HAMLET, N.C. (AP) — Amazon plans to invest $10 billion toward building a campus in North Carolina to expand its cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure, bringing a massive shot in the arm to a region where many textile and apparel jobs dried up a generation ago.
Amazon said Wednesday that its investment in rural Richmond County should create at least 500 jobs and support thousands more through construction and data center supply chain providers, according to statements from the company and Gov. Josh Stein’s office. Stein called the investment one of the largest in state history.
Data centers are already familiar to North Carolina’s landscape, including those operated by Apple. This project could transform Richmond County, which is on the South Carolina border and has a population of about 42,000.
The Richmond County site is expected to employ engineers, network and security specialists and other technical roles, the company said. Amazon said it would provide support for universities, community colleges and other workforce training programs to help people enter data center and broadband expansion fields.
“This investment will position North Carolina as a hub for cutting-edge technology, create hundreds of high-skilled jobs, and drive significant economic growth,” Amazon chief global affairs and legal officer David Zapolsky said. “We look forward to partnering with state and local leaders, local suppliers, and educational institutions to nurture the next generation of talent.”
Richmond County commissioners approved an incentives package for Amazon on Tuesday. The company could receive annual cash grants for 20 years equal to portions of the real estate property tax and the property tax for vehicles and equipment at each data center contingent on job creation and monetary investment thresholds, The Richmond Observer reported.
“This project will truly transform our community in ways that we cannot imagine,” Richmond County Manager Bryan Land said at Tuesday’s commissioners meeting. “With the announcement comes large-scale upgrades to our water system, Rockingham’s wastewater system and our fiber optic infrastructure throughout our county — all of which will come at a cost to our Richmond County taxpayers of zero.”
Stein’s office, which called the project an “innovation campus,” said the data centers will contain servers, storage drives, networking equipment and other technology.
“Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work and innovate, and I am pleased that North Carolina will stay at the forefront of all that’s ahead as we continue to attract top technology companies like Amazon,” Stein said. The governor attended a public announcement about the investment on Wednesday at an event in Hamlet.
The company said it has invested $12 billon in North Carolina since 2010 and supports 24,000 full- and part-time jobs.