The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is transforming our world, but it comes with an insatiable surge in data centers that are powered by an ever-growing appetite for energy. As AI and high-performance computing (HPC) applications proliferate, the tech industry faces a growing challenge: building the next generation of data centers and finding suitable locations with the scale of power and infrastructure needed to support the expected growth.
Ironically, the solution to our future may lie in our past—the very industrial heartland that powered America’s historical economic dominance can provide the solutions to our AI-driven future. Across the Rust Belt, former steel mills and legacy manufacturing plants are finding new life as digital infrastructure hubs. This renaissance is breathing economic vitality into communities hit hard by the decades-long reduction in domestic industrial manufacturing, while helping to meet the insatiable demand for global compute power.
The Symbiosis of Old and New
As an example, in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Mountains, the town of Bellefonte tells a compelling story of industrial evolution. Once home to thriving iron furnaces and manufacturing, Bellefonte saw its economic fortunes decline as heavy industry moved overseas. Today, however, the hum of digital compute servers has replaced the clang of machinery, as former industrial sites have been repurposed into data centers and hubs of digital infrastructure.
The advantages of these locations are multifaceted—many retain robust and large-scale electrical infrastructure from their industrial past, including high-capacity power lines and substations. Their strategic positions near major population centers and transportation hubs provide multiple low-latency and high-speed fiber optic connections. Perhaps most critically, they often have access to competitively priced and large wholesale electric grids like the PJM market, a vital consideration for energy-intensive AI and HPC applications.
Nuclear Power: The Unsung Hero of the AI Age
The resurgence of nuclear power is also playing a pivotal role in this transformation. Once-struggling nuclear plants are finding new purpose as primary power sources for data centers. This symbiosis addresses two pressing needs: it provides carbon-free baseload power for compute-intensive applications, while enhancing the economic viability of nuclear facilities.
In Midland, Pennsylvania, which is about 30 minutes from Pittsburgh International Airport, we’ve witnessed this firsthand. Our company has deployed digital infrastructure across an approximately 350,000 square feet lot where we operate and manage tens of thousands of compute machines powered by carbon-free energy, including from nuclear plants within sight of our facilities, creating a win-win scenario. Our digital infrastructure facilities benefit from reliable, scalable carbon-free electricity, while the nuclear plants build long-term and 24/7/365 stable customers that can help optimize demand and supply, and secure the ongoing economic prospects of the grid.
In a groundbreaking move, Microsoft recently announced an exclusive 20-year deal to use all the power from a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. Similarly, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is investing up to $650 million in a data center campus adjacent to another nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, with plans to develop a 960-MW facility. These partnerships between technology companies and nuclear facilities underscore the growing importance of sustainable and scalable power sources in the new AI era. They also demonstrate how historic and legacy industrial sites in areas such as the Rust Belt can play a pivotal role as we continue to build our collective digital future.
The Scale of AI’s Energy Demand
AI computing has staggering energy requirements. With the advent of AI, particularly the power-hungry GPUs required for large language models (LLMs) and large-scale machine learning, this power used by data centers is projected to increase dramatically. Some researchers estimate that within the next three years, the energy needed to power global data centers could jump by over 50% driven by AI-applications alone.
The impact of this digital transformation extends far beyond the tech industry. In Ohio’s Mahoning Valley, once synonymous with steel production, we’re seeing a new generation of jobs emerge. Former steelworkers are retraining as data center engineers and site technicians, network engineers, and cybersecurity specialists. Community colleges are partnering with tech companies to develop curricula and internships tailored to these new opportunities.
The economic benefits ripple outwards. Local businesses, from restaurants to hardware stores, are seeing increased activity and prosperity. Property values are stabilizing, and even increasing, in areas that had long been in decline. Perhaps most importantly, there’s a renewed sense of optimism and purpose in communities that had felt left behind by the digital economy.
I am seeing this transformation firsthand. Our recent expansion into regions such as Ohio and our recent growth in Pennsylvania is not just about increasing operational capacities of our digital infrastructure. It’s about contributing to the economic revitalization of these communities. We’re not just building digital infrastructure and compute facilities; we’re helping to build a bridge to the future for these regions with rich industrial histories. And by bringing high-tech jobs to areas with strong industrial traditions, we’re helping create a bridge between America’s iconic manufacturing heritage and its AI-driven future.
Looking Ahead
As we stand on the cusp of this exciting AI revolution which will transform how we live and work, the demand for compute power shows no signs of slowing. Former industrial sites across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and beyond stand ready to meet this challenge. By reimagining these areas as hubs of digital infrastructure, we’re not just powering the technologies of tomorrow – we’re revitalizing communities and creating new economic opportunities in areas that need them most.
The future of AI may be written in silicon, but its foundations are being built on the bedrock of America’s industrial past. It’s a powerful reminder that innovation often comes from unexpected synergies, and that the next chapter of our next industrial revolution is being written in the very places where the first ones began.
As we continue to expand our digital infrastructure footprint, we all should look at doing so in a way that honors the industrial heritage of these regions while propelling them into the digital future. By harnessing the power of AI, HPC, and digital infrastructure in these reimagined industrial sites, we’re not just driving technological progress – we’re fostering economic resilience and innovation renewal in the heart of America’s industrial heartland.
