New Data Centers
Innovative tech companies such as Meta (Facebook) and Microsoft have opened data centers within the region over the past 12 years. Microsoft opened its first data center in West Des Moines in 2012. Since then, Microsoft’s presence has grown to seven campuses, including two scheduled for development in the near future. This investment in the region has led to Greater Des Moines becoming an epicenter for the AI revolution, with Microsoft’s Azure supercomputer (located in Greater Des Moines) being among the largest and most powerful in the world. Meta's Altoona data center will become the company's largest in the world by 2025, with more than 5 million square feet onsite.
Meta's Altoona, Iowa data center campus in DSM has had more than $3 billion invested into it since 2013. It become the company's largest campus globally in 2025, with more than 5 million square feet onsite. According to a study, Meta's Data Center expenditures have totaled $11.5 billion and contributed a cumulative $18.6 billion in GDP to the U.S. economy from 2017-2019. For every $1 million in operating expenditures, there were 18 jobs supported, and for every $1 million in data center capital expenditures, there were 14 jobs supported in the local economy.
Apple acquired 2,000 acres in Greater Des Moines and is constructing a $1.4 billion, 400,000-square-foot data center in Waukee, Iowa. This is the first of multiple data centers expected on the site.
LightEdge Solutions recently completed a new data center in Altoona — a $34 million investment. Colocation centers such as InfoBunker and OneNeck IT Solutions also call Greater Des Moines home.