A prominent data center developer continues to have its eye on metro Atlanta, adding to the massive wave of proposed computer server farms across the region.
T5 Data Centers aims to build a 495,000 -quare-foot-data center campus in Fairburn, roughly 20 miles southwest of downtown Atlanta. The preliminary plan was made public this week in a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) filing, which is required state paperwork for large infrastructure projects that could affect multiple jurisdictions.
Details were scant, but the two-building facility would transform a wooded property along I-85 and Gullat Road into two warehouses designed to store computer servers, which are commonly called data centers. T5, which operates an existing campus in Lithia Springs and is pursuing another campus in Coweta County, declined to comment about the Fairburn project.
Fairburn Director of Planning and Zoning Denise Brookins said the DRI filing is preliminary, since the project’s size might not be large enough to trigger the required state review, which would be conducted by the Atlanta Regional Commission. Some data center campuses span multiple million square feet, although they employ only a few dozen workers despite their sprawl.
Artificial intelligence coupled with demand for more digital storage space across various industries has spurred data center development across the U.S., and Atlanta has emerged as an unrivaled market for these facilities. Since 2023, data center construction in metro Atlanta has increased 211%, which is the fastest among major data center markets across the country, according to real estate services firm CBRE.
The proliferation of data centers has sparked pushback from some communities and lawmakers over their strain on local utilities, consuming copious amounts of water and electricity. State regulators in April allowed Georgia Power to expand its electricity-generating capacity — mostly powered by fossil fuels — mainly due to the vast number of data center projects being built or in the pipeline across the state.
This year, state lawmakers passed a suspension of the state sales tax break program for certain large data centers. The bill’s sponsors said the incentive program isn’t giving the state much financial return on its multimillion-dollar investment. But Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed that measure earlier this month, saying a suspension would be abrupt, especially since the state Legislature two years ago extended the program until 2031.
About the Author
