North Carolina Data Centers
Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and the Research Triangle, the Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft Campuses, and the 2026 Tax Change
North Carolina pairs two colocation markets, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, with big-tech campuses including Amazon’s new $10 billion site. We find North Carolina space that fits your power, connectivity and date.
Price My North Carolina RequirementSearches for data centers in NC usually mean one of two things: colocation space for a company that needs cabinets, cages or a few megawatts, or the big-tech campuses that have made the state one of the largest data center hubs in the Southeast. This page covers both: the colocation markets and what each is good for, the hyperscale campuses and their status, how Duke Energy power and the 2026 tax change affect new projects, and how to get space in a North Carolina building. If a building in a neighboring state fits better, we will say so.
Sources: Duke Energy forecasts via ABC of the Carolinas; DCD on the Amazon campus; facility count from DC Hub; Carolina Journal on the budget. As of October 2026.
North Carolina Data Center Markets
| Market | What is there | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | The state's largest colocation market: Flexential, which is headquartered here, plus TierPoint uptown and in the suburbs, Digital Realty and several independents | Banking and financial services, enterprise colocation, Southeast recovery sites |
| Raleigh-Durham and the Research Triangle | Flexential in Morrisville, TierPoint in Raleigh and Research Triangle Park, and regional providers | Life sciences, universities, tech companies and healthcare |
| Western North Carolina | Apple in Maiden, Google in Lenoir, Meta in Forest City and Microsoft in Catawba County | Hyperscale campuses, mostly built for a single company |
| Richmond County | Amazon's $10 billion campus near Hamlet, beside a Duke Energy gas plant | Hyperscale cloud and AI, single tenant |
| Person County | A 1,385-acre site Microsoft bought in 2024 near the Virginia border | Planned hyperscale development |
MCA calculation from straight-line distance, about 1 ms round trip per 100 km; real fiber routes are longer. Figures as of October 2026. Free to cite with a link to this page.
Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham compared side by side, including space that is not advertised.
With large projects lining up for Duke Energy capacity, we confirm what is energized and when.
From a few cabinets to multi-megawatt and liquid-cooled requirements, matched to buildings that can deliver them.
The operator you choose pays us. Your rate is not marked up, and you'll hear back within 24 hours.
Charlotte Data Centers
Charlotte is a major banking center, home to Bank of America and Truist, and financial services is a large part of its data center demand. Most data centers in Charlotte, NC sit in two clusters: uptown, near the fiber routes through the city center, and the suburbs to the north and south, where newer buildings have room for larger deployments. It is also a common recovery site for companies based in Atlanta, Virginia and the Northeast, about 3.6 ms from Atlanta and 5.2 ms from Ashburn. Choosing a data center in Charlotte, NC usually comes down to uptown interconnection versus suburban room to grow.
Flexential
Headquartered in Charlotte, with five data centers across North and South Charlotte, from retail cabinets to larger suites.
TierPoint
Two Charlotte facilities: North Myers Street uptown and Center Park in the suburbs, with colocation, cloud and disaster recovery services.
Digital Realty
Three Charlotte facilities, for enterprise colocation and interconnection.
Independents
Smaller regional operators fill out the market for single cabinets and local businesses.
Sources: operator websites and Inflect facility listings, October 2026.
Raleigh-Durham and Research Triangle Park Data Centers
The Raleigh data center market, which takes in Durham, Morrisville and Research Triangle Park, serves the Triangle’s universities, life sciences companies and tech employers. It is smaller than Charlotte and mostly retail colocation: Flexential runs three data centers in Morrisville, and TierPoint has facilities in Raleigh and in Research Triangle Park, which hosts one of TierPoint’s cloud platforms. Raleigh is about 2.0 ms from Charlotte, close enough for the two markets to back each other up. Larger projects are coming to the area too, including the proposed 300 MW New Hill Digital Campus southwest of Raleigh.
For life sciences and healthcare tenants, the compliance requirements are the same as anywhere else; see HIPAA compliant data centers and data center compliance.
Hyperscale Data Centers in North Carolina
North Carolina’s hyperscale story began in 2007 and 2009, when Google and Apple chose the foothills west of Charlotte for their first campuses in the state. These campuses are built and used by one company each, so they are not available for colocation, but they set the pace for power and policy across the state.
