Shelby County data center campus signs $1B deal with AI company

A major development is officially underway in Shelby County. Miami-based infrastructure firm DigiPower X Inc. has secured a massive $1.1 billion deal with a California-based artificial intelligence company to lease space at its new data center campus in Columbiana.

A Strategic AI Partnership

The agreement, which was announced in early May, establishes a 40-megawatt colocation setup for Cerebras Systems. Under the arrangement, Cerebras will utilize the facility to house its computing hardware rather than taking ownership of the site itself.

For DigiPower X, the impact is significant. CEO and chairman Michael Amar called the contract transformational, noting that landing a $1.1 billion anchor deal with a premier AI compute leader validates the company’s vision and infrastructure capabilities. The initial agreement spans 10 years and could reach a value of $2.5 billion if fully renewed.

Local Impact and Development

DigiPower X has been working since January to transform the Industrial Parkway property—originally slated for bitcoin mining—into a 70-megawatt campus. While the company sought property tax incentives to bolster the project, the Columbiana City Council voted unanimously against the request on May 5.

The project has faced scrutiny from local residents since its inception, specifically regarding environmental impacts and concerns over non-disclosure agreements involving previous leadership. These tensions led the city to amend its zoning ordinance in February to establish stricter standards for data center construction.

Timeline and Future Growth

Despite local friction, DigiPower X remains focused on the site’s potential, citing its access to robust power infrastructure and proximity to major southeastern fiber corridors. The company has already finished constructing a substation that links the campus to the grid via an agreement with Alabama Power.

Construction on the first phase, consisting of 15 megawatts of capacity, is set to begin immediately with a target completion date of Dec. 15. A subsequent phase will add 25 megawatts, with the entire facility expected to be fully operational by spring 2027.

The financial impact of the Columbiana project is already appearing on the company's books. In a recently filed financial report for the first quarter of 2026, DigiPower X attributed a 30% increase in company assets to the campus, which accounted for the bulk of its $45 million in capital expenditures during the first three months of the year.