Ohio’s transformation into the “Silicon Heartland” continues, as Intel and massive data centers begin to pop up in what was once mostly farmland. Microsoft recently broke ground on two new data centers in Licking County, where Intel’s Ohio One campus is already under construction. The $28 billion Intel has committed to that project looks almost modest when compared to the $60-billion expected investment in the proposed Southern Ohio Data Center in Pike County.
Central Ohio has been at the heart of it all, primarily because flat, open land is plentiful, transmission infrastructure is accessible, and lots of consumers are nearby. More than 200 data centers are currently online in Ohio; 114 of them are in the Columbus area — by far the highest concentration in the state. Some estimate that by 2030 the Columbus area could be the second-largest hub for data centers in the Great Lakes region.
Ohioans — especially those in rural areas — are invested in understanding the impacts of advanced manufacturing and data centers on their communities. At kitchen tables around the state, families are having policy discussions about protecting air and water quality, regulating electricity rates, and whether the state should be using tax incentives to draw in more development.
From Lordstown to Wilmington, citizens have resisted data center development, typically by lobbying their respective councils to pass temporary moratoriums. Other local governments have negotiated with developers to directly invest in their community. For example, the Village of Ashville has taken up Resolution 06-2026 which if approved would create a development and supply agreement between the village and data center developer EdgeConneX. The resolution would repeal the 180-day moratorium on data centers that the village has already passed. From the resolution language:
All prior legislation, or any parts thereof, which is/are inconsistent with this Resolution [06-2026] is/are hereby repealed as to the inconsistent parts thereof.
The resolution would require EdgeConneX to provide a total of $102 million in tangible funding to the Village of Ashville, Harrison Township, Pickaway County, and the Teays Valley Local School District:
- $64 million for Teays Valley Schools for capital improvements.
- $3 million for Harrison Township Fire Department for training and equipment.
- $35 million placed in escrow for upgrades to water, sewer, and road systems in Ashville.*
- *The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has put pressure on the Village of Ashville to update their aging water treatment infrastructure. The village could face an estimated $32 million in required upgrades to its water and sewer systems. If the Ohio EPA takes over the project, outside of the village bearing the cost, the village would also be losing long-term control and oversight.
On the semiconductor side of things, Intel’s massive campus in Licking County has also received community pushback, especially about threats to air and water quality. Grassroots groups like Licking County Air Monitoring Network have been distributing air monitoring equipment to residents to collect baseline data to see how both Intel and the data centers being built impact their air quality.
Data centers and chip fabs are not the same, but the industries work hand-in-hand. For example, the semiconductor industry is banking on the AI-driven expansion in data centers to fuel its own expansion and backfill projected losses as demand for chip-hungry electric cars declines.
As big tech rushes into Ohio, what can communities do to ensure that big tech works for Ohioans instead of against us? “Reimagining the Silicon Heartland” on May 22, 2026, will examine the impacts and intersections of the data center boom and Intel coming to Ohio. What is the impact on our state resources? How can we use these developments to bolster the workforce opportunities for all Ohioans? How can communities engage with decision makers to ensure their voices are heard? We’ll tackle these big questions and more so that the future of Ohio works for Ohioans and not just the tech bros.
Lame duck is an opportunity for legislators to act on data centers (and more)