Rankin First

Data centers are the physical engine room of the internet and the modern digital economy. From the outside, they look like standard industrial warehouses, but inside, they house thousands of powerful servers that store and process nearly everything we do online. Think of a data center as a high-tech digital library, instead of checking out physical books, you are accessing websites, streaming videos, or sending emails. These secure facilities keep critical information flowing 24/7, powering everything from online banking and GPS navigation to emergency services and healthcare diagnostics.

• AVAIO has engaged early with local stakeholders and views community partnership as fundamental to responsible development. That includes Hinds Community College and both Rankin and Pearl School Districts CTE programs, veterans hiring program, biodiversity initiatives, and a commitment to transparency with elected officials and community members.
• The campus is designed to be buffered from surrounding properties by natural forest and landscaped terrain. AVAIO has engaged with state elected officials and has stood up a Community Advisory Group for transparency and collaboration with the community and other local leaders and remain committed to addressing questions as they arise.
• The Community Advisory Group has been an essential part of the AVAIO’ Digital’s community engagement, as they develop new facilities in various regions across the nation. 
• AVAIO has a desire to focus on environmental stewardship with AI beehives that will be housed on site. These AI-powered analytics will help help save bees through AI and data science as bees are disappearing at an alarming rate. 

• Operational noise at the property line is designed to be equivalent to a normal conversation. AVAIO proactively commissions noise studies and incorporates sound mitigation design to every facility to meet current noise levels at property boundaries.
• An independent noise study found existing ambient sound levels near the closest residential neighborhood range from 42-56 decibels. These current readings are caused by traffic, households, commercial activities, etc.
• The same study found that, once built, the campus is expected to keep sound at the property line within the City’s codified noise requirements. The study found that the AVAIO campus will not add measurably to those existing levels.
• Backup emergency generators are enclosed, muffled, and tested for fewer than 50 hours per year, during daytime hours only, one-at-a-time, using best-in-class emissions controls.
• The campus includes a park-like setting with substantial landscaped buffers, screening vegetation, and “Dark-Sky” compliant lighting.
• Additionally, like all other businesses in the community, as part of the City of Brandon ordinances, there are decibel requirements that must be met to ensure compliance with local laws and AVAIO is held to the same standards.

• Backup diesel generators are maintained to ensure continuity of service during emergencies and loss of power. Hospitals, government systems, and essential services all depend on cloud infrastructure, so the data center must stay online. On average, generators are used for no more than 30 minutes in a typical month, primarily for brief maintenance testing. They are not a source of ongoing air emissions under normal operations. AVAIO’s facilities are designed to meet or exceed all applicable air quality standards.
• Additionally, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality “MDEQ” must provide approval for air emissions permits and AVAIO must meet these requirements.
• If needed, as the facility grows in future phases, like all businesses, AVAIO will have to receive MDEQ and other applicable governing bodies approval for any necessary air permits.

• No. New, large industrial customers help pick up a larger share of the cost to improve the grid. Costs that families and small business customers would otherwise have to pay alone. AVAIO will pay all interconnection costs to serve their needs. In doing so, AVAIO is benefiting ratepayers by enhancing the grid.
• Entergy, the power provider for AVAIO, has also issued a “Fair Share Plus” pledge aligning with the White House’s Ratepayer Pledge, which calls for companies to pay for their own power supply, infrastructure upgrades, and even for unused capacity to avoid passing costs to households. Additionally, Entergy has also signed on to the White House’s Ratepayer Pledge.
• Entergy’s Fair Share Plus pledge protects all customers from risks through contractual conditions designed to prevent undue electricity bill inflation. These customer protections include prepayment requirements, multi-year contract terms, credit and collateral requirements, and early termination penalties. Entergy’s pledge also ensures large-load projects, particularly data centers and other power-intensive facilities, create net benefits for everyone Entergy serves. These customers must pay the full costs for service and contribute additional value that lowers costs for existing customers on the grid.

