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Amazon’s Expansion: Securing 1,300 Acres for Data Center Development in Oregon

Published

2 hours ago

March 30, 2026

BTI Team

Amazon acquires 1,300 acres for potential data center in Oregon

Amazon Purchases 1,300 Acres of Land in Oregon for Potential Data Center Campus

Inside an Amazon data center. (AWS Photo / Noah Berger)

Amazon has recently acquired a vast expanse of undeveloped land on the Oregon side of the Columbia River, raising speculation about the establishment of a significant computing campus potentially housing up to 20 data center buildings, as reported by the Oregonian.

The Seattle-based tech giant has confirmed the land acquisition but has chosen to remain tight-lipped about the specifics of any potential data center project.

“Amazon recently purchased land in Boardman, Oregon. Development plans are not final, and Amazon is performing our normal due diligence process as we develop new locations based on customer demand,” stated a company spokesperson in an email response to GeekWire.

Johnson Economics, a Portland consulting firm, has submitted a land-use proposal for the site, indicating plans for an “exascale” data center, a tier larger than the well-known “hyperscale” facilities. The proposed development could comprise 16 to 20 data center buildings, each spanning 250,000 square feet, with an estimated investment ranging from $8 billion to $12 billion. The campus’s energy consumption could reach 1 gigawatt, according to information sourced from the firm and reported by the Oregonian.

Oregon currently hosts more Amazon data centers than any other Pacific Northwest state, boasting a total of 47 sites. Meta also maintains a presence with 10 data centers, while Google operates multiple campuses within the region.

In a separate development earlier this year, Amazon secured an $83 million contract to develop a large-scale solar and battery storage facility in Oregon, surpassing Puget Sound Energy in the bidding process. The facility, once operational, is expected to generate 1.2 gigawatts of solar power and store a commensurate amount of energy, as detailed in a previous report by The Seattle Times.

January also saw Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announce the establishment of a Data Center Advisory Committee tasked with formulating policy recommendations to manage the rapid proliferation of data centers and other energy and water-intensive facilities.

Conversely, in neighboring Washington state, a legislative proposal aimed at mandating utilities and data center companies to safeguard ratepayers from escalating power costs and enhance transparency regarding the environmental impacts of these facilities failed to gain traction this year due to opposition from Microsoft. The bill drew inspiration from insights provided by Washington’s Data Center Workgroup, convened in the previous year under the leadership of Governor Bob Ferguson.

The resistance observed in both states mirrors a broader national trend where communities and elected officials are increasingly scrutinizing the energy consumption, water usage, and overall impact of large-scale data center expansions.