Company Invites Brookwood Residents To Meeting On $3.2B AI Data Center

BROOKWOOD, AL — Applied Digital has announced it will host a community meeting Thursday for Brookwood-area residents to learn more about its planned $3.2 billion artificial intelligence (AI) data center campus.

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The meeting is set for 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at the G.G. Hardin Center in Brookwood.

The company said seating is limited and preference will be given to Brookwood residents.

Applied Digital said company representatives will be on hand to discuss the project's anticipated economic benefits, construction plans and issues raised by residents, including infrastructure, water usage and other potential local impacts.

The meeting comes a week after Patch reported when the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority publicly unveiled details of the development, known as Project Highlands.

Applied Digital refers to the planned campus as Delta Forge 2.

The approximately 1.3 million-square-foot campus is planned for roughly 160 acres of a nearly 1,300-acre site acquired by Applied Digital north of the 17000 block of Brookwood Parkway.

Construction is expected to begin in October and be completed by the end of 2028.

The project is expected to employ more than 1,000 workers at the peak of construction and support more than 100 permanent jobs once completed.

TCEDA said last week that the development is projected to generate more than $440 million in tax revenue and community benefit payments over 20 years, including an estimated $131.5 million for area schools. That education funding is projected to include $101.6 million in property taxes and $29.9 million in sales and use taxes.

The project has also drawn scrutiny in Brookwood amid broader concerns surrounding the rapid expansion of data centers, particularly their potential effects on water supplies, electricity demand, noise and other infrastructure.

TCEDA has said the Brookwood facility will be required to use a closed-loop water cooling system that circulates coolant through sealed pipes rather than continuously drawing water for cooling. Backup generators must also be enclosed inside the facility to reduce noise.

The economic development agreement approved for the project includes a 20-year non-educational tax abatement estimated at approximately $314.5 million. Education taxes are not included in the abatement.

Applied Digital will also make 20 annual community benefit payments of $13.5 million once the facility is placed in service, totaling $270 million.

TCEDA said those payments will be distributed among Brookwood, Tuscaloosa, Northport, Tuscaloosa County, the Tuscaloosa County Road Improvement Commission and DCH Healthcare Authority.

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