Sources: DCD, North State Journal, Blackridge Research, Data Center News. Apple has not published a campus total, and company totals across all announcements may be higher. Figures as of October 2026. Free to cite with a link to this page.
| Campus | Who and where | Scale | Status, October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Maiden | Apple, Catawba County | More than 500,000 square feet after a $175 million expansion | Operating, expanding |
| Google Lenoir | Google, Caldwell County, about 75 miles northwest of Charlotte | $1.2 billion original investment, plus $1 billion announced in 2026 | Operating, expanding |
| Meta Forest City | Meta, Rutherford County | $750 million or more invested, 275+ jobs | Operating, multi-building campus |
| Amazon Richmond County | Amazon Web Services, Energy Way Industrial Park near Hamlet | $10 billion, up to 20 buildings and 3.7 million square feet | Under construction, build-out through about 2028 |
| Microsoft Catawba and Person counties | Microsoft, a cluster in Catawba County and a 1,385-acre site in Person County | About $1 billion in Catawba; Person County planned | Catawba under development; Person County in permitting |
Sources: North State Journal, ABC of the Carolinas, Data Center News, Axios. Project scales are as announced and may change.
The Apple Data Center in Maiden, NC
Apple announced its Maiden campus in Catawba County in 2009, one of the first hyperscale builds in the state. It has grown to more than 500,000 square feet, most recently with a $175 million, 237,600-square-foot addition.
The Google Data Center in Lenoir, NC
Google opened its Lenoir campus in Caldwell County after a $1.2 billion investment announced in 2007. In March 2026 it announced another $1 billion over two years to expand the site, alongside a $2 million energy efficiency fund for local residents.
The Meta (Facebook) Data Center in Forest City, NC
Meta, then Facebook, built a multi-building campus in Forest City in Rutherford County, with more than $750 million invested and over 275 operational jobs.
The Amazon Data Center in North Carolina
Amazon Web Services is building a $10 billion campus at the Energy Way Industrial Park near Hamlet in Richmond County, planned at up to 20 buildings and about 3.7 million square feet, with 500 permanent jobs promised. It sits beside Duke Energy’s 2.24 GW Smith Energy Complex, a natural gas plant, with power connections to both Duke Energy and Pee Dee Electric.
Microsoft Data Centers in North Carolina
Microsoft has a cluster of facilities under development in Catawba County, announced at about $1 billion, and in 2024 bought a 1,385-acre site in Person County near the Virginia border for about $27 million for a future campus.
For a company placing GPUs rather than building a campus, the practical route is high-density colocation in Charlotte and Raleigh, or in nearby Atlanta and Virginia for the largest liquid-cooled requirements. See AI and GPU colocation for what high-density racks require, or GPU rental if renting capacity makes more sense than owning it.
Send the GPU model, rack count, power per rack and date. You'll hear back within 24 hours. The provider you choose pays us, so it costs you nothing.
Power: Duke Energy and Large Loads
Most of North Carolina is served by Duke Energy, which expects the state’s data center load to roughly double, from about 3 GW to nearly 6 GW, within a decade, with data centers making up most of its projected growth. Duke has reported more than 100 prospective projects of 50 MW or more across the Carolinas; historically, 10 MW counted as a large load.
Source: Duke Energy forecasts via ABC of the Carolinas. Figures as of October 2026. Free to cite with a link to this page.
Bring your own capacity
The governor's Energy Policy Task Force has proposed letting large customers procure or build their own power, and asking data centers to cut use during peak demand.
The Ratepayer Protection Act
Senate Bill 730, still pending, would require special utility service agreements for large-load customers such as data centers.
What it means for timing
Space in existing, energized buildings is unaffected. New multi-megawatt projects should confirm the power date in writing.
Sources: Carolina Public Press, Business North Carolina, Data Center Knowledge.
North Carolina Data Center Tax Incentives
Since 2015, data centers that invest at least $75 million within five years, provide health insurance to full-time employees and meet county wage standards have been exempt from North Carolina sales and use tax on construction materials, servers, software, cooling equipment and electricity. The state budget passed in July 2026 repealed the exemption on electricity and kept the rest. For tenants, the benefit shows up through the operator’s costs rather than as a direct credit, and the electricity change may nudge power pricing in new contracts.
Sources: WUNC, Carolina Journal.
Developers, landowners and investors get a fixed-fee market, power and site study, and data center due diligence on acquisitions. Engagements are paid and start in the mid five figures.
What North Carolina Colocation Costs
Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham generally price below Northern Virginia and the Northeast, and uptown Charlotte buildings near the fiber routes cost more than suburban campuses. Power is the line to watch: with the electricity tax exemption gone and Duke Energy planning for large-load growth, ask how power is billed and capped in any new contract. Current figures are on the colocation pricing guide; for requirements of a megawatt or more, see wholesale colocation and the terms that matter in a data center lease.
