Google’s new $300 million data center in Columbus, Ohio, has broken ground ahead of schedule, according to Datacenter Dynamics.
The 50,000-square-foot facility will be built on the site of Hartman Stock Farm, which formerly was the world’s largest working farm and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The plan has drawn opposition from preservationists, who point out that this is an era where farmland is rapidly diminishing. Native American burial mounds have also been discovered on the site.
After some back-and forth, Google agreed to preserve about one-third of the 496 acres of old farmland as green space. The data center is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
The development comes just months after the tech giant unveiled plans to invest $9.5 billion in offices and data centers across the United States in 2022.