Avaio Digital Partners has broken ground on a $6bn data center in Mississippi.

In an announcement, Avaio stated that the 116MW Taurus Data Center Hub will be built on a 329-acre land parcel located in the city of Brandon, which is east of the state capital, Jackson.

The facility is scheduled to be ready for occupancy by the first half of 2027, and construction work will be conducted by Yates Construction.

Mississippi utility Entergy will provide energy.

Avaio Digital Partners stated that “water-efficient practices, rainwater recapture, and natural landscape buffers will be integrated into the site design as construction advances.”

The project has progressed relatively fast, given that it was first announced in mid-August.

But the initial press release stated that the site would be 175 acres, almost half the acreage mentioned in the groundbreaking announcement.

DCD has reached out for clarification.

The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) approved the project for the state's Data Center Enterprises tax exemption, which applies to computing equipment and software.

Founded in 2016, Avaio Capital is a US infrastructure investment firm focused on the digital, water, energy transition, and transportation sectors. The company launched Avaio Digital Partners in 2021 to focus on build-to-suit development and construction of sustainable hyperscale data centers in the Americas and Europe.

The company’s website also lists projects in Texas. It previously announced plans for a 50MW project outside Ottawa, Canada, which is no longer listed. In Europe, it is targeting developments in County Mayo, Ireland, and Madrid, Spain.

Mississippi does not have a notable data center market, but last year saw Amazon confirmed as being behind the planning of a $10 billion campus outside Jackson. Compass is also developing a campus in the Magnolia State, outside Meridan.