Data Centers

Greater Des Moines (DSM) is located in the heart of Iowa and in the middle of the Midwest, providing a strategic and reliable location for data centers. Additionally, bragging rights like comparatively low power costs, competitive tax incentives and increasing investment in renewable energy contribute to big things happening here in DSM for the data center industry. 

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 has started construction on two new data center sites; each will have about 1.8 million square feet. This is in addition to Microsoft's three existing data center campuses. Meta's Altoona data center will become the company's largest in the world by 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 is expected to start construction of 400,000 square feet at their Waukee data center campus in Spring 2022. Apple acquired 2,000 acres in Waukee in 2017.

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 DSM home.

DSM Data and Technology Employment Overview