Published: June 9, 2025
By AGL Information and Technology Staff Writers
Amazon has unveiled plans to invest $10 billion in rural Richmond County, North Carolina, to construct a cutting-edge artificial intelligence and cloud computing campus. The multi‑year project includes data center construction, workforce development programs, and significant infrastructure improvements, marking one of the state’s largest-ever capital investments.
The campus will be at the Energy Way Industrial Park, approximately 100 miles southwest of Raleigh. The location is well-suited to power-intensive operations with strong utility access via Duke Energy, Pee Dee Electric, and an on-site natural gas plant.
Amazon projects the creation of 500 high-skilled jobs, including roles for data center engineers, network specialists, security experts, and operations managers. An additional wave of thousands of jobs is expected during the construction phase and via local supply-chain networks.
Economic and Community Impact
County and state officials have approved incentives for Amazon, offering up to 50% cash grants on property taxes and 65% on personal property taxes over 20 years. These agreements are contingent on achieving specified investment and job targets.
Richmond County officials anticipate no additional burden on taxpayers. The initiative will fully fund project-related water, wastewater, and fiber-optic infrastructure upgrades.
Amazon has committed to collaborating with local universities, community colleges, and schools to implement vocational programs. These include data-center operations certification, fiber-optic fusion-splicing workshops, and K–12 STEM enhancements. A dedicated $150,000 Community Fund will support grassroots STEM, sustainability, and workforce initiatives, with grants capped at $10,000 per project.
Leadership Statements
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Gov. Josh Stein: “Artificial intelligence is changing how we work and innovate… among the largest in state history… bringing hundreds of good-paying jobs and an economic boost to Richmond County”.
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David Zapolsky (Amazon): “This investment will position North Carolina as a hub for cutting-edge technology… nurture the next generation of talent”
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Bryan Land (County Manager): “This project will truly transform our community… upgrades… at zero cost to taxpayers”.
Environmental and Infrastructural Considerations
Though not highlighted in all coverage, experts warn that data centers of this scale typically demand hundreds of megawatts of electricity and millions of gallons of water daily for cooling, raising concerns about sustainability and resource allocation. However, Amazon’s focus on location selection—prioritizing strong utility infrastructure—should help mitigate some risks.
Amazon’s investment forms part of a wider trend: AWS has already infused $12 billion into North Carolina since 2010, supporting over 24,000 full- and part-time jobs and contributing more than $13 billion to the state’s GDP.
Nationally, Big Tech companies are racing to scale AI-supportive data center capacity. In the same timeframe, Microsoft, Meta, and Google announced investments ranging from $65 billion to $100 billion, while Amazon alone projects $100 billion in capital expenditures in 2025
