Amazon Project Star: $11B Indiana Hyperscale AI Campus
Status: Under Construction / Rapid Structural Build (May 2026) | Location: New Carlisle, Indiana
Project Overview
As of May 8, 2026, Amazon Web Services has significantly expanded construction activity on its “Project Star” data center campus in Indiana, reportedly doubling the size of its structural workforce as development accelerates. The project, valued at approximately $11 billion, represents the largest private investment in Indiana’s history and highlights AWS’s growing focus on advanced artificial intelligence and low-latency cloud infrastructure across the Midwest. Strategically positioned to serve major enterprise markets such as Chicago and Detroit, the campus is engineered as a “Low-Latency Anchor,” designed to reduce data transmission delays for financial services, manufacturing, logistics, and AI-intensive workloads operating across the region. Unlike traditional cloud campuses optimized solely for general compute demand, Project Star is being specifically configured for AWS’s custom AI accelerators, including Trainium and Inferentia chips, which support large-scale machine learning training and inference operations. The facility also incorporates a sophisticated air-to-liquid hybrid cooling architecture that leverages Indiana’s cooler seasonal temperatures to reduce mechanical cooling requirements and improve efficiency. Through this design, AWS aims to maintain an exceptionally low Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating of approximately 1.15, placing the campus among the more energy-efficient hyperscale deployments in North America. To support long-term sustainability goals, AWS has also committed to a large-scale regional solar energy procurement initiative intended to achieve full renewable energy matching by the time the first operational data hall becomes active.
Quick Facts
| Field | Value |
| Project Name | Amazon Project Star: $11B Indiana Hyperscale AI Campus |
| Location | New Carlisle, Indiana |
| Status | Under Construction / Rapid Structural Build (May 2026) |
| Commissioning | Phase 1 Operations: Late 2026 |
| Total IT Load | 1,000.0 MW (1.0 GW Capacity) |
| Total Capacity | Multi-building campus (15+ Data Halls) |
| Tier Level | Tier III+ (AWS Global Hyperscale Standard) |
| Project Type | AWS Cloud & AI Inference Region |
City Profile
| Header | Details |
| City Name | Indiana |
| Population | ~6.83 million |
| Urban Agglomeration | Major metros: Indianapolis ~2.1M, Chicago metro (IN portion included) |
| City GDP | ~$450 billion (state GDP) |
| Per Capita Income | ~$58,000 |
| City Tier | Tier 1 (Developed U.S. state with strong industrial base) |
| Key Strengths | Manufacturing hub (automotive, steel), logistics & transportation, growing data center market, central U.S. location, strong infrastructure, affordable power |
Companies Involved
| Header | Details |
| Developer / Operator | Amazon Web Services |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | Indiana Michigan Power (AEP). |
| Construction Contractor | Graycor Construction / Local Unions. |
| MEP Engineering | Hybrid Air-Liquid Economization; 800V DC Rack Power. |
| Network Connectivity | High-density fiber mesh to AWS East/West regions. |
| Power Infrastructure | 1,000 MW Utility Allocation. |
Technical Specifications
| Header | Details |
| Power Capacity | 1,000.0 MW (1.0 GW) |
| UPS Redundancy | AWS V2 Distributed Battery Backup. |
| Cooling System | Direct-Evaporative & Closed-Loop Hybrid. |
| Connectivity | Direct low-latency on-ramps for Midwest enterprise. |
| PUE Target | < 1.15 |
| Energy Mix | 100% Renewable Matching (Solar/Wind). |
Milestones
| Header | Details |
| Announcement | 2024 |
| Construction Start | 2025 |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | May 2026 |
| Full Buildout | Late 2026 |
Investment Details
| Header | Details |
| Total Investment | US$11.0 Billion |
| Funding | Amazon Corporate CapEx. |