Rubix: Ashland Works

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Future facility in planning stagefacility with prospective expansion planned

Kentucky

State
Midwest US

Region
United States

Country
North America

Region
Americas

Region

Rubix: Ashland Works

Year Planned: 2027

Utility Provider: Kentucky Power (AEP), PJM

Lot Size: 515 acres

Rubix Data Centers, the AI data center platform of Submer Group, proposes a hyperscale campus on the former AK Steel Ashland Works. The steel mill on the Ohio River has sat vacant since 2019. The property spans parts of Russell, Ashland and unincorporated Boyd County. Rubix plans eight two-story buildings and agreed to buy the property from Cleveland-Cliffs for $55 million. Kentucky Power would serve the campus, with on-site generators and batteries for backup only. The design uses closed-loop cooling.

Local rules gate the project. Russell and Boyd County have data center moratoriums in place, and Ashland has adopted data center restrictions. Russell's council is drafting conditional-use rules for heavy industrial zones. Rubix said it would meet the proposed setbacks, noise limits and height limits. Boyd County negotiated a contractual role in reviewing the development plans.

Site History

In October 2026, Rubix held a Boyd County town hall and said it was still working to close the purchase.
In September 2026, Cleveland-Cliffs extended the closing deadline to October 15, after earlier deadlines of August 31 and September 25.
In July 2026, Rubix presented the project at a public meeting in Russell, and Boyd County adopted a 180-day moratorium.
In June 2026, Russell adopted a six-month moratorium on data center development.

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170 Armco Rd

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Sites within 15 miles of Rubix: Ashland Works

Distance	Site	About
2.59 miles	AT&T: Ironton, OH	AT&T Ohio central office at 821 Park Avenue in Ironton, Ohio. It is the host switch for Ironton and the South Point remote.
7.59 miles	Strata Expanse: Ironton, OH	Strata Expanse is building an AI Center of Excellence on 40 acres along County Road 1A near Ironton in Lawrence County, Ohio. The modular site is designed to run on its own hydrogen, natural-gas, solar and battery power.
9.64 miles	TeraWulf: Muskie CB-2	CB-2 is the second of four planned buildings on TeraWulf's Muskie Data Campus in EastPark Industrial Park near Ashland, Kentucky.
9.76 miles	TeraWulf: Muskie CB-1	TeraWulf's Muskie Data Campus is a planned AI and high-performance computing campus in EastPark Industrial Park near Ashland, Kentucky.
9.77 miles	TeraWulf: Muskie CB-4	CB-4 is the fourth of four planned buildings on TeraWulf's Muskie Data Campus in EastPark Industrial Park near Ashland, Kentucky.
9.88 miles	TeraWulf: Muskie CB-3	CB-3 is the third of four planned buildings on TeraWulf's Muskie Data Campus in EastPark Industrial Park near Ashland, Kentucky.
10.04 miles	TeraWulf: Muskie Expansion	TeraWulf plans to expand its Muskie Data Campus in EastPark Industrial Park near Ashland, Kentucky, beyond its first four buildings.
10.54 miles	Verizon: Burlington, OH	Verizon central office at 8511 County Road 1 in Burlington, Ohio, built and run by Frontier North before Verizon bought Frontier. It now serves as a remote switching site for Burlington.
11.46 miles	Prime ValleyInterested in this information?Contact us	Data center facility details are available on request.Interested in this information?Contact us
12.59 miles	Verizon: Chesapeake, OH	Verizon central office at 419 Third Avenue in Chesapeake, Ohio, built and run by Frontier North before Verizon bought Frontier. It is the local switching center for the Chesapeake area.
16.96 miles	Verizon: Proctorville, OH	Verizon central office at 601 Maple Street in Proctorville, Ohio, built and run by Frontier North before Verizon bought Frontier. It now serves as a remote switching site for Proctorville.
17.67 miles	Verizon: Wheelersburg, OH	Verizon central office at 9051 Gallia Pike in Wheelersburg, Ohio, built and run by Frontier North before Verizon bought Frontier. It now serves as a remote switching site for Wheelersburg.

Operating Company

Rubix Data Centers is a subsidiary of Submer Group, the Barcelona-based data center infrastructure company. Submer launched Rubix in June 2026 to develop, build and operate hyperscale AI data center campuses. The company started with a portfolio of powered land in the Americas, EMEA and APAC.

John Eland leads Rubix as CEO. He previously ran STACK Infrastructure's EMEA business and served as global chief strategy officer at NTT Global Data Centers. Rubix's announced projects include a campus proposed at the former AK Steel Ashland Works in northeastern Kentucky and an AI campus in Catalonia, Spain.

Rubix Data Centers History:

In July 2026, Rubix appointed Josh Joshi as chairman.
In July 2026, Rubix proposed a hyperscale campus at the former AK Steel Ashland Works on the Ohio River in Kentucky.
In June 2026, Submer Group launched Rubix Data Centers with John Eland as CEO.
Founded in 2026.

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