Tech Giant Plans 390-Acre Data Center Hub in Heartland
Google is advancing its Midwest infrastructure strategy with plans to develop a significant data center campus spanning 390 acres in Morgan County, Indiana. The technology company confirmed its involvement in the project this week, marking another substantial investment in Indiana’s growing technology infrastructure landscape.
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The Morgan County Economic Development Corporation officially identified Google as the developer behind the proposed campus, following initial speculation about the project’s origins. Early planning documents indicate the potential for up to five buildings across the extensive site, positioning this as one of the region’s most significant technology infrastructure developments.
Strategic Location and Development Details
The proposed campus occupies a strategic position in Morgan Township, east of Monrovia, bounded by Keller Hill Road, North Antioch Road, Indiana 42, and West Union Church Road. The substantial land acquisition involves 18 separate parcels currently owned by 10 different entities, demonstrating the complex coordination required for large-scale technology infrastructure projects.
According to planning documents reviewed by <a href="https://fox59.com/news/google-confirmed-to-be-developer-behind-proposed-morgan-county-data-center/” target=”_blank”>Fox59, four of the five proposed structures appear to be large-scale data center facilities, while the fifth represents a smaller auxiliary building situated east of an existing electrical transmission line. This configuration suggests a comprehensive approach to supporting Google’s expanding cloud computing and services requirements.
Corporate Strategy and Community Impact
“We are always planning for future capacity needs, which includes evaluating options to expand our data center presence in markets across the US,” stated Broderick Green, Google’s data center public affairs manager. “In Indiana, we can confirm we are exploring a potential development in Morgan County, Indiana. We appreciate the collaboration with both Morgan County and state leadership as we evaluate the opportunity together.”
The project received crucial rezoning approval in late September, clearing a significant regulatory hurdle for the development to proceed. This approval reflects the careful balancing act between technological expansion and community integration that major technology companies must navigate.
Mike Dellinger of the Morgan County Economic Development Corporation emphasized the mutual benefits of the partnership: “We are enthusiastic about the partnership we are building with Google. A project of this magnitude presents the opportunity to bring jobs and needed investment for our schools and critical county services without raising taxes on our residents. We are committed to working hand-in-hand with Google to support a clean, modern industry that will help drive our future economy.”
Indiana’s Growing Technology Corridor
Morgan County’s location southwest of Indianapolis places it within Indiana’s primary data center market, which has emerged as a significant hub for technology infrastructure in the Midwest. The state has developed additional technology hubs in South Bend and Fort Wayne, creating a distributed network of digital infrastructure assets., as comprehensive coverage
Google’s commitment to Indiana extends beyond Morgan County, with the company simultaneously developing a separate campus in Fort Wayne. That project involves approximately 900 acres and represents a $2 billion investment announced in 2024, with expansions planned through September 2025.
The technology company’s approach to site selection demonstrates careful strategic planning, as evidenced by their recent withdrawal from a proposed development in Franklin Township near Indianapolis. That decision, made in September, reflected the company’s responsiveness to local community feedback and its commitment to finding mutually beneficial locations for its infrastructure investments.
Broader Industry Implications
This development represents part of a broader trend of major technology companies expanding their physical infrastructure footprints beyond traditional coastal technology hubs. The Midwest offers several advantages for data center development, including:
- Reliable energy infrastructure and competitive utility costs
- Geographic stability with lower natural disaster risks
- Central location within national network connectivity corridors
- Supportive state and local economic development policies
As cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and edge computing continue to drive demand for data processing capacity, strategic investments in regions like Morgan County become increasingly critical to supporting the digital economy’s backbone infrastructure.
The Morgan County project, while still in development stages, represents Google’s continued confidence in Indiana’s business environment and the Midwest’s growing importance in the national technology infrastructure landscape. The successful implementation of this campus could further solidify Indiana’s position as an emerging technology hub and set the stage for additional investments in the region.
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