Welcome to the second edition of Metric Geo‘s ‘Building the Future’ newsletter.
How quickly a month goes! As we approach 2025, November saw another huge month of announcements in Advanced Manufacturing & Mission Critical.
Over the past four weeks, this newsletter has grown from 0 to 2,200 subscribers and counting – A testament to our collective interest in Building the Future.
In July, I had the privilege of speaking with Bob Clark, Executive Chairman & Founder of Clayco.
We discussed Clayco’s values, and one of their mantras is ‘Beyond These Walls’.
This is to emphasize that “what happens inside the buildings we construct is more important than the bricks and mortar”.
As you’ll see below, 2025 promises to be another exceptional year for Advanced Manufacturing & Mission Critical projects.
But it’s not just about the construction of these new facilities – It’s about the long-term impact that they will have on the future of the country, and how they represent our progress to become more sustainable, innovative, and self-sufficient.
Here’s a recap of key announcements for November:
Big tech companies are on track to invest over $180 Billion into Data Center expansions and infrastructure.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Meta and Microsoft increased infrastructure investments by 81% over the past year according to a report by Dell’Oro Group.
Meta will build a $5 Billion AI Data Center in Louisiana with Turner Construction Company, DPR Construction, and Mortenson partnering as the general contractors managing the project.
Louisiana has emerged as an upcoming state for Data Center campuses as the large technology companies look for additional regions to build outside of energy-constrained states.
Kevin Janda, Director of Data Center Infrastructure at Meta, stated that “This Richland Parish data center is going to play a pivotal role in advancing Meta’s overall AI efforts… This data center will be optimized for our AI workloads and be the largest data center in our fleet.”
Blackstone are continuing to develop their data center investment portfolio with a $500 Million investment into Lancium’s AI Buildout.
Lancium are planning to build five data center campuses in West Texas over the next few years, totaling 5GW.
Cologix, Inc. plans 800MW Data Center Campus in Ohio!
The $7 Billion project is expected to cover 2 Million SQ FT and will be Cologix’s largest facility ever.
Currently operating 80MW’s of capacity, this eight-data center campus investment will be 10X their current footprint.
Vantage Data Centers break ground on a 192MW campus outside of Columbus – Their first Data Center in the Midwest.
Microsoft to invest $1 Billion to develop three Data Center Campuses in Ohio.
The New Albany campus is situated on a 200-acre site with construction set to begin in July 2025.
Huge news as Intel Corporation CEO Pat Gelsinger announces his retirement, effective December 1st.
This comes as the company is in the midst of a four-year turnaround strategy to reclaim its position as the world’s leading chipmaker.
He will also stand down from his position on the Board of Directors.
Intel stock initially climbed 3% but has since fallen nearly 7% in the last week, taking it to -47% over the last year.
David Zinsner, Chief Financial Officer, and Michelle Johnston Holthaus, General Manager of Intel’s Client Computing Group, have been assigned interim co-CEOs.
Microporous, LLC breaks ground on a $1.4 Billion Battery Separator project in Virginia.
The facility will produce separators for lithium-ion batteries used in EVs and energy storage systems.
ICL Group announce $547 Million Battery Plant near St. Louis, MO with construction expected to bring in over 1,000 jobs in a 2-year period.
Clayco wins contract to build NorSun’s $620 Million Solar Wafer Manufacturing Plant in Tulsa, OK.
According to Anthony Johnson, President of Clayco’s Industrial Business Unit, the project “marks a major step in rebuilding the U.S. solar value chain.”
Construction is scheduled to commence in 2025, with production to begin in 2026.
e-STORAGE, a Canadian Solar Inc. subsidiary to invest $700 Million in a 6-gigawatt-hour battery cell, module and packaging manufacturing facility in Shelbyville, KY.
Kentucky has proven to be a key state for U.S. Manufacturing projects with other major facilities including AESC’s $2 Billion EV Battery Plant in Bowling Green, and Ford Blue Oval SK’s $5.8 Billion Battery Park in Glendale.
