Also details plans for data center in the Hoffman Estates area of Chicago
Data center developer Karis Critical has purchased 115 acres of land in New Albany, Ohio.
Consisting of seven parcels, the land is located at 4500 Beech Road NW, along Route 62, reports Columbus Business First.
Sold to Karis by Deborah Tripp and Sharon Smart, the land was previously approved for rezoning and annexation in July 2025.
According to city documents, Karis will build a data center on the plot, but details have not yet been shared.
Karis describes itself as an investor in land, energy, and infrastructure for data centers, but does not operate the facilities once completed.
The company similarly purchased land in the Hoffman Estates area of Chicago, Illinois, earlier this year. No development plans were submitted for that site at the time, but the company has since said it would build two data center buildings at the site over two phases, as well as a new substation, according to the Daily Herald. Each building is expected to span 211,000 sq ft (19,602 sqm). Phase I will have 36MW of capacity.
Once completed, the Hoffman Estates site is expected to bring in $998,000 in annual property tax revenue to the local area.
A single tenant is expected to take over the facility.
Last year, the company filed to develop a nine-building campus outside Chicago in Merrillville, Northwest Indiana. Karis Critical is also developing a data center in DeKalb, Illinois.
On its website, Karis’ portfolio includes more than 500 acres across two sites around Chicago; 200 acres across two sites in Colorado; 1,600 acres across four sites in Ohio; and a 200-acre site in South Carolina.
As well as Karis Critical, CEO Jake Finley also founded and leads Karis Capital and cold storage firm Karis Cold.
New Albany is just outside of Columbus, Ohio, a major data center hotspot. According to DataCenterMap, around 120 data centers are located in Columbus. Operators in and around the area – with many largely clustered in New Albany – include EdgeConneX, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, Edged, CyrusOne, QTS, Stack, and others.
Source: DCD
