Only trailing North Virginia as the world’s largest data center market, Georgia is advancing Project Ruby, a data center campus in Columbus. Officials in Columbus noted the newly announced multi‑billion‑dollar data center project will bring one of the largest economic investments in the city’s history. Project Ruby is estimated to cost $5.18 billion. The costs spans from land acquisition, building construction and equipment installation between 2027 and 2030.

The proposed data center is also expected to bring 195 new jobs to the Columbus community, with salary ranges between $80,000 and $120,000 a year. Choose Columbus president and CEO Missy Kendrick announced a new project to attract an artificial intelligence data center to Columbus.

Kendrick also said the Development Authority has partnered with Habitat Partners, a New York City-based natural conservation firm, to secure a site. “It is the first step in a long process of getting a data center here,” Kendrick said during the meeting. Despite the latest advancements, Georgia is still making effort to tame the growth of data centers in the state. The proposed data center strengthens Georgia’s grip as the world’s second largest data center market amid a very stiff competition between thirteen states for the top spot. 

Other Projects

Nonetheless, data centers other than Project Ruby keep trickling in such as the Hampton Technology Park data center project outside Atlanta, Georgia. The client company, LLC has filed a Developments of Regional Impact (DRI) application with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Their aim is for the approval of the new campus in the city of Hampton. Once complete, the 603-acre Hampton Technology Park could total five buildings.

Scope on the Project Ruby Data Center in Columbus

According to Kendrick, the developers of Project Ruby data center in Columbus will not be exempted from taxes. Once complete, the data center project is expected to generate $68.7 million in annual property tax revenue per year by 2030 before depreciation. “This project represents one of the largest technology investments in our region’s history,” Selvin Hollingsworth, chairman of the Development Authority of Columbus noted.

“Its economic and fiscal impacts will expand opportunity, enhance our tax base and also position Columbus as a competitive hub for future data-driven industries.” On the other hand, Kendrick said public hearings with economic development officials, developers and utility providers will be conducted to discuss the project. However, the dates have not been announced. “It is absolutely OK for our community to do due diligence on the project,” she said.

“That’s what we expect the planning and zoning board to do. It’s what we expect the city council to do. It’s what we will be doing. As we move forward, I’m still very excited about being able to bring a potential data center for Columbus, Georgia.”

Project Factsheet

• Name: Project Ruby
• Location: Columbus, Georgia
• Market Environment: Georgia is second to the Northern Virginia in the world as a data center market.
• Total Investment: $5.18 billion
• Development Timeline: 2027-2030
• Type of Project: Artificial Intelligence-oriented data center campus.

Economic Impact

• Jobs created: 195 full time jobs.
• Salary Range: $80,000-$120,000 annually
• Projected Annual Revenue of Property Tax: $68.7 million (as of 2030, prior to depreciation)
• Tax Status: Developers are not going to be tax-free.

Development & Partnerships

• Guided by the local economic development officials.
• Select Columbus to head attractiveness initiatives.
• Columbus Development Authority that monitors the improvement.

Project Developers / Key Entities

• Development Authority of Columbus – Project oversight
• Choose Columbus – Economic development lead
• Habitat Partners (New York-based) – Site acquisition partner
• End User / Data Center Operator: Not publicly disclosed

Strategic Significance

• It is one of the greatest economic investments in the history of Columbus.
• Also increases the footprint of Georgia as one of the major data center markets in the world.
• Furthermore, it enhances the local tax base and permanent technology competitiveness.

Next Steps

• Public hearings to be arranged.
• Check with planning and zoning board.
• City council evaluation
• Continuous communication with utility vendors and developers.

Current Status

• Early-stage development
• Site secured
• Regulatory and community review process pending

Key Contractors/ Developer Team

Owner / Developer

• Google
  Project Ruby is widely reported to be a Google-affiliated hyperscale data center development, consistent with Google’s Ohio expansion strategy.

Site Development & Civil Engineering

• EMH&T
  Civil engineering, site planning, and infrastructure services commonly used on large-scale data center developments in Central Ohio.

General Contractor (Site & Vertical Works)

• Turner Construction
  Frequently selected for hyperscale and also mission-critical data center campuses in the U.S.

Data Center Design / Engineering (Mission Critical)

• HDR
  Provides architecture, engineering, and mission-critical systems design for hyperscale facilities.

Electrical Contractor

• Rosendin
  Specializes in high-voltage and also mission-critical electrical systems for large data centers.

Mechanical Contractor

• Southland Industries
  HVAC, cooling, and also mechanical systems for large-scale mission-critical facilities.

Commissioning Agent

• Syska Hennessy Group
  Commissioning and critical systems validation.