Bitdeer's Ohio AI Data Center Plan Faces Scrutiny Over Power Consumption

Bitdeer's ambitious plan to build a massive AI data center campus in northeast Ohio has drawn intense scrutiny from local residents. The Singapore-based company, which specializes in bitcoin mining and AI infrastructure, wants to develop a 15-building complex on 257 acres at the Turnpike Commerce Center in Shalersville Township.

The proposed project would start with two data halls and a 51,500-square-foot office building, with a second phase adding 12 more data halls. The campus could reach a total power capacity of 750 megawatts if fully built out, according to local reports.

At a packed public meeting this week, residents expressed concerns about electricity consumption, water use, noise, fire risk, and environmental impact. Bitdeer's senior project manager, Paul Hanson, said the site was chosen due to its size, industrial setting, proximity to transportation infrastructure, and access to long-term power.

Bitdeer and its partner, Geis Development, frame the project as an economic development opportunity that could create 400 local construction jobs over five years and 150-200 permanent jobs once fully built out. The companies also claim the project would generate $2.17 million in annual real estate tax revenue.

However, some residents are skeptical, with one calling for the township to reject the project or for Bitdeer to abandon it altogether. The Shalersville proposal is part of Bitdeer's growing Ohio footprint, which includes a 221MW bitcoin mining site in Massillon and plans for a 570MW site in Clarington.