Key Takeaways

  • Eagle Rock Partners is developing Big Woods Technology Park in Jefferson Davis County, with construction potentially starting in 2027.
  • Research indicates that a county’s first large data center can lift employment and wages, although long-term operating jobs may be more limited than construction work.
  • Power availability, infrastructure costs, tax terms and measurable community benefits will shape the project’s economic impact.

Eagle Rock Partners is moving forward with plans for a $6 billion data center at Big Woods Technology Park in Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi, potentially bringing one of the country’s largest technology infrastructure investments to one of its poorest counties.

Construction could begin as early as 2027, according to reporting from Mississippi Today. The proposed development arrives as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital services drive intense demand for facilities capable of housing increasingly power-dense computing systems.

For Jefferson Davis County, the scale matters. The director of the Jefferson Davis County Economic Development Association has pointed to the potential tax revenue, investment and jobs associated with the data center. Those benefits could give the county resources for public services and infrastructure while creating opportunities for local contractors and workers.

The employment picture, however, has several layers. Research published by Site Selection found that counties receiving their first large data center experienced 4% to 5% higher total private employment over five to six years. Construction employment increased 11%, while wages rose 3% to 4%.

That suggests the project’s influence could extend beyond people employed inside the facility. Electricians, civil contractors, security providers, equipment suppliers, maintenance specialists and hospitality businesses can all participate during development. Some of those gains may fade after construction, while others can persist if the facility attracts related infrastructure and service providers.

Data centers are capital-intensive, but not necessarily labor-intensive once operating. A $6 billion investment is massive, but the final economic outcome will depend on the number and quality of permanent jobs, local procurement, tax arrangements and any infrastructure costs carried by residents or public authorities.

Incentive structure deserves particular scrutiny. The Site Selection research found that incentives for hyperscale facilities averaged about 2% of construction investment, compared with roughly 62% for colocation developments. Hyperscale projects also tended to produce larger local economic gains. Eagle Rock Partners’ operating model, prospective tenants and final incentive package therefore could materially affect the value captured by Jefferson Davis County.

Power may be the tougher issue. Global data-center electricity consumption reached approximately 485 TWh in 2025 and is projected to approach 950 TWh by 2030. At the same time, North American data-center vacancy remained around 1% through the first half of 2026, while 25 GW of new demand was recorded. CBRE has also tracked the capacity, development and power constraints influencing the North American market.

Can the local grid support a development of this scale without shifting unreasonable costs or reliability risks to other customers? That question will likely sit alongside water use, backup generation, transmission construction and environmental permitting as planning progresses.

Efficiency is another benchmark. According to Uptime Institute data, surveyed operators reported an average power-usage effectiveness ratio of 1.54, meaning facilities consumed 1.54 units of total energy for each unit delivered to IT equipment. Design choices at Big Woods Technology Park could determine whether the facility performs above or below that industry average. ISO/IEC 22237 and the Uptime Institute Tier Standard offer established approaches for evaluating data-center infrastructure, availability and resilience.

Comparable campuses operated by Meta in Nebraska, Vantage in Texas and Microsoft show how hyperscale development can reshape regional infrastructure planning. Yet Jefferson Davis County starts from a different economic base. Broadband improvements, workforce training and supplier-development programs could make the investment more durable rather than leaving it as an isolated industrial site.

The proposal remains a major opportunity, but the headline investment alone will not settle the outcome. For Eagle Rock Partners and local officials, the next phase is about converting scale into transparent tax benefits, practical workforce pathways and infrastructure that supports both the data center and the surrounding community.