GREENFIELD — Cloud computer technology, including artificial intelligence, needs data centers to function. A developer hopes to convert more than 700 acres of Hancock County farmland into an AI data campus.
The proposal concerns land on County Road W 500 N just east of the Indianapolis Regional Airport and the Walmart Fulfillment Center. The Hancock County Planning Commission will hear a rezoning request for the property on May 27th.
"These folks are looking all over the country to locate these facilities," said Chris King of Surge Development LLC, the company behind the data campus plan. "National security interests are supporting AI. I think Hancock County and Indiana in general have an opportunity to be part of that."
The data campus site is next to Tuttle Orchards, who expressed their opposition to the proposal in a letter to its customers this week.
They wrote, in part, "We have concerns this proposal could significantly alter the character of the area," and "The presence of very large industrial buildings very close to the farm could detract from this environment."
King said he is willing to work with the community because he believes the data center will pay off if it is constructed.
"I've been working with the site for the last four years," King said. "It's increased investment into the community, which will help the community tax base. It's also new jobs. Good, quality jobs."
The Hancock County Planning Commission meeting about the data center is scheduled for May 22. Tuttle Orchards will continue to provide updates on their website.
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