AWS Oregon: $12B 1GW Exascale AI Data Center Morrow County

Status: Under Construction (March 2026)   |   Location: Boardman / Umatilla (Morrow County), Oregon

Project Overview

In early 2026, Amazon Web Services (AWS) reinforced its strategic dominance in Morrow County by outlining a $12 billion “Exascale” development roadmap, marking a major evolution in the region’s data center landscape. Purpose-built for the extreme thermal and power demands of next-generation AI clusters, the project represents the first deployment in Eastern Oregon specifically engineered for 2026-era high-density workloads. While the region has traditionally benefited from low-cost hydroelectric power sourced from the Columbia River, AWS is now diversifying its energy strategy by incorporating nuclear power into its supply mix. In late 2025, AWS entered into a landmark agreement with Energy Northwest to finance the development of four Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in Richland, enabling a steady stream of carbon-free electricity to be transmitted across state lines to support the Morrow County campuses. As of March 2026, construction is actively progressing on the first four buildings, signaling the transition from planning to large-scale execution. Addressing environmental and community concerns, AWS has committed to a “surplus-water-only” cooling strategy, deploying closed-loop systems that rely on local water resources for less than 13% of the year, primarily during peak summer conditions. Over its projected eight-year construction timeline, the initiative is expected to generate approximately $9.5 billion in local economic impact, further solidifying Eastern Oregon’s position as a critical hub for hyperscale and AI-driven infrastructure.

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