With an $800 million investment in Aiken, Meta is set to spark innovation throughout the CSRA. Next week, you’ll be able to get an update on exactly what that might mean for your business during the Aiken Chamber of Commerce’s State of Our Community event.
Laura Warren, Meta’s Community Development Regional Manager, will be the keynote speaker for the Chamber event on Wednesday, August 20, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Aiken High’s new Performing Arts Center, 449 Rutland Drive.
Meta is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and other social media platforms. The new multi-million-dollar data center in the Sage Mill Industrial Park is set to bring in at least 100 new jobs. Construction has begun, and the center is scheduled to open in 2027.
As ABD has previously reported, each of Meta’s data centers has thousands and thousands of servers and can hold more information and process more information than the entire Library of Congress.
“Meta currently has 28 data centers globally, with 24 of them in the U.S. A number of factors brought the company to Aiken County, including a ‘shovel-ready’ site, infrastructure and zoning in place, and a strong pool of local talent from which to hire,” said Warren.
Another factor was access to reliable and renewable energy. Data centers have been a target of criticism for the amount of power they require. “That’s why,” said Warren, “Meta puts an emphasis on building sustainable data centers.”
“All data centers are not created equally,” she said. “Meta designs, builds, and operates some of the, if not the most sustainable, data centers in the entire world. We match 100% of our energy; every megawatt that we take out, we make sure that we put back in. Also, with water, we recycle most of the water we use. It is used multiple times before it is ever turned over to wastewater.”
Beyond the purely business aspects, Warren said Meta looks for a sense of community and strong community partnerships. It began with the March workshop at Aiken Technical College, sponsored by the North Augusta and Aiken Chambers, to train small businesses and nonprofits on how to optimize their social media presence.
According to Aiken Chamber President Jim Tunison, some exciting news about Aiken’s innovation corridor will also be unveiled at next week’s Chamber event.
With nearly 400 attendees, including business, civic, education, and governmental leaders, the event presents an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and shape the future of Aiken County.
To register for the Aiken Chamber’s State of the Community event, click here.
https://www.aikenchamber.net/event-detail?e=Tmz3nicItNvjZO99DSXzEw2
Editor’s Note: Mitzi Oxford is a veteran broadcaster and features writer who also worked at the same television station in Columbus, Georgia, as Augusta’s Brad Means! If you have a South Carolina story idea for Mitzi, please email her at mitzioxfordcreative@gmail.com.
