Rapid population and business growth in the U.S. Southeast is driving demand for digital infrastructure in and around Atlanta, making it one of the prominent data center markets in the country. The region’s availability of land along with abundant and affordable power is making it an attractive location for hyperscale and other large technology companies to expand their data center operations. Two recent announcements bear that out.
DataBank, a DigitalBridge Group (NYSE: DBRG) portfolio company, announced that it has acquired 95 acres of land near Lithia Springs in the Atlanta market, significantly expanding its capacity and ability to meet growing regional demand for colocation space and power over the next decade. DataBank provides enterprise-class edge colocation, interconnection, and managed services.
The newly acquired 95 acres are within a half-mile of the existing 18 acres DataBank already owns, and where it is constructing its ATL4 facility. This new parcel can accommodate two multi-story data centers totaling up to one million gross square feet of space. The site will include a 180 MW onsite sub-station from Georgia Power capable of delivering up to 120 MW of critical IT power when fully deployed.
This new site, just 20 minutes outside of Atlanta, will allow DataBank to continue serving the fast-growing colocation needs of enterprises and hyperscale public cloud providers that are already established in the area.
“Atlanta is one of the most sought-after markets for data center capacity across all segments of our customer base – enterprises, technology, and hyperscale public cloud providers,” said Raul Martynek, DataBank CEO. “And now with new AI applications coming online, we’re seeing an entirely new driver of demand that promises to make this an even more attractive market in the years ahead.”
In a separate release, DC BLOX, a provider of connected data centers and dark fiber solutions across the Southeast, announced the recent purchase and commencement of construction of a data center campus in Douglasville, GA. DC BLOX will build its data center portfolio in close proximity to Atlanta, adding to the region’s growth as a core data center market and addressing the growing needs of hyperscale and AI/ML platform and application provider tenants.
With an expected capital investment of over $1.2 billion, the site is supported by attractive tax incentives coordinated by Elevate Douglas Economic Partnership. Designed to meet demanding hyperscale requirements, the two-story data center campus will feature twelve data halls, totaling 750,000 square feet of gross space on 55 acres. 180 MW of power has been committed for the campus with initial customer move-in expected Q3 2025.
The site will also connect into DC BLOX’s nearly 500-mile east-west dark fiber route that ties major communications hubs in Atlanta, through Augusta to the DC BLOX cable landing station in Myrtle Beach, SC, Inside Towers reported. The dark fiber route is expected to be completed in Q4 2023.
“We are thrilled to bring our vision to life to serve hyperscale needs for powerful, reliable digital infrastructure in Douglasville,” says Mark Masi, DC BLOX EVP of Data Center Development. “We are partnering with the best in the industry to ensure our state-of-the-art data centers meet the most stringent hyperscale needs by leveraging the most advanced construction, sustainability and power capabilities.”
By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor
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