The project was revealed in April 2024 and last month it was reported 11 of 38 buildings of the property are mostly constructed.
Amazon showed its appreciation for the community in February, investing $250,000 in the community through grants that funded groups like Cultivate Food Rescue and programs at New Prairie High School.
Sarah Georgiades, head of InCommunities for Amazon Web Services, told WSBT 22 News that Amazon wants to become ingrained in St. Joseph County communities through charitable giving.
“We strive to be authentic; that’s why we want to start with programs like this. Instead of us coming in and saying, ‘look at all the great programs that we do,’” Georgiades said. “Programs and initiatives like this allow us to really hear from the community first and allow us to work backwards within the community.”
Amazon also hosted a hiring and networking event with about 300 attendees, and it is reported that the new facility will create about 1,000 jobs – an important opportunity for New Carlisle, whose downtown had significant business losses in 2024.
The buildings will also be AI data centers rather than traditional data centers, which Sue Kesim, who attended the event, told WSBT she is excited about.
“What’s exciting for me is I recently got my AI certification from MIT, and of course, Amazon would be a great company to work for with artificial intelligence,” Kesim said.
But Indiana environmentalists have some concerns about the development. More than half the project – 10 of 15 acres – will affect wetlands near Bendix Woods. The Hoosier Environmental Council posted a map of the project with a link to a public comment form, which closed March 3, encouraging local residents to express concerns about the environmental impact of the data center.
The HEC also noted that residents interested in sending feedback could contact the project manager on the Indiana Department of Environmental Management side, Emersyn Harriman, at [email protected].
It seems it won’t be long before the centers are finished and the data is online. Some of the buildings will see occupancy by May, but Amazon has not given a specific timeline of when everything should be done.