Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced plans to invest $11 billion in the US state of Indiana to build data centres.

The spend would represent the state’s largest ever capital investment, and promises to create at least 1,000 jobs in addition to the 26,000 full- and part-time staff it already employs in Indiana.

The company said that the planned data centres will be located in St. Joseph County north-central Indiana, and that AWS will contribute up to $7 million to support road infrastructure improvements being built by the state and local community surrounding its planned development.

The data centres would meet growing demand for cloud computing and generative artificial intelligence services, with Roger Wehner, AWS director of economic development, adding that the investment represents its “unwavering commitment to supporting our customers and helping drive digital transformation has been evident through our infrastructure investments across the United States.”

Indiana governor Eric Holcomb said: “Amazon has long been an important economic partner in Indiana, and we are excited to welcome AWS. This significant investment solidifies Indiana’s leadership position in the economy of the future, and will undoubtedly have a positive ripple effect on the town of New Carlisle, the north central region and the state of Indiana for years to come.”

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