Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been identified as the mystery company behind a $4.8bn data center project in the Port of Walla Walla, Washington.

In October 2024, Advance Phase LLC purchased some 500 acres in the Wallula Gap Business Park for $32.5 million for a data center campus. At the time, the end user company behind the project was unknown.

At the time of purchase, it was said that the site was planned to be home to a $4.8bn data center campus, totaling 16 buildings.

The company intends to build data centers in four phases of 125 acres each; each phase would feature four 215,000 sq ft (19,975 sqm) buildings, for a total of more than 3.4 million sq ft (315,870 sqm).

Previously, the purchaser was described as a company in the "top 30 of the Fortune 500."

As reported by the Tri-City Herald, an official has described the customer as an "American multinational technology company, engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence service."

Though Amazon declined to comment to the publication, Google confirmed that it is not involved, leaving AWS as the only company that fits the description. According to the Tri-City Herald, it is expected that the identity will be officially revealed later today.

The Wallula Gap Business Park is a 1,900-acre heavy industrial site adjacent to US Highway 12, Union Pacific Railroad mainline, and 10 miles from Interstate 395.

In total, AWS is seeking to develop 553 acres of the land located around 10 miles southeast of Pasco. Amazon will actually pay $65,000 per acre or $36 million for the property, more than previously suggested.

In October 2024, AWS signed a nuclear power deal in Washington with Energy Northwest. Under that agreement, Energy Northwest will provide four SMRs offering up to 320MW of capacity.

Walla Walla is located in the southeast of Washington state, around four hours drive from Portland, Oregon. AWS has an existing cloud region in Oregon.

The state has a notable data center presence, with most facilities located around Seattle and a secondary market in Quincy.