No, AVAIO does not use much water on its closed-loop cooling system. The facility also utilizes water-efficient cooling technology with rainwater recapture and cooling-system economization. AVAIO pays for all water and sewer infrastructure required to support the campus, creating additional revenue for the utility rather than a burden on existing customers.

At full build-out, the initial phase is designed to draw less water than roughly 5 acres of irrigated cropland, or fewer than 23 homes.

City of Brandon sets rates based on the cost of providing service to different customer types. Large customers, such as data centers, add water demand without requiring a proportional increase in system-wide infrastructure. Revenue from large users supports system maintenance, debt service and infrastructure investments, helping keep rates stable and reducing cost pressure on residential customers.

• The Brandon Water Department, a division of the City of Brandon Public Works Department, is responsible for providing safe drinking water to Brandon, Mississippi residents. Drawing water from the Sparta and Cockfield formation aquifers, the department operates 10 wells, 4 water tanks, and 33 lift stations to distribute water throughout the city. The department’s services include water distribution, maintenance, and repair of water mains, fire hydrants, water meters, and service lines. Consistently ranked as one of the top water utilities in Mississippi, the Brandon Water Department is committed to providing quality customer service and ensuring the delivery of clean, safe drinking water to the community.
• Each proposed data center is reviewed through City of Brandon’s engineering and planning process to ensure supply and capacity before service is approved. Providing safe, reliable water for residential customers remains City of Brandon’s top priority, supported by strong watershed protection and long-term planning.
• The Brandon data center hub uses water-efficient cooling technology with rainwater recapture and cooling-system economization.
• At full build-out, the initial phase is designed to draw less water than roughly 5 acres of irrigated cropland, or fewer than 23 homes.
• AVAIO invests in local water conservation programs intended to return more water benefit to Rankin County than the campus consumes.
• All water and sewer infrastructure required for the campus is paid for by AVAIO, zero cost to existing ratepayers.
• In future phases, AVAIO is working on cooling solutions that could utilize gray water that otherwise would be dumped into our rivers and streams.

• The AVAIO Data Center campus in Brandon is being designed to meet Green Globes green building standards and built to Dark Sky Certification standards, with all exterior lighting directed downward to protect the natural nighttime environment. AVAIO’s sustainable design elements include water-efficient cooling, rainwater recapture, rooftop solar generation, and cooling-system economization to reduce overall power demand. U.S. data centers as an industry now account for approximately half of all U.S. corporate clean energy procurement.
• AVAIO has developed a partnership with Urban Bee Lab to install AI run beehives on site.

Some data centers produce sound primarily from cooling systems that circulate air to keep servers at safe operating temperatures. AVAIO designs and operates every campus to minimize sound impact on neighbors, using site-specific acoustic modeling, quiet equipment, and generous buffer zones. Data centers are required to follow city ordinances for noise levels. Every project includes an expert acoustical study to model and minimize any impact on the surrounding area.

An independent noise study found existing ambient sound levels near the closest residential neighborhood range from 42-56 decibels. These current readings are caused by traffic, households, commercial activities, etc.

The same study found that, once built, the campus is expected to keep sound at the property line within the City’s codified noise requirements. The study found that the AVAIO campus will not add measurably to those existing levels.

The initial phase of this project will create 60 high-wage jobs, scaling to 300 permanent on-site positions at full buildout. But the true economic impact extends far beyond the facility gates.

In economic development, these are primary jobs, positions that bring in new dollars into Rankin County rather than simply circulating existing local dollars. Every primary job acts as a economic catalyst: in the data center sector, each direct position creates 4 to 5 indirect jobs across our community, driving high-value contracts for local trades and sustained growth for all businesses across Rankin County.

A data center serves as a catalyst for ensuring our local workforce is ready for jobs of the future, by introducing specialized technical roles during both construction and long-term operations.

Accessible Technical Pathways: Many of these positions pay well above the regional average through 2-year technical degrees, certifications, or trade apprenticeships.

