Amazon AWS: Amazon announces plans for data center campus in California

Apr 19, 2022 | Posted by MadalineDunn

AWS is exploring the development of a new data center on a $31.3 million 56-acre plot in the City of Gilroy, California, which it bought in 2020. Documents have already been filed with the city and outlined that AWS wants to build two 49MW data centers buildings on the site. This would total 438,500 square feet (40,700 sq m). Also detailed in the document are two 50 MW Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and some ancillary buildings.

According to reports, if given the green light, the development will take place across two phases, the first of which will see the construction of a single-story data center building planned to span 218,000 sqft (20,250 sqm) and will include both a 50MW BESS facility and 25 diesel generators. Later on down the line, the project's second phase will see the development of the second single-story data center building and another 50MW BESS facility. In the second phase, the company has also outlined that it will avoid using diesel-fired generators and explore 'alternative backup generation technologies' instead. This phase will go ahead in four to seven years, as per demand.  

Speaking with CBS about the city's exploration of a data center campus, Peter Leroe-Munoz, Gilroy Vice Mayor Pro Tempore, said: "Gilroy has put out a request to get consultants outside of the city to come in and assist us with fully understanding what the benefits of such a project might be, as well as some as what the drawbacks might be, and what opportunities we have as a city to try to mitigate some of those negative impacts." 

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