The city of Salem has announced a proposed data center project in the Mill Creek Corporate Center. The project, led by California-based company Verrus, could bring 75 permanent high-paying jobs and a $5.1 billion investment to the city.

Project Details

The proposed data center would be located at the intersection of Southeast Turner Road and Southeast Deer Park Drive, and would consist of three buildings and a utility substation. The center would be designed to support cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

Salem City Manager Krishna Namburi said the city was released from a non-disclosure agreement last week, allowing them to disclose the project. Namburi said the city had one introductory meeting with Verrus, followed by three technical meetings to discuss the proposed site design, transportation access, utilities, and environmental considerations.

The project could generate $9 million annually for the city’s general fund and $1.5 million for the city’s levy. Namburi also sought to address community concerns over the project’s potential impact on the environment, saying the proposed facility would be designed as a low water consumption data center.

Original reporting: Salem Reporter — read the source article.