Latest news with #ProjectMoc-1
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Cutting-edge' supercomputing facility, a $2.8B investment, planned for Spartanburg County
Interior of a modern data center. A proposed $2.8 billion 'computing center' in South Carolina's Upstate would have its own onsite power generation. (Stock photo) A national investment firm has pledged to open a $2.8 billion computing center in South Carolina's Upstate. NorthMark Strategies inked a deal with Spartanburg County to bring its supercomputing operations to a former Kohler manufacturing plant and warehouse. 'Of the more than 100 locations across the country we considered, Spartanburg stood out for its strong community, skilled workforce, dynamic economy and strategic advantages,' NorthMark Strategies President Jen Byrne said in a statement. 'Our investment in this high-performance computing center solidifies our commitment to building for future growth and being prepared to meet the growing demand for (high performance computing) capabilities.' The company plans to transform the facility into 'one of the most advanced (high performance computing) facilities in the world, leveraging cutting-edge technology to support complex computational tasks in machine learning, data analytics, and complex systems modeling.' A $2.8B computing center proposed in the Upstate would generate its own electricity The project, previously referred to publicly as 'Project Moc-1' while the deal was negotiated, comes as South Carolina grapples with how to meet the energy needs of a growing population, manufacturing base and an influx of power heavy data centers. These data centers, housing rows of servers, are focused on the storage of vast amount of data. High performance computing, on the other hand, is about analyzing large amounts of data, which would cause a typical computer to freeze up, at high speeds. It can do this multiple ways, either with the use of a custom-built supercomputer or a cluster of individual computers all working together, to give the user more computing power than a standard, single computer. North Carolina State University, for example, offers one such cluster. NorthMark's clients turn to the company with their complex engineering problems. NorthMark's computing centers power the company's various simulation and artificial intelligence tools that its clients can use to design and troubleshoot whatever they need. 'We don't just fund ideas — we help test, refine, and improve them,' according to NorthMark's website. 'With NorthMark Strategies establishing operations in Spartanburg County, South Carolina continues to add to its already impressive technology industry. We celebrate this remarkable investment in the Upstate and all it will mean for our state and our people,' Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey said in a statement. NorthMark's center will be different from massive centers under construction by Google and Facebook parent company Meta in a second way. Those centers each require hundreds of megawatts to operate. But NorthMark will connect to a nearby natural gas pipeline and use the fuel to make its own power, County Councilman David Britt previously told the SC Daily Gazette. The center is not expected to use more energy than the site's former tenant, Kohler, which closed in 2024 after 66 years. While the reported investment figure is immense — the second largest single investment in state history — the company will employ just 27 full-time workers. NorthMark has not disclosed what these jobs will be or the potential salary for these positions. $15M effort to train SC students on supercomputers starts at USC To lure in the company, Spartanburg County offered a reduced property tax rate of 4% for 40 years. By state law, manufacturers without such an arrangement pay a 6% rate. (Industrial property owners previously paid a 10.5% rate, but state laws passed in 2017 and 2022 effectively lowered it to 6%.) The county also is offering special credits allowing the company to further buy down its tax bill — a $1.5 million annual credit for the first 20 years and $2 million for the 20 years after that. NorthMark is not seeking any tax incentives or grants from the state, according to a company spokeswoman. The company is renovating the facility in three phases, starting with a 350,000-square-foot former warehouse on site and ending with the former 500,000-square-foot manufacturing plant.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A $2.8B computing center proposed in the Upstate would generate its own electricity
Interior of a modern data center. A proposed $2.8 billion 'computing center' in South Carolina's Upstate would have its own onsite power generation. (Stock photo) A proposed $2.8 billion 'computing center' in South Carolina's Upstate would have its own onsite power generation. Officials say the so-far-unnamed aeronautics and engineering firm could serve as a model for big tech in the Palmetto State. The proposed investment in Spartanburg County — referred to publicly as 'Project Moc-1' to keep the actual company name secret amid negotiations — comes as South Carolina grapples with how to meet the energy needs of a growing population, manufacturing base and an influx of power heavy data centers. Massive centers under construction by Google and Facebook parent company Meta in other parts of the state each require hundreds of megawatts to operate. But 'Moc-1' would buy fuel and make its own power rather than adding to demand on the grid, County Councilman Dave Britt told the SC Daily Gazette. 'This could set the stage for other projects on how to do something like this,' said Britt, who serves as the council's economic development committee chairman. Unlike traditional data centers, 'Moc-1' won't be leasing out space on servers to other companies. Instead, the Upstate center will be for the company's own use. South Carolina is in competition with one other state to bring in the business, Britt said. The codenamed company operates in three other states but does not currently have a location here. While the reported investment figure is huge, the company's workforce would be small: It's expected to employ 27 full-time workers. Little else is known as negotiations continue. To lure in the company, Spartanburg County is offering a reduced property tax rate of 4% for 40 years. By state law, manufacturers without such an arrangement pay a 6% rate. Industrial property owners used to pay a 10.5% rate, but laws passed in 2017 and 2022 effectively lowered it to its current level. The county also is offering special credits allowing the company to further buy down its tax bill — a $1.5 million annual credit for the first 20 years and $2 million for the 20 years after that. Britt said 'Moc-1' would be a good fit for Spartanburg County. While the promised jobs numbers are small, they're highly technical. He also noted that unemployment is already low in the county: 3.9% in December, compared to the state average of 4.7%, as of the latest report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And, according to Britt, existing small businesses, such as electricians and heating and air conditioning companies, are likely to benefit as the company will need contractors to conduct maintenance on the facility for years to come. If the deal is made, it would mark the second-largest single investment in state history, behind battery recycler Redwood Materials in Berkeley County.
