Switch files plans for 270MW data center campus on former Pittsburgh race track

Switch has filed formal plans with Big Beaver Borough in Pennsylvania to develop a three-building data center campus on the site of a former motorsports complex, marking a significant step forward for the company's previously announced expansion outside Pittsburgh. The project, dubbed "Big Beaver Data Center/Switch Pit 01-03," is expected to deliver up to 270MW of backup generator capacity across the three facilities, according to documents filed with local authorities.

Each of the three buildings will span 201,690 square feet (approximately 18,737 square meters), with the first phase potentially coming online as early as January 2028. Documents indicate that all three buildings are slated to be fully operational by January 2030. The campus will also include a new First Energy switching station, connected to existing 345kV transmission lines already located on the site.

Located in Big Beaver, Beaver County, the property sits roughly 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Pittsburgh, near the Ohio state line. The site was formerly home to the Pitt International Race Complex, a 400-acre motorsports venue that opened in 2002 as the BeaveRun Motorsports Complex. The track was acquired by Jim and Kathy Stout in 2011 and renamed, hosting amateur and professional automobile, motorcycle, and karting events until the owners announced its closure in October 2025. The property was purchased in April by Wampum I LLC, a Provident affiliate, and Switch has since taken ownership.

Switch first revealed its intention to build a data center campus in the Pittsburgh area back in May, outlining plans for a 382-acre development in Big Beaver, though full details were not disclosed at that time. The latest filing provides a clearer picture of the project's scope and timeline, underscoring the company's continued aggressive expansion across the United States.

The move reflects a broader trend among major data center operators to repurpose large tracts of land in secondary markets, where power availability and land costs are often more favorable than in traditional hubs. The site's existing 345kV transmission infrastructure was likely a key factor in the location decision, as access to high-voltage power remains a critical constraint for large-scale data center development nationwide.

Founded in 2000, Switch operates its large "Prime" data center campuses in Austin, Texas; Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Atlanta, Georgia. The company is expanding at many of its existing sites while also developing new campuses near its current footprint. In December 2022, DigitalBridge and IFM Investors took Switch private in an $11 billion deal, and Australian pension fund Aware Super invested $500 million into the company in 2023. Reports have recently surfaced suggesting Switch is preparing to go public again through a bumper IPO, which would mark a notable return to the public markets for the Reno-based firm.

The Big Beaver project is part of a wider wave of data center construction activity in Pennsylvania, a state that has been drawing increasing interest from developers due to its proximity to major East Coast population centers and improving power infrastructure. As demand for cloud computing and AI-driven workloads continues to surge, projects like this one are expected to play a pivotal role in meeting the nation's growing digital infrastructure needs.