Data-center owner buys more land in Southern Nevada for $86M
Switch recently acquired 53.6 acres in the southern Las Vegas Valley for $86.2 million, adding to previous land purchases for data center development. Clark County commissioners approved a proposal for a new Switch data center amidst local concerns about water usage in drought-stricken Southern Nevada. A ban on evaporative cooling systems has been finalized in the region to address water-intensive data center designs.
Switch, a Las Vegas-based data center company, recently expanded its land holdings in Southern Nevada with the purchase of 53.6 acres in the southern Las Vegas Valley for $86.2 million. This acquisition follows earlier purchases of over 300 acres in North Las Vegas' Apex Industrial Park for more than $180 million, as the company fuels its growth through billions in borrowed capital.
The expansion comes as the data center industry faces increasing pushback across the U.S. due to concerns over AI-related job displacement and environmental impacts. In Southern Nevada, water consumption by data centers is a critical issue given the region's decades-long drought and the shrinking Lake Mead, the primary water source for the Las Vegas area. A ban on water-intensive evaporative cooling systems was finalized in Southern Nevada in 2024 to mitigate this concern.
Despite these broader environmental considerations, Switch continues its local development. Clark County Commissioners recently approved a company proposal for a 56,788-square-foot data center on 9 acres in the southwest valley. Switch is also developing "AI factories" in the area and has announced plans for a large data center campus outside Pittsburgh, alongside expansions to its existing facilities in Nevada, Texas, Michigan, and Georgia.