Over the past few years, Ohio has rapidly become a hot spot for data center construction and artificial intelligence. Best known for agriculture and heavy industry, its central location, temperate climate, robust energy infrastructure, and bountiful real estate make it an ideal venue for key tech infrastructure like data centers and manufacturing plants. With projects underway in areas like Columbus and Middleton Township, the Buckeye State is becoming a burgeoning tech hub.
As of 2025, Ohio is home to some 188 data centers, significantly more than tech hubs like Oregon, Washington, and New York. That number is only growing as demand for AI services rises. According to a report from PwC, this wave of data center construction is funneling tens of billions into the state economy and supporting over 100,000 jobs in communities across the state.
But tech companies aren’t the only ones pushing Ohio’s AI future forward. Local businesses and institutions across the state are moving quickly to adopt and scale the technology. Ohio State University, one of the nation’s largest higher education institutions, recently announced plans to integrate artificial intelligence into its entire curriculum, making every graduating student AI literate by 2029. The initiative aims to equip the next generation of Ohioans with the skills and knowledge to thrive in an AI-driven economy, regardless of the major they choose.
Outside of academia, Ohioans are increasingly leveraging AI for a wide array of use cases that are improving people’s quality of life. From real estate agents using AI search tools to help their clients find better house listings to emergency services employing AI dispatchers to optimize response times for non-emergency calls, Ohioans are finding innovative applications for AI. Even the state’s agricultural sector, an economic cornerstone, is leveraging AI to improve outcomes and grow profitability. Ohio farmers are increasingly harnessing AI-powered tools like smart irrigators and pesticide dispersal systems to reduce costs, improve sustainability, address labor shortages, and keep Ohio’s farming sector competitive.
This growth of data centers and AI across the state is setting up Ohio for a strong economic future. As we detailed back in May in our report Future Foundations: Data Centers & American Competitiveness, demand for data centers is set to quadruple in the next five years, driven by AI and cloud computing. Institutions like hospitals, universities, and small businesses will all increasingly rely on the services data centers provide to drive innovation and foster efficiencies. This foundation for AI innovation in Ohio is a prime example of how states are preparing for a new wave of technological progress. States like Ohio are recognizing the technological wave, and ensuring their community benefits and thrives alongside the worldwide use of AI.
What’s emerging in Ohio is a compelling model for post-industrial reinvention. The rapid development of Ohio’s AI economy shows how other midwestern states can use their unique strengths to compete in the tech sector and chart their own path to success.
