Data center in South Akron moving forward with major expansion project

With the approval of Akron City Council, Ark Data Centers is planning to begin a roughly three-year construction project within the next six months expanding its South Akron facility .

Ark will extend its approximately 54,000-square-foot data center at 191 E. Miller Ave. to about 282,000 square feet as it increases its power output from about 5 to 41 megawatts, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based company said via email.

Akron Councilman Johnnie Hannah represents Ward 5, bordering Miller Avenue just south of the data center. He said he supports Ark's expansion following a tour of the existing facility with fellow council members this summer and hosting an October ward meeting where Ark Chief Technology Officer Ken Kremer spoke.

"He let everyone at my meeting know that they wouldn't have anything to worry about as far as the expansion over in the industrial park on the south side," Hannah said.

Council President Margo Sommerville represents Ward 3, where the data center is located and expanding.

She said she was impressed after touring the facility with other council members.

"I had never been to a data center and had not very much knowledge on what a data center actually even does," Sommerville said. "But I was so impressed with their operation and how they had this closed-loop system where they're making sure they're using very little water and trying to be as efficient as they possibly can."

She said she heard very little noise on the visit.

Ark has been operating in Akron for more than 15 years, Sommerville said.

"They're providing critical services to all of our major hospitals and a lot of our businesses," she said.

What are Ark's estimates for water, power and noise levels?

Ark said it does not draw on local water supplies with it closed-loop cooling and will follow the same approach post-expansion. Last year, the South Akron campus used 160,000 gallons of water, just over the amount a family of four uses.

The company said it also is building its own electrical substation and covering the costs so that expense won't be passed on to FirstEnergy customers.

Noise levels of facility cooling equipment currently measure 70 to 80 decibels and decrease to about 50 decibels at the property line, the company said.

Moderate rainfall is 50 decibels, while traffic and vacuums are 70 and alarm clocks are 80, according to an American Academy of Audiology paper that an architect working with Ark sent to the city administration.

"On noise, we're working with the City of Akron on an agreement that sets noise monitoring," the company said. "Starting in 2029, we'll publish a public report each year with the Akron campus's noise, water and power figures."

"There was nothing under the rug that we didn't see or know about," Hannah said. "And, so, all of those questions were answered because city council – my colleagues and myself – are being proactive when it comes to data centers in the city of Akron."

How will the expanded data center compare to others in size?

Hannah said the Miller Avenue facility is already one of the larger data centers in Akron – but it does and will pale in comparison to others in Ohio.

Bitdeer is proposing a data center in Shalersville, in Portage County, that would use about 750 megawatts at completion. And OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, aims to build at 8-gigawatt – or 8,000-megawatt – data center in southern Ohio.

Ark said, "... typical hyperscale data centers require 100 megawatts to 2+ gigawatts and span 1 million to 10 million square feet."

Hannah said large Ohio data centers, "quite naturally, are going to use more energy, quite naturally are going to use more water."

Related: What's that data center down the street do? Perhaps not what you think

Council president: UA, Helen Arnold CLC and Black Chamber will benefit

Akron City Council passed legislation Sept. 28 to make way for the expansion. The vote was 12-1, with Councilperson Fran Wilson casting the sole no vote.

Ark said it plans to invest approximately $468.5 million in South Akron as it expands its data center.

Citing its presence in Akron since 2010, Ark said it is "a deeply committed long-term partner."

"This expansion is about continuing that work," the company said.

"Our Community Benefits Plan commits $1.2 million over 10 years to directly support local neighborhood initiatives, education, and businesses," Ark said. "These priorities came from conversations with our neighbors and local leaders."

The University of Akron, the Helen Arnold Community Learning Center's resource center and the Black Chamber of Commerce - Summit County will all benefit from the plan, Sommerville said.

She said Ark will make a donation to the resource center that could support families with clothing, food and other needs.

With the data center bordering wards 3 and 5, Sommerville said, "Black businesses in that footprint are going to get a free membership to the (Black) Chamber."

The company said an economic impact analysis from a third party showed that the construction will support 230 total annual jobs, as well as $25.9 million in annual labor income and $168 million in economic output each year.

And Ark agreed to create a community fund, Sommerville said, adding that the fund would offer "a real pot of money" to benefit local groups such as churches, nonprofits and sports teams.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Data center in South Akron moving forward with major expansion project