Rural Missouri is becoming a data center boomtown. Google announced Wednesday it will invest $15 billion in a New Florence facility, placing it next to an already-approved $35 billion Amazon Web Services data center, according to the governor's office. The two projects combined will span nearly 2,000 acres in Montgomery County, about 20 miles west of Warrenton along Interstate 70. That footprint is roughly the size of 70 Busch Stadiums.
"Google's historic investment in Montgomery County is proof of Missouri's growing reputation as a premier destination for innovation and next-generation technology," Governor Mike Kehoe said in a news release.
Under Senate Bill 4, signed by Kehoe in 2025, Google will pay for 100% of the power the data center uses and any new infrastructure costs driven by its operations. The facility will use advanced air-cooling technology, limiting water consumption to uses like kitchens, the release said.
Alphabet and Google President and Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat said the company is investing in workforce development and energy affordability. Google is contributing $20 million to an Energy Impact Fund aimed at lowering monthly utility bills for Missouri households in counties surrounding its planned data centers in Kansas City and New Florence. The economic multiplier is significant. Kehoe's office said every direct job at the data center will create nine additional roles in the community, spanning construction, HVAC repair, maintenance, and landscaping.
Google is partnering with the Construction Laborers and Contractors Joint Training Fund of Eastern Missouri to train more than 2,300 construction workers, including 1,500 apprentices, over the next two years. But the tech buildout has sparked backlash. Montgomery County commissioners approved tax abatements for the Amazon project in December 2025, drawing large crowds of opposed residents at town halls. In February, a community group filed a lawsuit accusing commissioners of violating the Missouri Sunshine Law, alleging they failed to provide adequate meeting notice and didn't disclose water usage specifics for the Amazon facility. The lawsuit seeks to halt that project. A hearing is scheduled for June 1. For the Google project, Montgomery County Presiding Commissioner Ryan Poston framed the investment as a tax-base expansion that could reduce property taxes for local citizens. Google has contracted to bring more than one gigawatt of new generation capacity to Missouri and, through a partnership with Ameren, is supporting development of more than 500 megawatts of additional capacity.
