Dive Brief:
- Tech and retail conglomerate Amazon plans to invest at least $20 billion in Pennsylvania, initially focused on two data centers in Bucks and Luzerne counties, according to a June 9 news release from the company.
- The two data center campuses will be located in Falls Township in Bucks County, and Salem Township in Luzerne County, according to a June 9 news release from Gov. Josh Shapiro. Multiple other Pennsylvania communities are being considered for future campuses, per Shapiro’s release.
- Since 2010, Amazon has invested more than $26 billion in the state, according to the company. Alongside the data centers, the investment will support thousands of construction jobs and other positions in the data center supply chain.
Dive Insight:
The new data centers will join Amazon’s growing operations footprint in Pennsylvania, which includes 23 fulfillment and sortation centers and 20 last-mile delivery stations, according to the governor’s office.
“This initial investment from Amazon will create thousands of good-paying, stable jobs as Pennsylvania workers build, maintain, and operate the first two data center campuses in Luzerne County and Bucks County,” Gov. Shapiro said in his office’s news release.
Amazon also plans to establish a pipeline of training programs that will help Pennsylvania workers build future data centers, according to the company. These include:
- Amazon Community Workforce Accelerator: Training centers that support careers in cloud computing infrastructure with Amazon Web Services and its network of contractors, vendors and partners. CWA houses a variety of skilled technical trades training programs to prepare workers to build, connect, power and operate and maintain AWS data centers in this region.
- AWS Information Infrastructure Pre-Apprenticeship: A paid pre-apprenticeship designed for students and job seekers to prepare for entry into any one of several careers that build, connect, power and operate the infrastructure of what Amazon calls the information economy. Those who successfully complete the program will earn industry-recognized credentials and a guaranteed interview with AWS or one of its contractors.
- Fiber Optic Fusion Splicing Workshops: Two-day certificate courses implemented at local community colleges, technical schools and universities that will train individuals in new fusion splicing — the welding together of fiber optical cables — techniques and equipment, then connect these learners to fiber-broadband employers.
Amazon’s investment comes amid a turbulent construction climate, where data centers remain king as other sectors flag. In April, planning for the facilities lifted the Dodge Momentum Index 0.9% even though other specialty areas fell.
Amazon isn’t alone in its data center building spree. Google has invested more than $17 billion in servers and data centers this year, while a joint venture of Oracle, Softbank and OpenAI committed to investing at least $100 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure, which could scale up to $500 billion.
