Nebius Files Plans for Major Data Center Campus in Birmingham, Alabama
February 10, 2026
European cloud and AI infrastructure specialist Nebius has taken a significant step in its US expansion, filing plans for a new data center development in Birmingham, Alabama. The move underscores the intensifying competition among AI-focused cloud providers to secure power and land in emerging secondary markets, as primary hubs face constraints.
According to public filings with the City of Birmingham, Nebius has submitted an application for a project codenamed BHM01 on approximately 80 acres in the city's Oxmoor area within Jefferson County. The site was assembled through a series of acquisitions last year by Nebius affiliate Alabama ADC Holdings LLC, which purchased three properties along Lakeshore Parkway for a combined $90 million from sellers including UAB, Regions Bank, and U.S. Steel. The land package includes the former Regions Bank Lakeshore Operations Center at 201 Milan Parkway, a facility reports indicate will be demolished to make way for the new development.
While full specifications are not yet public, industry reports suggest the planned campus could target up to 300 megawatts (MW) of critical IT load upon full build-out.
The development is being pursued in partnership with data center real estate firm Raeden, which was involved in the transaction for the key 201 Milan Parkway parcel. Raeden, which helps property owners deploy data centers, lists a portfolio of over 30,000 potential assets across North America.
The Birmingham initiative arrives as the city council considers a temporary moratorium on new data center applications, reflecting growing local scrutiny of large-scale digital infrastructure projects. Despite this regulatory uncertainty, Nebius is pushing forward with an aggressive global build-out. The Nasdaq-listed company, spun out from Yandex in 2024, is focused on providing GPU capacity for AI workloads and counts technology giants like Microsoft and Meta among its customers.
The company has previously stated its ambition to reach 2.5 gigawatts of contracted capacity by the end of 2026, with between 800MW and 1GW operational.
This project represents a key piece of that growth strategy in the American South, complementing the company's other planned and existing facilities in locations such as New Jersey, Missouri, Finland, the UK, France, and Israel. For Birmingham, the potential investment signifies a major economic development opportunity, positioning the city to capture a share of the booming AI infrastructure market while navigating the complex balance between industrial growth and community concerns.
Source: datacenterdynamics
