Google is developing a $1 billion data center in Kansas City, Missouri.
The data center will be located in the Hunt Midwest Business Center.
The cloud giant first bought 78.9 acres in Northland, Kansas City, in 2019, followed by another 236.4 acres in December 2021, saying at the time it was for a “potential data center.” Moves on the project began in September 2023, when Google submitted planning applications.
In October, Google announced that the data center campus would be developed in four phases and include several ancillary buildings for a total of 1.435 million square feet (133,316 m2).
According to Monique Picou, global vice president of supply chain and cloud operations, the company's continued investment in technical infrastructure such as data centers is the “backbone” to support AI innovations and business growth.
“Google's choice of the Kansas City area is another example of our state's ability to attract and support world-class companies,” said Governor Mike Parsons. “Our skilled workforce, superior infrastructure and leading business climate continue to drive investment from leading employers. We welcome Google to Missouri and look forward to the positive impact it will have on our growing high-tech sector.”
Power for the facility will be provided through a power purchase agreement with Evergy, Ranger Power and DESRI to add 400 MW of coal-free energy capacity from the Missouri-based Beavertail Solar Farm, which is built on a former coal community.
Google is committed to bringing its Skilled Trades and Readiness (STAR) program to Kansas City to help grow entry-level jobs, particularly for underrepresented communities.
Kansas City was the first in the world to receive Google Fiber, a fiber optic broadband Internet and IPTV service operated by the company.
It is the most connected region in the US with 5.5 million miles of fiber and 19 data centers in the region, including Netsmart Technologies, MasterCard International and T-Mobile.
Also in the Northland region, Meta is developing a data center in Golden Plains Park. Facebook's parent company has committed to spending more than $800 million to develop the one-million-square-foot (92,900 m2) data center. This campus is being developed by Diode Ventures. Diode is looking to develop another site known as Rocky Branch Creek Technology Park, also in Northland, Kansas City with up to 270 MW of capacity.
