AWS opens doors to $11 billion data center campus for the first time
NEW CARLISLE, Ind. -- For the first time since construction began on the $11 billion data center project in New Carlisle, AWS opened access to the facility to media on Wednesday.
While there were plenty of restrictions, ABC57 got a look inside the Campus Administration Building or CAB.
The CAB is home to Amazon's Work Based Learning Program (WBLP); the first class of graduates from the program were celebrated alongside an official campus ribbon cutting Wednesday.
A tour of the CAB allowed our crew to see training equipment that Amazon "builders" use to hone their craft. Larger versions of that same equipment are what's found inside the many server rooms that make up most of the campus.
The WBLP is one piece of Amazon's $2.5 billion investment into providing skills training for 50 million people worldwide.
Sergio Loureiro, AWS' Vice President of Global Data Center Operations, confirms the New Carlisle data center hosts some of the most modern cloud infrastructure in the world.
"These graduates are entering a digital economy that powers Indiana University, Eli Lilly, Notre Dame, hospitals and small businesses across this very state." said Loureiro.
Josh Sallabedra, Indiana's AWS Cluster Operations Leader, tells ABC57 that the data center project, which is split into two campuses, has been online in some capacity for more than a year.
He says the "100" campus is nearly complete, with just two buildings still under construction.
Sallabreda also tells us that of the approximately 1,000 "badge" employees who work on the campus every day, around 800 are from the state of Indiana, and most come from the towns and cities within Michiana.
Loureiro, also responding when asked about residents who live near the New Carlisle data center having issues with water pressure.
"We have incredible mechanisms to listen to the community. So, whenever any member of the community brings up a concern, we make sure to listen, we make sure it's addressed and we make sure that if it is on our end, we will repair it." said Loureiro.
ABC57 was not allowed to film any buildings at the AWS facility outside of the CAB.