Amazon is planning to invest $10 billion in a new cloud computing and artificial intelligence innovation campus just east of Charlotte, N.C.
The site is in Richmond County, in south-central North Carolina, and the campus will feature computer servers, data storage and networking equipment all focused on powering cloud computing capabilities and generative AI technologies, according to Amazon.
Although the investment marks one of the largest single capital investments in North Carolina’s history, details on the campus and its planned buildings are sparse. An Amazon spokesperson was unable to provide further information at this time, and as of deadline, representatives of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina could not be reached.
However, currently available information references the economic development agency’s Selectsite Readiness Program, which was launched in 2023 specifically to identify large sites suitable for industries like AI and advanced manufacturing. Some of these sites are privately owned, some are publicly owned, and some have an option to buy from a local partner.
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A summer 2024 report from the EDPNC listed 15 sites across 14 counties, selected from 64 submissions that underwent comprehensive evaluations. Only one of the 15 sites is in Richmond County; it’s called Energy Way Industrial Park and is privately owned. The total size is 672 acres, 432 of that being contiguous.
The nearest town is Hamlet, N.C., and the site appears to lie east of Airport Road, south of the town and straddling, but mostly south of, US 74. The town and apparent site are just north of the South Carolina state line.
According to the EDPNC report, the property is 3 miles from an I-74 interchange and one mile from a CSX main line. On-site electric service is provided by Duke Energy 115 and 500 kV lines and a Pee Dee Electric 25 kV line.
Busy everywhere
Amazon has had a hand in multiple recent commercial real estate deals across the country.
Just last month, the company acquired a struggling Midtown Manhattan office property from RFR Realty for an undisclosed price. The 23-story, 595,430-square-foot building at 522 Fifth Ave. was vacant and had been in foreclosure.
In April, Amazon announced that it was seeking proposals from capital partners to fund up to $15 billion for warehouse and distribution sites in both urban and rural areas.
And in January, Amazon leased 50,333 square feet of office space at Wynwood Plaza in Miami. The deal reportedly was the largest office lease ever in the Wynwood submarket.
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