Nearly a decade ago, Amazon Web Services (AWS) began building data centers in Ohio, and the state's ongoing commitment to fostering innovation, investing in the next generation of technology leaders, and creating a sustainable future has helped forge a tremendous partnership. Since our earliest conversations, we have remained committed to the communities that opened their doors to us, helping businesses and local residents grow and thrive. Being an active member in the Ohio communities where we operate is a responsibility we take great pride in.
Today, we’re announcing an estimated investment of $7.8 billion by 2030 to expand our data center operations in Ohio, which will bring hundreds of direct jobs and support thousands of additional jobs at local businesses through the construction, operations, and maintenance on-site at AWS facilities. This additional investment reinforces our long-term partnership with Ohio and its citizens.
Our economic commitment
Since 2015, AWS has invested $6.3 billion in Ohio, supporting an average of more than 3,500 full-time equivalent jobs annually. The AWS US East (Ohio) Region launched in October 2016, with data centers in Franklin and Licking counties. Through the construction, operation, and maintenance of our data centers, AWS’s investment added $2.2 billion to the local gross domestic product (GDP) in Ohio from 2015 through 2022.
AWS’s investments have supported jobs in sectors like telecommunications, software development, facilities maintenance, and electricity generation within the AWS supply chain. And Amazon is among Ohio’s largest private sector employees.
Investment in the next generation of technology talent
The ripple effect of these investments goes further than supporting jobs and bringing financial benefits to the people of Ohio. AWS collaborates with local schools and organizations that share our commitment to science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education, equity, and access.
AWS works with K–12 schools across Central Ohio through programs like Girls’ Tech Day, Think Big Spaces, AWS Spark, and the We Build It Better program to introduce young learners to STEAM concepts through an interactive curriculum.
Through AWS Academy, AWS provides free, ready-to-teach cloud computing curricula that prepare students to pursue industry-recognized AWS Certifications and in-demand jobs. Several colleges and universities in Ohio, including Columbus State Community College, Miami University, and the University of Cincinnati, offer AWS Academy courses.
AWS has 18 Think Big Spaces in central Ohio, providing hands-on STEAM education opportunities to 26,000 students. In 2022, 400 fifth through eighth grade girls from Columbus-area schools participated in AWS Girls’ Tech Day, which is a free, half-day learning event designed to inspire and empower school-age girls and young women to pursue interests and careers in technology.
In addition, AWS helped Columbus State Community College establish the Data Center Technician Training Program. AWS created a $50,000 scholarship fund for students in the program and offers opportunities to pursue careers at AWS data centers in central Ohio.
AWS also offers multiple programs designed to help individuals get on-the-job training, including Grow Our Own Talent and work-based learning programs, which provide pathways to internships and other entry-level data center careers.
As part of Ohio’s first ever Fiber Broadband Awareness Week, AWS, in collaboration with Ohio’s governor’s office, led a series of workshops and training in support of Ohio’s growing Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. The PAST Foundation and Tolles Career and Technical Center each hosted a Fiber Optic Fusion Splicing Certificate Course, led by AWS and Sumitomo Electric Lightwave, a recognized leader in optical fiber technologies and solutions for data centers, enterprises, and communication networks. This free, two-day training course provides participants with the skills to enter fiber-optic installation and repair, and includes a career networking session to help participants meet employers.
AWS community volunteers
Our commitment is also felt through the impact that our employees make in the communities.
In 2022, AWS data center employees in Ohio completed more than 1,140 volunteer hours in their local communities, getting involved in initiatives like Earth Day, Pride parade, and AWS Girls’ Tech Day, and lending support to organizations like the Mid-Ohio Food Collective Food Pantry and the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio wood shop.
In January, more than 1,000 students and families joined AWS InCommunities in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, held at the Ohio History Center. In collaboration with local, nonprofit Seeds of Caring, AWS volunteers delivered an event designed for youth to help share Dr. King’s message of service, social action, and empowerment. Youth volunteers engaged in hands-on activities, including making posters with Pint Size Protesters, assembling personal care kits for neighbors experiencing poverty, packing snack bags for unhoused neighbors, designing bookmarks promoting diversity in literature, and creating take-home art inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
Commitment to a sustainable future
AWS is committed to sustainable solutions worldwide. In Ohio, we have invested in 18 solar and wind farms, and once all are fully operational, these projects are expected to generate more than 6.6 million megawatt-hours of clean energy each year, or enough to power 620,000 U.S. homes.
Amazon’s energy supply from our utilities, combined with our renewable energy procurement across the United States, has enabled several AWS Regions—including Ohio—to power our data centers with at least 95% renewable energy. As part of The Climate Pledge, Amazon is committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions across the business by 2040 and is on a path to powering operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025.
At AWS, we also know that water is a precious resource. We are committed to being water positive by 2030, which means returning more water to the community and environment than we use in our operations. To meet this goal, we are working across our data center operations to conserve and reuse water, and in communities where we operate by working with nonprofit and public partners to support water availability. AWS is already well on the path to becoming water positive and is innovating to lower water use across facilities by using cloud technologies to continually improve water efficiency and investing in projects that deliver water back to communities.
We are proud of our partnership with the Buckeye State and ensuring these investments are impacting communities in the right way. We believe this is only the beginning. At AWS, we are committed to doing more for our neighbors and local communities, and we are proud to call Ohio home.
Learn more about AWS and cloud computing. For more information on AWS's investments in Ohio, download the fact sheet.
