February 14, 2023: Illinois Data Center Incentive Drives $8.5 Billion in Investment
Press Contacts
Allison Gilmore, Vice President
Data Center Coalition
allison@datacentercoalition.org
703-946-2471
Jake DiGregorio, Vice President of Communications and Marketing
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
jdigregorio@chicagolandchamber.org
508-414-8853
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Illinois Data Center Incentive Drives $8.5 Billion in Investment
New Research Note from Magnum Economics, Data Center Coalition, and Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Highlights Success of Illinois Data Center Incentive
Leesburg, VA and Chicago, IL—Feb. 14, 2023 — The Data Center Coalition, a trade association representing leading data center owners and operators, and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce today released new research outlining the impact of the 2019 Illinois data center incentive.
According to the research, prepared by Virginia-based Mangum Economics, Illinois’ data center program is directly responsible for $4.2 billion of new investment in the state, with another $4.3 billion of announced additional investments.
The 2019 Illinois data center incentive was enacted under the leadership of Governor J.B. Pritzker and has been a key enabler of the industry’s economic development success throughout the Chicagoland region.
“We’ve invested heavily in data centers because we know that they are a key part of the future of tech and construction across the country, and I’m thrilled to see that the data industry has recognized those investments and the value of opening data centers in Illinois,” said Governor J.B. Pritzker. “As our position in the data center economy continues to grow, we look forward to welcoming more business to our state and creating thousands of jobs to make our state even stronger.”
Each data center built in Illinois also creates work for construction companies who develop expertise in this high-growth industry and hire thousands of workers. The DCC/Chicagoland Chamber research estimates that more than 8,000 union construction jobs were created across the 13 projects that are part of the Illinois data center program through the end of May 2022.
“The data center industry in Illinois is growing rapidly with substantial investment from new entrants to the Chicagoland market and from companies growing their current footprint to provide more capacity,” said Josh Levi, president of the Data Center Coalition. “Illinois’ data center program has increased the state’s competitiveness and provides certainty to data center businesses as they make long term decisions and plan large capital investments in new and expanded facilities.”
The growth of data centers in Illinois since 2019 has raised Chicago’s profile as a global data center market. As of the first half of 2022, the Chicagoland data center market is now the second largest in the United States based on megawatts of data center inventory and the fifth largest in the world, according to data cited in the report from real estate services company JLL.
“Illinois has seen tremendous success since first establishing data center incentives in 2019 and is now the second largest market in the country,” said Jack Lavin, President and CEO of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. “As tech becomes an increasingly important part of every business, the data center industry will be the foundation that provides the digital infrastructure we need to attract tomorrow’s high-growth sectors.”
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About the Data Center Coalition
The Data Center Coalition (DCC) is the trade association for the data center industry. As the voice of the industry, DCC empowers and champions the data center community through public policy advocacy, education, thought leadership, and community engagement. As the voice of the data center industry, DCC advocates for a highly skilled and diverse technology workforce, greater access to clean energy, and competitive business and tax policies to support the growth and success of this critically important business sector.
About the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization that represents more than 1,000 member companies, which collectively employ 400,000 employees and generate $24 billion in revenue. The Chamber combines the power of membership with its legacy of leadership and business advocacy to drive a dynamic economy. To learn more, visit www.chicagolandchamber.org.