Featured Image Credit: MichaelVi, Depositphotos.com
Amazon has come a long way from its beginnings as an online bookseller. Today, it stands as a tech giant engaged in various industries such as cloud services, grocery stores, health clinics, and online pharmacies.
An investment in Amazon stock two decades ago has yielded impressive returns, reflecting the company’s massive growth and expansive reach.
The latest milestone in Amazon’s journey is its $10 billion commitment to building data center campuses in Madison County, Mississippi, over the next ten years through its cloud arm, Amazon Web Services (AWS). This investment is the largest Mississippi has ever seen and highlights AWS’s role as Amazon’s most profitable and rapidly expanding segment.
$108 billion in Amazon infrastructure
Construction Timeline for the Megasite
First on the agenda is building the facilities. Spanning 1,713 acres in Madison County, the project will cover two separate locations.
One site will utilize the remaining 927 acres at the Madison County Mega Site, situated near Highway 22 and Nissan Parkway in Canton. Adjacent to this, the Clark Beverage Company is also being developed, along with about 16 buildings, each ranging from 200,000 to 300,000 square feet. The area will also feature Amazon’s distribution center.
The second site, taking up 786 acres, is located in Ridgeland. It sits on the Costas property along the southern edge of Madison County, near Tougaloo College at the corner of Highland Colony Parkway and West County Line Road.
The targeted completion date for these sites is 2027. The construction effort will be supported by U.S. supply chains, purchasing labor, materials, and services locally without financial aid from the state.
It’s estimated that at least 6,000 construction workers will be needed, though that number could potentially double.
Between 2011 and 2022, AWS spent $18.3 billion on data center construction throughout the U.S. The range of jobs needed includes specialists in skilled trades like electricians, fiber-optic technicians, and HVAC technicians.
AWS Investments and Their Economic Impact in Numbers
From 2011 to 2022, Amazon’s AWS division invested $92.04 billion in building its cloud computing infrastructure in the U.S. This hefty investment supported $16.24 billion in labor income and generated 19,900 jobs related to data center construction.
Additionally, local spending on data center operations amounted to $17.01 billion during this period.
The economic impact of AWS investment has been particularly significant in several states:
- Virginia: $63.9 billion in economic activity, supporting 16,600 jobs.
- Oregon: $22.9 billion, facilitating 5,700 jobs.
- Ohio: $6.3 billion, leading to the creation of 3,550 jobs.
- California: $4.2 billion, with 1,500 jobs supported.
AWS’s total U.S. investment has contributed about $38 billion to the national GDP, alongside various other economic benefits.
These investments empower a wide range of entities, from startups to large enterprises, as well as government agencies and nonprofits, all driving significant innovation.
