Tulsa County lands proposed $3 billion data center

The digital highway will be getting wider in Tulsa County.

San Francisco-based Beale Infrastructure announced Oct. 30 that it plans to build a data center campus on unincorporated land north of Tulsa, executing a multi-phase investment that the Tulsa Regional Chamber said will reach $3 billion.

“We believe that this data center will make the internet better and our community stronger,” Beale Chief Operatiing Officer Julian Kudritzki said. “…We can think about all the way that are lives are composed of little digital moments that data centers deliver, whether it’s the swift and reliable transfer of money, how health care is administered, making resources available to our students and educational curriculums, supporting our first responders and civic services, how we entertain ourselves and our families or how we communicate on a basic level. All that goes back to a data center like the one that’s going to take shape over the next couple of years right in front of us.

“…At Beale, we seek out areas in which there is a desire and prioritization around economic growth, around digital transformation. We have found that here.”

The project, scheduled to begin in earnest early next year, will include as many as four data center facilities encompassing close to 1.2 million square feet, as well as an administration building, said Lauren Harvey, Beale’s director of development.

The project is expected to produce construction jobs into the thousands and between 100 to 200 full-time jobs.

“A project of this scale doesn’t just change the workforce; it changes futures,” said Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber. “Over the life of this development, Beale’s investment will create thousands of construction jobs — electricians, plumbers, pipe fitters, steelworkers, logistics professionals — the men and women who make progress possible. And when the data center is up and running, it will bring high-quality jobs ranging from data center technicians to operations and security, with full-time employees earning an average salary of $100,000.

“That’s real opportunity for Tulsa-area families, for small businesses and for every part of our regional economy. And what’s even more exciting is that the benefits won’t stop here. As Beale looks ahead to future phases, the positive impact of these jobs will continue to multiply, building a stronger and more dynamic economy for years to come.”

No tenant has been announced for the complex, whose first phase is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2027.

“This project is proof what happens when public officials, private innovators and community partners come together with a shared vision,” Tulsa County Commissioner Stan Sallee said. “It shows that Tulsa County is committed to smart development, long-term planning and creating environments where business and families can thrive.”

With 5.5 billion people online globally, the role of data centers is expected to grow as consumers and businesses generate twice as much data in the next five years as they did in the past decade, according to the Data Center Coalition.

“We’re living again in a new world,” Lt. Matt Pinnell said. “Why shouldn’t Oklahoma be leading the way on it.

“That’s why underneath this tent I’m so excited to welcome this company, welcome us building out some of this infrastructure around the state of Oklahoma, so we can be a more diversified state when it comes to our economic resources and industries in the state of Oklahoma.”