Status: Under Construction (Groundbroken Feb 2024) | Location: Heath & Hebron (Licking County)
The Microsoft Licking County AI Hub is a multi-site hyperscale development that marks Microsoft’s first major implementation of its "Community-First AI Infrastructure" initiative. On February 24, 2026, Microsoft broke ground simultaneously on two of the three planned sites in Central Ohio: a facility off Thornwood Drive in Heath and a northern site in the village of Hebron. This expansion follows a strategic pause in 2025 as the company realigns the projects with its new sustainability and ratepayer protection protocols.
The Licking County hub is designed to be a "Good Neighbor" project. Under a landmark agreement, Microsoft will pay its property taxes in full, eschewing traditional tax abatements to directly fund the Lakewood Local School District. The infrastructure includes significant off-site improvements to the Thornwood Drive corridor, including road upgrades and utility hardening that benefit the broader community. These facilities are specifically architected for Microsoft’s AI Cloud, supporting the compute-heavy requirements of the Azure OpenAI service while utilizing advanced cooling techniques to minimize local water draw.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Project Name | Microsoft Ohio: $1B+ AI Data Centers in Heath & Hebron |
| Location | Heath & Hebron (Licking County) |
| Status | Under Construction (Groundbroken Feb 2024) |
| Project Type | Hyperscale / Community-First AI Infrastructure |
| Commissioning | 🔒 Subscriber Intelligence |
| Total IT Load | 🔒 Subscriber Intelligence |
| Total Capacity | 🔒 Subscriber Intelligence |
| Tier Level | 🔒 Subscriber Intelligence |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| City Name | Hermantown |
| Population | 13,000 (estimated, check local census data for accuracy) |
| Urban Agglomeration | 0,000 (approx.) |
| Economic Profile | 🔒 Detailed city intelligence available to subscribers |
Developer, operator, infrastructure partners, contractors and engineering.
Power capacity, redundancy, cooling, connectivity, PUE and energy mix.
Announcement, construction start, go-live and full buildout.
Total project investment and funding intelligence.
Subscribe to our exclusive newsletter and get the latest insights on data center trends, market forecasts, and infrastructure innovations delivered straight to your inbox.