Amazon Building Falls Twp. Tech Center As Part Of $20 Billion Project

Construction at the Keystone Trade Center in 2022.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

As part of a $20 billion facilities investment in Pennsylvania, Amazon will be opening a data center infrastructure for its AI and cloud computing technologies in Falls Township.

One of the new sites will be in Falls Township and the other in Salem Township, Luzerne County, company officials announced.

The e-commerce giant and Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro confirmed the plans, which are expected to create at least 1,250 new high-skilled jobs in the state and support thousands more in the Amazon Web Services data center supply chain. Additional locations could be added.

While the exact location in Falls Township was not officially disclosed by Amazon, multiple sources stated the facility is already under construction at the Keystone Trade Center, a large logistics park being developed on the former U.S. Steel property.

A source in the construction industry said workers and vendors have been told not make public Amazon’s connection to the development.

In March, LevittownNow.com reported Keystone Trade Center officials said plans for four distribution centers, which would total more than 3 million square feet at 700 South Port Road, were being reworked as a “digital infrastructure campus” made up of 10 structures ranging from 112,000 to 217,000 square feet. The center will total more than 2 million square feet.

The plans for the tech campus. Credit: Falls Township

Shapiro hailed the investment as a big win for the state and local economy as his administration works to attract high-tech jobs to compete in the fast-changing technology market.

“This initial investment from Amazon will create thousands of good-paying, stable jobs as Pennsylvania workers build, maintain, and operate the first two data center campuses in Luzerne County and Bucks County,” Shapiro said. “With this historic announcement, we’re creating opportunity for our workers, generating new revenue for our local communities, and ensuring the future of AI runs right through Pennsylvania.”

Amazon showed off one of their data centers in a promotional video. Credit: Amazon

David Zapolsky, Amazon’s chief global affairs and legal officer, said the company has a commitment to advancing AI innovation and fostering economic growth in Pennsylvania.

It wasn’t clear how many jobs would be in Falls Township, but an official with knowledge of the plan said Amazon officials have told people they would be “well-paying roles.”

The new data centers, which have been in the works for more than a year, represent the largest single corporate investment in the state’s history, according to Amazon and the governor’s office.

“Today, we begin writing the new chapter,” the governor said.

Kevin Miller, vice president of Amazon Web Services’ Global Data Centers and a graduate of Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University, said the announcement “is an investment in Pennsylvania’s future.”

The Amazon executive said the state and governor were willing to work with the firm as they looked at locations for the new data centers.

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, a Democrat, and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican, attended the announcement press conference in Luzerne County.

Shapiro and Davis noted the collaboration between state, federal, and Amazon officials.

Amazon currently operates 23 fulfillment and sorting centers and 20 last-mile delivery stations in Pennsylvania.

A statement from the company said it has invested more than $26 billion in the state since 2010 and created over 27,000 direct jobs. Tens of thousands of indirect jobs in the state are linked.

The Amazon facility on Route 13 in Bristol Township.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

Due to the immense power demands of data centers and AI computing, the Luzerne County facility is situated near a nuclear power plant, the Associated Press reported.

As part of its investment, Amazon also plans to fund job programs ranging from elementary schools to colleges and trade schools.

Shannon Kellogg, the vice president of public policy at Amazon, told reporters he appreciated the work put in by the state and local governments as they developed the new centers.

Amazon, the second largest company by revenue in the world, sees Pennsylvania as a place that has community, a workforce, tradesmen, and locations for growth, Kellogg said.

Bucks County Community College Dr. Patrick Jones said his institution and others in the state are ready to work with Amazon on workforce development. He noted community colleges already work with industry on training students for jobs.

Bucks County Community College’s campus in Bristol Township. File photo. Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

Bucks County Community College, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Luzerne County Community College, and Northampton Community College are joining together to provide training for the workforce of the future, including for jobs at Amazon facilities.

The community colleges are forming a consortium and it will involve working with technical high schools. There will also be more training partnerships with trade unions.

Shapiro said Amazon will work with Pennsbury High School and Bucks County Community College to train students for jobs like those at the Amazon center.

The Keystone Trade Center has Cirro, FedEx, Italian shipping and logistics company Savino Del Bene, and logistics firm Jillamy are already in the complex.

The entrance to the Keystone Trade Center in Falls Township in May 2021. Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

NorthPoint Development acquired the former U.S. Steel property for $160 million in late 2020. The company plans to invest $1.5 billion in the site’s transformation, including $40 million to $45 million in remediation. The overall project aims to build 20 or more industrial warehouse buildings, distribution centers, and data centers, totaling 10 million to 15 million square feet and potentially creating 14,000 jobs.

The Bucks County Commissioners, Falls Township, and the Pennsbury School District designated the site a Keystone Opportunity Investment Zone from January 2021 through December 2035, offering significant tax breaks to spur on development.

Previous reporting on the project: