A responsible data center in Canton, Ohio

Sited and constructed responsibly, data centers should serve as the foundation for economic activity and opportunity and jobs for the future. In the City of Canton – a community shaped for more than a century by steel, heavy manufacturing and energy – Corscale is developing Midwest Digital Gateway with those same principles in mind.

Our campus is designed around a deliberately small footprint to allow for substantial setbacks with the buildings located toward the interior of the property to reduce impacts on the surrounding neighborhoods.

Aerial rendering of the proposed Corscale campus outside Canton: four long server and data halls in two parallel pairs, set around access roads and parking, an electrical switchyard and substation along the western edge, a water treatment and cooling compound to the east, retention basins, and the surrounding farmland, woodland and existing industrial buildings.

Latest Progress

Site Filings

Initial and Final LDP Filed

Community Meetings

Sep 23, 2026

Preliminary Site Work

Not started

Construction

Not started

Operations

Not started

About Midwest Digital Gateway

The City of Canton has been proudly shaped by a diverse industrial economy, beginning with its deep historical roots in the steel and heavy manufacturing industry and extending to energy development and infrastructure. Dating back to the 1800s, the manufacturing industry has been a staple in the city and neighboring communities, creating jobs, supporting local businesses and helping define the region's economic identity.

Midwest Digital Gateway builds on that legacy to serve as an anchor for the industrial infrastructure of the future. Like traditional manufacturing, Midwest Digital Gateway will depend on reliable power infrastructure, strong utility systems and skilled labor, and it will make significant long-term operational investments in the City of Canton.

Our site was selected with that history in mind. The project is being developed as a four-building campus, and the site is unique in that our small footprint allows for substantial setbacks with the buildings located toward the interior of the property to help reduce impacts on the surrounding neighborhoods. Midwest Digital Gateway will serve as a positive foundation to support the next chapter of Canton's industrial infrastructure by bringing new investment to a community with a long history of building, powering and operating complex industries.

What is a data center?

In short, a data center is simply a building full of computers. As our economy grows and evolves, all sectors of the economy increasingly rely on data centers to concentrate computer servers in a protected environment to rapidly run software and process information. They are housed in a single location to ensure that they can keep working without interruption.

Nearly everything that happens in modern life starts at a data center. When a hospital creates and stores an imaging scan, when an advanced manufacturing plant begins their production runs, all of our daily video calls, when a digital transaction clears the bank - all of the computing behind this depends on a data center building.

The demand for this sophisticated computing power is growing exponentially as our economy becomes more technologically sophisticated. Data centers are no longer just simple warehouses for computer servers; they've become dynamic hubs of interconnected economic activity. Around them cluster regional technology suppliers, upgraded energy systems, hardware producers, builders, and expanding university research programs. Increasingly, data center sites serve as the foundational infrastructure on which advanced computing and next-generation manufacturing jobs are built. Data center infrastructure, much like a power substation or a rail line, is the critical infrastructure of the future.

The what

Once completed, Midwest Digital Gateway will encompass approximately 1 million square feet over four, two-story buildings with 312 MWs of available power.

The campus offers many energy-efficient features including advanced cooling techniques, energy tracking, water conservation, limited generator footprint and ultra-low power usage.

The where

Midwest Digital Gateway is in the City of Canton, Stark County, Ohio.

Corscale is actively working with local officials to incorporate important site considerations including landscaping, stormwater management, environmental impact, utilities, traffic, noise and construction planning.

Ratepayer protections

Midwest Digital Gateway will be cost neutral for residents.

Corscale will fund the all of the power infrastructure necessary to serve our facility, commit to long-term service agreements, maintain minimum billing obligations, and provide financial security to ensure that our project – not local residents – bears the cost of grid upgrades needed to support our operations.

Water use

Midwest DIgital Gateway will use modern cooling technologies to minimize water use.

Cooling a data center means moving heat out of the building. Northeast Ohio's climate does much of that work on its own. Outside air is cool enough to carry the load for most of the year and modern systems increasingly run on closed loops that are filled once and then recirculate, rather than drawing water continuously.

Who runs it

Corscale is the developer of Midwest Digital Gateway.

Our senior leadership team brings a 43-year development track record and has led more than $26 billion of infrastructure investment across 17 states. We excel in developing sustainable, energy efficient projects that are uniquely suited to the communities where we operate.

The Corscale Promise

Corscale is committed to the responsible development and operation of Midwest Digital Gateway. We put these commitments in writing and we hold ourselves accountable:

  1. 01

    We show up by name.

    We are proud of our record of responsible development. For questions or more information about Midwest Digital Gateway, please contact us at info@mdgcanton.com

  2. 02

    We pay our own way.

    We cover external costs related to the data center and we are committed to investing in and improving public services and shared spaces that surround our operations. We will not shift the burden for water or power onto residents. In fact, as a part of this project, Corscale will be investing to extend the water main and sewer service to the site which will also provide enhanced water services to nearby Canton Township. Additionally, Corscale will make substantial investments in the community to address unmet needs that our development can help address.

  3. 03

    We engage with the community.

    At Corscale, we want the City of Canton and Stark County to be informed and involved. This includes working with city leaders, local businesses and labor representatives during the planning, development and operational phases.

  4. 04

    Benefits for all.

    Midwest Digital Gateway represents a significant capital investment in Canton and Stark County. It will bring millions of dollars of direct investment, hundreds of jobs and new additional investments for community infrastructure. As we work with the City to develop this project, residents of Canton should expect that Midwest Digital Gateway will be a source of community wealth, ecological enhancement, and shared prosperity.

  5. 05

    We build with local hands.

    Corscale prioritizes local union hiring and partnering with local trades, community colleges and workforce initiatives to create a new skilled work pipeline for modern trades and credentialed professional jobs. For Midwest Digital Gateway we expect to have 84% of our labor force represented by local unions.

  6. 06

    We design to fit.

    Setbacks, buffers, noise and light designed for the unique characteristics of the City of Canton and our site specifically. We take care to ensure that our facilities are low impact from a design perspective.

  7. 07

    We stay accountable.

    Corscale is a responsible developer dedicated to being a good neighbor in the communities where we operate. For Midwest Digital Gateway, that means careful project planning and execution, transparent communication and engagement with the community before, during and after the project is completed.

Impact In Numbers

Midwest Digital Gateway will be an impactful development for the residents of the City of Canton. Corscale commissioned Oxford Economics to conduct an independent economic analysis to chart the investment impact.

$2.9 billionSource 1
Capital investment in Stark CountyConstruction 2026–2029
Jobs supported across Stark County each year of constructionPeak at 13,300 in 2027, 84% local union labor
$809M / yrSource 1
Added to Stark County’s economy each year during construction3.2% of the county’s total GDP
Permanent jobs supported in Stark County, every year4 of every 1,000 people employed in the county
$318M / yrSource 1
Ongoing annual contribution to Stark County’s economy1.3% of the county’s total GDP, from 2029 onward
Stark County jobs multiplierEvery 10 jobs on the campus support 44 across the county
Read the report here.
  1. 1Oxford Economics for Corscale, Midwest Digital Gateway economic impact, September 2026. Investment figure provided by Corscale.
Three construction workers talking on site beside a steel-framed building

Learn More

We are here to answer your questions. Please reach out to our team with any questions or concerns and we will get back in touch with you as quickly as possible.

How many jobs will the Midwest Digital Gateway provide?

Two hundred permanent jobs at the campus itself once it is fully operational in 2029. Counting the local suppliers and spending those roles support, the campus sustains about 880 jobs across Stark County every year.

Will the construction jobs be union labor?

Yes. 84% of construction jobs will be local union labor. The build supports about 7,850 jobs a year across Stark County, peaking at 13,300 in 2027.

200 permanent jobs sounds small for a $2.9 billion project. Is it?

Data centers are capital-intensive, so the on-site headcount is modest by design. But every 10 jobs at the campus support 44 jobs across Stark County, through local suppliers and the wages those workers spend here.

What happens to the local economy once construction finishes?

Construction employment winds down in 2029 and the permanent operation takes over. From that point the campus contributes $318 million a year to Stark County's economy — about 1.3% of everything the county produces — with no end date.

How much is actually being invested here?

$2.9 billion between 2026 and 2029. Across those build years the project adds an average of $809 million a year to Stark County's economy, roughly 3.2% of the county's total output.

How much water will Midwest Digital Gateway use?

About 400,000 gallons a day. That is roughly 4% of the 10 million gallons a day of capacity Canton's water system currently has available.

Will this reduce the water available to Canton households?

No. The campus is sized to fit inside capacity the system already has and is not currently selling, so it does not draw on supply households depend on.

Why does Canton have that much unused water capacity?

The system was built for a manufacturing base far larger than the one Canton has today. When those plants closed the demand left, but the treatment capacity — and the cost of maintaining it — stayed.

How does that help the City?

Unused capacity still costs money to maintain, and today those fixed costs are spread across a smaller number of customers than the system was designed for. A steady, predictable industrial customer puts idle capacity back to work and returns revenue to the utility.

Have a question about Midwest Digital Gateway?

If you have a question about Midwest Digital Gateway and you can’t find the answer here, please . We will be providing regular project updates and the project progresses and are always happy to provide additional details.

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