Who North Carolina Data Centers Suit
Banks and financial firms
Charlotte's banking base, and recovery sites for New York and Virginia. See financial services colocation.
Life sciences and healthcare
The Research Triangle's research base, with compliance handled at the facility level.
Southeast enterprises
A primary or recovery site between Atlanta and Virginia.
Companies leaving cloud or their own server rooms
Lower costs than the Northeast. See cloud repatriation.
North Carolina and Other Markets
NC data centers pair naturally with Atlanta, Northern Virginia and Washington DC for a Southeast or East Coast footprint, and with Texas for a national one. Charlotte is about 3.6 ms from Atlanta and 5.2 ms from Ashburn, and Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham back each other up within the state. To connect sites, see data center connectivity and dark fiber.
How We Find Space in North Carolina
You send the requirement
Power, cabinet or megawatt count, connectivity, cooling and date. You'll hear back within 24 hours.
We find what fits
Which Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham buildings have space and power for your date, including space that is not advertised.
We negotiate and you sign
Rate, power terms, term and exit terms negotiated before you sign. The operator you choose pays us.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many data centers are in North Carolina?
About 70 NC data centers by one directory count, concentrated in Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, plus hyperscale campuses in Maiden, Lenoir, Forest City, Catawba County and Richmond County.
Where are most data centers in North Carolina?
Colocation is concentrated in Charlotte, the larger market, and Raleigh-Durham. The big-tech campuses are mostly in the foothills west of Charlotte, with Amazon's new campus in Richmond County and a planned Microsoft site in Person County.
Why are so many data centers in North Carolina?
Land, water, Duke Energy power, a tax exemption on equipment for large investments, and a location between Atlanta and Northern Virginia with low natural disaster risk.
Is there an Apple data center in North Carolina?
Yes. Apple's campus in Maiden, Catawba County, opened after a 2009 announcement and has grown to more than 500,000 square feet.
Does Google have a data center in North Carolina?
Yes, in Lenoir, Caldwell County, opened after a $1.2 billion investment announced in 2007. Google announced another $1 billion expansion in March 2026.
Where is the Facebook data center in North Carolina?
Meta's campus is in Forest City, Rutherford County, with more than $750 million invested.
Is Amazon building a data center in North Carolina?
Yes. Amazon Web Services is building a $10 billion campus near Hamlet in Richmond County, up to 20 buildings next to a Duke Energy natural gas plant, with build-out expected through about 2028.
Does North Carolina give data centers tax breaks?
Yes, for facilities investing at least $75 million within five years: no sales tax on construction materials, servers, software and cooling equipment. The July 2026 budget repealed the exemption on electricity.
Charlotte or Raleigh for colocation?
Charlotte for the most choice of buildings and providers, and for financial services. Raleigh-Durham for the Research Triangle's universities, life sciences and tech companies. They are about 2 ms apart and back each other up well.
How much does colocation cost in North Carolina?
Charlotte and Raleigh generally price below Northern Virginia and the Northeast. Quotes depend on power, cabinet count, term and connectivity; current market figures are on our colocation pricing guide.
Is North Carolina good for AI and GPU colocation?
For moderate density, yes, in Charlotte and Raleigh buildings that support it. The largest liquid-cooled requirements often look at Atlanta or Virginia as well, and new power in the state goes through Duke Energy's large-load process.
Is Charlotte a good disaster recovery site?
Yes. It is far enough from coastal storms and the Northeast to be a common recovery site for companies in Atlanta, Virginia and New York, while staying within a few milliseconds of Atlanta and Ashburn.
Who provides power to North Carolina data centers?
Mostly Duke Energy, which expects data center load in the state to roughly double within a decade. Some rural sites are served by electric cooperatives.
Do you charge for finding North Carolina data center space?
No. The operator you choose pays us from its channel budget, and your rate is not marked up. You'll hear back within 24 hours.
Price Your North Carolina Requirement
Tell us power, cabinet or megawatt count, connectivity needs and date. You'll hear back within 24 hours with the North Carolina buildings that fit. No cost, no obligation, and the operator you choose pays us.
Once you have contacted an operator directly, it usually will not work through an advisor on your deal.
Nearby markets: Atlanta, Virginia, Washington DC, Texas and New York.
AI and power: AI and GPU colocation, GPU rental, direct to chip cooling, powered land and data center connectivity.
Planning: wholesale colocation, data center lease, data center cost, disaster recovery and how a data center broker works.
Developers and investors: data center consulting and data center due diligence.