High-Wage Local Careers: Creates long-term demand for electricians, pipefitters, fiber optic technicians, control engineers, and data center operations specialists.

Keeping Talent Local: Gives students graduating from local technical schools and community colleges path-to-employment options so they don’t have to leave the county for high-paying jobs.

Yes, AVAIO expects for the majority of jobs to be filled by Rankin County area residents. If interested in career fields, Hinds Community College and the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District and its partners are hosting training classes to support the data center industry in Central Mississippi.

• Across the country, the digital economy and society’s dependence on technology is growing at an incredible rate and electricity demands are growing with it. Our daily lives and modern economy are powered by digital services like streaming, online shopping and apps. Data centers are necessary to store, process, and manage all the data behind these services. With more connected devices and the rise of new technologies this growth means data centers need more energy to meet consumer demands. 
• AVAIO in Rankin County will be a vital part of the ongoing digital transformation, supporting the services we all rely on. This new facility also provides significant benefits to the power grid. 
• Electric grids operate on economies of scale. When a large, dedicated customer like AVAIO joins the grid, they help cover the cost of maintaining and upgrading shared infrastructure. The more industrial customers like AVAIO on the power grid in Entergy Mississippi’s service area, the better for residential customers. That’s because large industrial customers are paying a greater share of the power generation and grid costs that everyone uses. And that helps keep electricity reliable and affordable for everyone.

No. Entergy Mississippi’s agreements with data center customers have been structured to benefit all customers while also protecting existing customers from risks. Consistent with Entergy’s Fair Share Plus pledge, Entergy has ensured provisions in their customer agreements like prepayment requirements, multi-year contract terms, credit and collateral requirements, and early termination penalties to protect existing customers.

Customer contracts that include customer-specific provisions and ensure protections and benefits for all other customers must be reviewed and approved by the Mississippi Public Service Commission (MPSC). Entergy has recently filed a contract with the MPSC for its review and approval to serve AVAIO in Brandon that includes specific provisions requiring the customer to pay all interconnection costs to serve their needs. The agreement between Entergy and AVAIO was approved by the MPSC.

Binding contractual provisions in customer agreements such as early termination penalties are specifically designed to protect existing customers in the case a customer closes or reduces operations.

First, AVAIO had to acknowledge that it would adhere to all local zoning laws, rules, and regulations. The chosen site at the East Metropolitan Center Industrial Park was already properly zoned for the planned use. AVAIO must also follow proper building permit process like any other private company. Finally, AVAIO’s sustainable design methods not only ensure the project complies with local requirements but also minimizes its environmental impact on the community.

The AVAIO data center campus highlights how a community can attract world-class companies by making strategic, long-term infrastructure investments. Brandon’s approach serves as a model for how to prepare for and win major economic development projects that will benefit the community for decades to come.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (“MDEQ”) has jurisdiction over air permits in the State of Mississippi. Like all companies, AVAIO must meet the standards set forth by state law and DEQ. As needed, AVAIO will have to apply for and meet the standards set forth by MDEQ.

Tax incentives are critical to winning high-impact economic development projects in today’s competitive landscape. Thousands of municipalities across the country actively compete for the same high-impact projects. Because data centers represent massive capital investments, state and local tax incentives are often a deciding factor. Offering competitive tax policies allows a community to stand out, win primary jobs, and lock in long-term revenue for local schools and public services.

• Unmatched Capital Investment: Data centers involve billions in initial infrastructure and continuous equipment upgrades. Equipment tax exemptions make a site financially viable for long-term operations.
• High-Value Multipliers: Data centers generate 4 to 5 indirect jobs for every direct role, creating steady demand for local contractors, electricians, utility operators, and Main Street businesses.
• Fierce Competition: Communities nationwide compete every day for industrial project, data centers, and other private investment that brings primary jobs to a community. Offering competitive, state-level incentive frameworks ensures our region stands out and secures the long-term tax base benefits primary jobs provide.