Amazon Web Services invests $11 billion to build data center campus in St. Joseph County

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. - Amazon Web Services is investing $11 billion to build a data center campus in western St. Joseph County.

The project is expected to add around 1000 new jobs.

Work is already underway on Larrison Drive, with hundreds of trucks passing by, and machines moving dirt to bring the new Amazon Web Services data center campus.

One local resident, Dan Caruso, says he's all for development but does have concerns.

With this new project, and an EV battery plant down the street, he worries about where all these new workers will live.

“I think you really need the housing before you bring the workers, rather than you bring workers who commute from Elkhart, from in Michigan across the border, from western Laporte, to Michigan City," said Caruso.

Another local resident, who wants to remain anonymous, moved to New Carlisle because they loved the small historical town for their retirement.

But now, with all the noisy construction and the potential strain on resources from this project, they are reconsidering where they want to live.

"We're bringing all this big industry here, but we don't have the infrastructure, the police, the fire, the schools, the schools are landlocked. Where are they going to build schools for these kids if people move here?" said the anonymous resident.

David Rosenberg, Indiana's Secretary of Commerce, says the tax incentives are performance-based, meaning the company will only receive them once investments are made.

Rosenberg also says Indiana has been leaning into the economies of the future by seeking out EV battery plants, semi-conductors, and data centers; things that will run Indiana's economy for the next 50 years.

Rosenberg stated, “What's important about the economies of the future is that they are truly focused on high wage careers and so when we invest in a company, we ensure those jobs are above county average wage, state average wage, and even U.S. national average wage," said Rosenberg.

Amazon Web Services says it will provide $7 million to support road infrastructure improvements along State Road 2 around the new development.