IT and Data Centers

Over eight years ago, one of the most prominent names in the IT and Data Center sector — Google — chose South Carolina for a data center, and it has since doubled the capacity of the facility. Now, South Carolina’s Data Center industry is projected to grow by 11% within the next five years — that’s higher than the national projected growth rate.

For data centers, South Carolina has eliminated sales tax on electricity for projects involving an investment of more than $50 million and 25 employees. This tax exemption also extends to computer-related purchases such as servers and software. Other resources and incentives that make South Carolina such an attractive state for the Data Center industry include:

• An impressive telecommunications network, complete with digital switching centers, copper and fiber-optic cable, and redundancy
• A diverse mix of energy sources, including hydroelectric, nuclear, coal and natural gas, and rates averaging 15% below the national average
• A number of military installations and entities, all of which have data and cyber security demands
• A workforce of a large number of former military members who possess the critical technical and security skills needed in data centers