Amazon Web Services set to invest $7.8 billion in cloud storage

By the end of 2029, a profitable Amazon subsidiary plans to invest about $7.8 billion in Central Ohio, expanding cloud storage.

Governor Mike DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted of Ohio said that Amazon Web Services (AWS) made an announcement on Monday about intending to spend an approximate $7.8 billion by the end of 2029 to broaden its data center services in Central Ohio.

According to DeWine, Amazon is already among Ohio's largest employers in the private sector, and the state's continued technological and innovative growth is further evidence of Ohio's leadership in these fields.

This investment will expand on Amazon's existing infrastructure in Ohio to support the growth of new and existing businesses, enable residents to securely connect with friends and family, and provide access as more and more of the world turns to cloud computing, online educational resources and entertainment.

According to Husted, this places Ohio in a crucial location for artificial intelligence, the technology that is the subject of the most discussion worldwide.

In 2016, AWS opened its first data centers in the Midwest; today, AWS runs data center campuses in the counties of Franklin and Licking. AWS's operations and investments to date have benefited Ohio's economy by over $2 billion and supported, on average, over 3,000 local secondary jobs.

Nearly 1,000 Ohio residents were directly employed by AWS in the state in 2022.