Amazon announced on Thursday that it plans to build a $3-billion data center in Warren County near the new Port of Vicksburg.

This is the fourth large data center planned for Mississippi, with a combined $29 billion in investments. There are already two Amazon data centers being built in Madison County. 

With the current artificial-intelligence boom, companies are building data centers across the country. Many are being built in the Deep South because of its abundant land and water resources, less environmental regulations and relatively cheap energy for the power-hungry centers.

The center planned for Warren County will create at least 200 full-time jobs according to a statement from Amazon and Gov. Tate Reeves’ office. Reeves said it would be the largest private investment in Warren County’s history. Construction is expected to start in 2026.

The new data center will fall under the 2024 Mississippi Major Economic Impact Authority legislation for Amazon’s Madison data centers. According to a representative from the Mississippi Development Authority, the state’s economic development agency, the Vicksburg center will not require additional state funds. In the original agreement, the state spent $44 million in taxpayer dollars, gave a loan of $215 million, and provided additional tax breaks.

Amazon also announced it would commit $150,000 to a new Amazon Warren County Community Program that will provide grants to local organizations.

While data centers promise jobs and tax revenue, critics have pointed out that they create very few jobs relative to the size of the investment and footprint. They have raised concerns over environmental impact, energy consumption and prices for consumers and lack of public transparency about their development or operations. 

READ MORE: Brandon residents want answers, guarantees about data center

While companies invest hundreds of billions of dollars in ramping up their AI infrastructure, Amazon has shown some signs it is lagging behind its competitors. However, in early November Amazon signed a $38 billion agreement to give OpenAI access to some of its computing power.