Meta and more: Regional Growth Partnership seeks to land data centers to meet AI boom

Northwest Ohio is actively positioning itself as a prime location for hyperscale data centers, according to state and local development officials. The Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) of Northwest Ohio is leading efforts to attract these facilities, highlighted at their annual meeting on March 5th at the Glass City Convention Center in Toledo. Dean Monske, president and CEO of the RGP, and Gary Thompson, RGP executive vice president, addressed attendees, emphasizing the potential for job creation and capital investment from data centers, citing Meta's ongoing $800 million data center project in Middleton Township, Wood County, as a successful example. They also expressed concern over "misinformation" circulating about data centers, particularly regarding noise levels and resource consumption. Thompson debunked the notion that hyperscale data centers are noisy, contrasting them with loud "chicken coop crypto mining" operations and stating that modern facilities, like Meta's, incorporate sound buffers. He also clarified that such crypto mining facilities would be illegal under existing zoning ordinances in northwest Ohio communities. Furthermore, the RGP highlighted that hyperscale data centers build privately funded power plants that can enhance grid resilience and use closed-loop cooling systems that circulate approximately 30,000 gallons of water daily, comparable to two Hampton Inn hotels. They also noted the region's ample land, indicating that even ten 1,000-acre data center campuses would only use a small fraction of the area's farmland. J.P. Nauseef, president and CEO of JobsOhio, commended northwest Ohio's economic development efforts, which led the state in creating new jobs in 2025. The RGP reported 4,895 new jobs and $3.3 billion in capital investments across the 17-county region in the past year, showcasing diverse growth in agriculture, advanced manufacturing, and tech-related sectors.