October 31, 2025
Qualified EPC partner brings bona fide mandate from one of the world's largest and most established AI companies, positioning the North Country as a premier destination for next-generation compute infrastructure
MASSENA, NY — October 31, 2025 — ZeroC Data Centers, LLC (“ZeroC”) today announced that it has executed a Purchase and Sale Agreement (PSA) with a qualified Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) firm to develop a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence data center campus on approximately 140 acres of greenfield land in Massena, New York. The EPC partner holds a bona fide mandate from one of the largest and most well-established AI companies in the world, underscoring the strategic significance of this development and the strength of ZeroC’s site for mission-critical AI workloads.
The planned campus represents one of the most significant private infrastructure investments in the history of St. Lawrence County. Situated on 140 acres of undeveloped greenfield land, the site offers the scale, power availability, and fiber connectivity required to support hyperscale AI compute operations. Massena’s proximity to abundant, low-cost hydroelectric power from the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the St. Lawrence–FDR Power Project positions the site as an ideal location for energy-intensive AI training and inference workloads.
“This agreement marks a transformational milestone for ZeroC and for the Massena community. We are bringing world-class AI infrastructure to a region with unmatched natural advantages—clean, affordable hydroelectric power, a skilled labor force, and the vision to embrace the industries of the future. With our EPC partner’s direct mandate from a global AI leader, this project is positioned to move forward with strong commercial backing and urgency.”
— Jason M. Rappaport, ZeroC Data Centers, LLC Director
The development is expected to deliver substantial and sustained economic benefits to the Massena region and St. Lawrence County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, employment in U.S. data centers grew by more than 60 percent between 2016 and 2023, a trend that has only accelerated with the rapid scaling of AI infrastructure. Industry research from McKinsey & Company estimates that companies will invest nearly $7 trillion in data center capital expenditures globally by 2030, with more than 40 percent concentrated in the United States.
Construction Phase. A campus of this scale is expected to generate approximately 1,000 to 1,500 construction jobs over a multi-year build-out period. The Deloitte 2026 Engineering and Construction Industry Outlook confirms that data center construction is one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. construction sector, driving thousands of local trades and engineering jobs per project. McKinsey estimates that global data center construction will require approximately $500 billion in labor costs through the end of the decade, underscoring the employment intensity of these developments.
Permanent Operations. Once operational, the facility is projected to create between 50 and 150 permanent, full-time positions spanning IT operations, electrical and mechanical engineering, cybersecurity, facilities management, and administrative support. According to a PwC industry analysis, U.S. data centers employed approximately 603,900 workers across roughly 5,400 facilities in 2024, averaging over 100 employees per site. Workforce forecasts published by the Hamm Institute for Data Center Employment project continued growth in operational staffing as AI workloads demand higher levels of on-site technical expertise.
Indirect and Induced Effects. Beyond direct employment, the project is expected to catalyze significant indirect economic activity including local supply-chain procurement, increased demand for housing and services, and growth in the regional tax base. The World Economic Forum has identified data centers and AI as a “new engine of growth,” noting that the surge in data center construction contributed to more than half of the 1.2 percent growth in U.S. GDP attributed to information-processing investment during the first half of 2025.
The EPC firm engaged under this PSA is a qualified, experienced constructor of large-scale data center infrastructure. Critically, the EPC partner holds a bona fide mandate from one of the world’s largest and most established artificial intelligence companies—a direct commercial relationship that provides the project with demand-side certainty and accelerates the path to construction and commissioning. The identity of the end-user AI company will be disclosed at the appropriate stage of development, consistent with standard confidentiality practices for transactions of this nature.
The 140-acre greenfield site in Massena offers a compelling combination of competitive advantages for hyperscale AI data center deployment: access to abundant, low-cost hydroelectric power from the NYPA St. Lawrence–FDR Power Project, one of the largest power-producing facilities in New York State; a cold-climate location that significantly reduces cooling costs and improves Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE); robust fiber-optic connectivity with proximity to major network backbones; a community with a strong industrial heritage and a workforce experienced in large-scale construction and facility operations; and pro-growth local leadership committed to attracting next-generation technology investment.
ZeroC Data Centers, LLC is a purpose-built data center development company focused on delivering large-scale, energy-efficient compute infrastructure for the artificial intelligence era. ZeroC identifies and develops premier sites with access to clean, affordable power and the connectivity required to support the most demanding AI workloads. The company is committed to responsible development that creates lasting economic value for host communities while meeting the critical infrastructure needs of the world’s leading technology companies.
ZeroC Data Centers, LLC Press Inquiries: press@zeroc.ai Website: www.zeroc.ai
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the planned development, projected job creation, and anticipated economic impacts. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Job creation estimates are based on publicly available industry data and comparable projects and are subject to change based on final project scope, design, and market conditions.
1. U.S. Census Bureau, “Employment in Data Centers Increased by More Than 60% From 2016 to 2023,” January 2025. 2. McKinsey & Company, “The Cost of Compute: A $7 Trillion Race to Scale Data Centers,” 2025. 3. Deloitte, “2026 Engineering and Construction Industry Outlook,” 2026. 4. PwC / C&C WaveTech, U.S. Data Center Employment Analysis, 2024. 5. Hamm Institute for Data Center Employment, “Data Center Employment Forecast Analysis,” November 2025. 6. World Economic Forum, “How Data Centres and AI Are Becoming a New Engine of Growth,” December 2025.
